Black lives always matter

Editor:

On June 13, 2016, a white Mobile police officer shot and killed a 19-year-old black man, igniting protests and calls for police reform. State representatives, local politicians, clergy and concerned citizens marched Mobile streets demanding justice for the slain and calling for the arrest of the officer.

Racism was named as the underlying cause of the shooting prompting many to chant “Black Lives Matter,” the slogan made famous after another shooting involving a white police officer and a black man. Protests and rallies continued for months, ensuring the incident remained in the public spotlight.

Fast-forward to 2018 in the same city; of the nine homicides thus far, five victims are female and black. Five! But remarkably there is appalling silence from those same voices. No protest, no rallies, no marches. Nada, nil, nothing. Why? Where are the preachers and politicians screaming  for everyone  to put down their guns? Why no hashtag movement or “Justice for Black Women?”

The youngest female homicide victim was 15 years old. She was shot while attending a “teen party” where no security had been retained. Why haven’t the state representatives called for rental agreement reform requiring establishments to have security? Why hasn’t there been a call to boycott the facility?

The hypocrisy of some “leaders” (sarcasm intended, plus an eye roll) is nauseating. Black lives only matter when they are taken by a white person, but they don’t mean anything when the victim is black and female. I am disgusted by the race-based, politically driven policies of preachers and elected officials entrusted to be honest and strong for the people who have placed faith in them.

Five of the nine homicides this year were black women killed by black men. Who will speak for those victims? Who will ask black men to stop killing each other? I will!

John “JY” Young
Mobile