Black Teens in America

Black male, 6’2, 17, wearing dark jeans and a black hoodie, walking home from a local gas station. Stopped. Cuffed. Shot. Crime committed...being black. Why is my skin color the equivalent to violence and criminal activity? Why does my skin color put my father’s, brother’s, uncle’s, cousin’s, or even my own life in danger? These are the thoughts of my best friend, Lamone. I was never truly worried about my life being robbed. My focus was on the safety of the males in my life. Every night I’d pray for their safety and that they’d never be convicted of what some police officials would consider the deadliest crime: Being black. The whole theory that color doesn’t matter and racism doesn’t exist has dissipated. Currents events have shown otherwise. Police brutalities seem to be the number one killer of black males. Now, even African American women have to be worried about their safety.

Tanisha Anderson, 37 years old killed by Cleveland officials after being slammed to the ground with a knee in her back. Yvette Smith, 47 years old shot after being ordered by police to exit her home. Alesia Thomas, 35 years old killed by LA police after being repeatedly kicked in the abdomen, thigh, and groin area. Rumain Brisbon, 34 years old murdered by a Phoenix officer after a pill bottle was mistaken for a gun. Tamir Rice, 12 years old murdered by a Cleveland officer for holding a BB gun. Michael Brown, 18 years old murdered by a Ferguson officer because he allegedly “looked like a demon.” These are only a few of the African Americans who have been slaughtered by the police. Their abrupt death has left their family and friends with a huge void. As the number of police killings increase, so does my fear. I fear one day waking up to a phone call that my brother or even sister has been killed. I fear my mother having to wake up with one less child after a police officer “accidentally” kills me. I fear my fellow African American race being plucked from their families one by one. I fear being black.

I fear the ramifications in which the mere color of my skin could bring. I fear the pigmentation of my skin because I know one