A Time for Change, by Angela Khristin Brown

Man is not truly free, if he is afraid to die. A recent violent act in the media
has triggered outrage in the black community, when a young African American boy
was persecuted without sound reason. This young boy was determined to be
successful. e came from a middle!class structure. e was a high school graduate
and sought to pursue an undergraduate program at a university. is demeanor was
kind to most and honest. e would not steal with his friends. "n this day, this young
boy was accosted by the police. The police demanded he put up his hands and he
did# but was shot and murdered. $epeatedly his was shot % times. $epeatedly, %
times that took his life.
The Civil $ights Act of &'%(, &'%(, &')(, &'%* was established by Congress,
granted by the Constitution of the +nited ,tates that blacks were granted the
sovereign right to protection. -t was feared during the $econstruction periods that
blacks needed this protection. Throughout history, black people faced many
oppositions that would prevent e.ual apparatus with its counterparts making it
more di/cult to survive racism.
Today, the black man is not free, if he cannot stand his own ground. The black
man still lives in fear due to the law that the police can harass him. -t is a scary
feeling, if the police has the right to shoot on contact without sound reason. The
police is sworn to oath to protect the citi0ens of the state. Blacks do not feel they
are being protected while being misrepresented by unlawful harassment and
shooting.
- propose that the government mandate a law that states that the police
undergo empathy training to the black community. -t is important that the police
understand who the black community is. 1ot all black people are bad. ,ome people
do not know the conse.uences of the police, who are good people, and are
murdered like this teenage child. These people are the ones who want to be positive
and do positive things. "ne of the most precious things on earth is the human life.
- propose that government change the law from shoot to kill on contact to
admit when the police life is in danger or to not shoot to kill but only in2ure the
assailant when being apprehended during a crime. There are too many people dying
of gun violence every year by criminals. The police should not add to the number of
illegal violations, especially when nothing is being done about it.
The black community can think of how they want to be governed. By hiring
more educated blacks in government and in education may persuade the black
authority to promoting the change in their community at large. 3istricts should
develop within the community. -t starts by having blacks vote on who will govern
them best. -t takes government to elicit the programs needed in the community to
accomplish the 2ob. -f the community is not educated on how to implement
programs to meet their needs, then the fate of the community will die and the
violence will continue.
- am saddened by the loss of so many of our American children, regardless of
what race, nationality and ethnicity, who were sub2ected to murder, silenced to
death, because of an relentless act, purge red by violence. ,ilently we whisper the
names of our sons and our daughter whose death, once becoming, are loosed in the
wind by those losses before us, Brown, Till, Martin, and to the names unsung in this
2ourney whose presence must not be forgotten. These children represent the
stepping stone of America. This is a new age, a new time, a new generation. 4ith
this generation, we made a promise to change the racial tensions that divide our
nation. As we walk, there is a generation of people who are willing to carry the torch
of spiritual hope that the target of hatred will not prevail in American lives. The
names of the youth who die every day in this country, should not die in vain# but,
should be the reason why America should change how our system works. -f
Americans believe, we can make America a safer place to live. "ur action becomes
the stepping stone for promise.