That Black people experience high levels of gun violence in our communities does not make us less deserving of good and fair policing, it makes us more deserving. Imagine thinking that our suffering crime justifies police brutality. This is pathologizing of black suffering.

I also do not want to see one more tweet insinuating that Black people only care about killing when police do it. As if we don’t mourn, fight, advocate and take to the street against gun violence. As if we somehow don’t love our children and families like anyone else.

More than half of Black Adilts are out of work right now. More than 1 in 4 have missed at least one rent payment. People can’t feed their families. And that’s on top of the hardship and struggle in these communities before Covid 19.

I’ve lost four family members to homicide. It is unconscionable that any leader — especially a Black one — would blame Black communities for a criminal element that is taking our loved one’s, as if we condone it, as if asking police not to kill us justifies civilians doing so.

There’s research that shows correlations between poor policing, low trust in law enforcement, and crime rates. Do your jobs and stop victim blaming.