Column: See the causes, not the damages

On July 14, I wrote a column published in this newspaper titled “Delrawn, Alton, Philando, Unknown.” In the column, I discussed the four Black men that were killed by state violence daily between July 4 and 7.

I let out my pain, frustration and sadness in that column, and it was a cathartic moment for me after a summer of overwhelming Black pain and loss. Now, two months later, I’m right back where I started.

On Sept. 14, 13-year-old Tyre King was killed by police in Ohio after being suspected of involvement in a robbery.

On Sept. 16, Terence Crutcher was killed in Oklahoma after having car trouble.

On Sept. 20, Keith Scott was killed in Charlotte after being mistaken for another man with outstanding warrants.

On Sept. 21, Tawon Boyd died in Maryland after being beaten by police after calling 911 for medical help.

That’s four times a Black person died due to police violence in less than a week.

Being Black in America is a painful, traumatic experience — especially in times like these. Trying to make it through the day as a Black person in this country is hard enough without the trauma of Black pain and Black death.

Too many times in the past week I’ve seen people who are not Black try to police the reactions of Black people around police brutality.

With the murder of Keith Scott only two hours from our campus, many professors gave students spaces to discuss the incident.

As expected, too much of the discussion focused on the protests in the aftermath of the shooting and not nearly enough on the fact that a Black father of seven was unjustly killed. Few focused on the reasoning behind the violence unfolding in its aftermath either.

At every opportunity, I urged classmates to think about WHY people felt rioting and looting was the only option they had, instead of focusing on the rioting itself.

I don’t condone violence, but I understand it. As a Black person in this country, I understand why people who look like me, and are also brought into this world with the birthright called oppression, feel this way.

Contrary to popular opinion, it takes a lot for Black people to reach the point of what some would call rioting.

Black people are resilient; we’ve dealt with things that would destroy even the strongest of races.

So, just imagine what this country would look like if we experienced a Ferguson, Baltimore or Charlotte every time a Black person was shot by police.

Public Service Announcement: If you are not Black, you can never truly understand the experiences of Black people.

You lack the authority or insight to criticize our actions. Furthermore, if you have no interest in our liberation, you have no place to critique our methods.