Stop the Madness

The ongoing violence between law enforcement and perpetrators is horrific on both ends but it raises a bigger issue of race relations in this country. What started out on a smaller scale in one community has begun to retreat our entire nation back to the 1950's. If you do not recognize that, just take note of how quickly the epidemic is spreading.

Granted, many of us are standing together to prevent this regression but it may just be happening in spite of us all. I am not referring to Ferguson or Baltimore, though those incidents may have been the impetus for much of what has occurred, but to the underlying animosity that is evident when you see how people are responding to various issues. There is a level of anger that is above and beyond any that can justify some of the truly deplorable behavior. No one gets their messages heard that way and people are just getting hurt. It is snowballing and just getting people more and more mad.

When does it stop? When we are segregated again? If you think it can't happen, think again. In recent riots, stores hung signs on the doors saying they had black owners so they wouldn't be looted leaving only white-owned stores to be victimized. That seems like a very short walk to signs in windows saying, "whites only" or "blacks only" and that terrifies me for the state of this country. We have come way too far to go back now!

Regardless of how you may feel about some of the recent issues we face, please don't let them tear us apart as people. We have to put our humanity first because we are all in this together. We are not enemies. We are living in such tumultuous times and we need to rely on one another. Stop retreating to a time of hate and keep moving forward. We can work out our differences... peacefully, without violence and without prejudice.