This is my friend Ethan. He lost sight in one eye when a police officer shot a tear gas canister directly into his face while he and his incredible mother were cleaning up after an early protest in Minneapolis after George Floyd was killed. What follows are his mom's words. /1

"My son and I went to a community clean up in the afternoon over on Lake street. We wanted to stand up for justice in a way that also helped the beloved community we once lived in." /2

"When I was in college we lived in Minneapolis and I have fond memories of going to blockbuster, which was turned into the auto zone, which was burned. We lived in low income housing while I was a single mother in college." /3

"The people in our apartment complex were mostly black and brown. This is where my son had his early years, playing with Hispanics, Asian Americans, African Americans, East Africans. He always knew we were privileged." /4

"We would go down to county for child care assistance and food stamps, I made sure he understood because we were white, we had more support." /5

"My son and I went to Thailand before he was even 5, he saw poverty. He learned to understand money doesn’t bring happiness and that we need to love our fellow humans. He believes we are all worthy of love and happiness. He educated himself on social injustices." /6

"He found his voice in high school, diving into America’s history. He came home telling me about segregation, Jim Crow, the war on drugs and systemic racism. How the system was created for keeping us down through Hollywood, media, welfare and prisons...so many other things." /7

"Ethan is so passionate about liberation for all the social structures holding people down. He wants to be a politician/law maker/activist/ revolutionary/artist and help make our country and world better, compassionate and liberated. We need justice and liberation." /8

"He is in college working on a degree to do just that. His GPA is 3.6. He has the biggest heart of anyone I know." /9

"A police officer struck him with a tear gas canister to his face, from just several feet away, right in front of me. I screamed for help, but no help came from the officers sadly, but from our beloved community. A stranger drove us to hospital, he saved my sons life." /10

"My son is now permanently blind in his right eye. The right side of his face was smashed causing fractures to his eye socket, cheek, sinus and nose, he has surgeries to repair the fractures over the next year." /11

"He was traumatized. He is home healing. The other day he told me he can’t wait to get better so he can continue to go to stand up for social injustices." /12

"Nobody deserves this excessive militant style of policing. Mothers should never watch police injure their babies, and then not render aid, it’s inhumane. Black and brown mothers have dealt with this for over 400 years in this country." /13

"Black and brown lives matter. And know, that of course my sons life matters, BUT right now Black and brown lives matter. Please look at history, it really weaves the path to where we are today sadly." /14

"My privilege brought me to share this, I’m heartbroken, but people need to know what happened. Not all police are bad. But why is this country so violent and we incarcerate so many? I don’t want my son near officers ever again." /15

"I know mothers that are black feel the same, it’s a feeling of powerlessness and fear. Where is our compassion, our humanity? We are all family." /16

"My friends, nothing is lost when others gain, when homeostasis occurs among humanity and compassion and opportunity are celebrated for all." /17

"We are privileged because others are oppressed, we should STOP oppressing. This is largely a white problem. ... Please donate to black and brown causes." /18

Ethan's mom, Anne, is a FORCE. I'm so proud of know both of them. I met Ethan when he was four. It's nothing short of thrilling to see the young man he's become, and infuriating to see what's happened to him for standing up for what's right, and necessary, and overdue. /19