Michael Brown, Sandra Bland, Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Eric Harris, Walter Scott, Jonathan Ferrell, Freddie Gray, Samuel DuBose…, but these are just the ones we’ve heard about.  How many more have to die before things change?   In each of these cases officers declared the deaths of these men and women an accident. And time and time again video footage and post mortem body analysis showed these allegations to be false. They blame it on the way we dress or react when we’re approached; but how should one react when they know that interacting with these officers may be the last time they interact with anyone ever again.  

As we all know or should know, people unfortunately are judged by their appearance and the company they keep, before their character. Some say that it’s wrong to judge a book by its cover, but like a hard habit to break out of, similar to  nail biting, we do it without realizing. People categorize others by what they see before allowing the person to prove themselves; there is already a predetermined place for them. We’ve all heard the expression, “you’re judged by the company you keep,” which is a concept people don’t seem to take seriously enough . Judgement affects the way a person is treated and portrayed in the eyes of others.  As a high school student I have been allowed to see up close  how self representation can play a big part in how a student/ staff is treated. I’ve seen friends turn foe and vice versa. I’ve seen people wiggle themselves out of trouble because of the good character they uphold in the eyes of others. I guess the word I’m looking for is  self-presentation; How you present yourself to others around you, whether they be common folk or authority figures, heavily determines how you will be treated and judged.

As a minority myself I get to witness what my fellow people go through on a day to day basis. I grew up unprejudiced and I’m not quick to judge someone by their appearance; I prefer to judge by their character, which is a trait that many people have not yet grasped. The main problem with police in predominantly black neighborhoods is the fact that we’re ostracized from the rest of the world. And what makes it worse is the fact that it is not being done by another race or by the government, but by ourselves.

We choose to hold ourselves back and intermingle amongst our own race. With all the turf war, and who has the newest gear, and who’s beefing (arguing) with whom, we become ignorant to worldly affairs happening around us.  We’re so busy trying to look rich and out do one another we end up looking poor. Wealth doesn’t come from how much money you have in your pockets or on your body. It is your prized possessions; your assets. By ostracizing ourselves from a widely growing diverse generation we miss out on many advantageous opportunities that many others grasp as soon as they come out, such as the treasure of knowing and understanding someone from a different race or class. It is truly magical, the diversification all around us; with so many cultures creating and building off of one another it creates a really beautiful picture.

Keeping to ourselves reflects poorly on our neighborhoods.Most Minority neighborhoods are run down and full of projects. At the corner of each street you’ll see a liquor store and a few bums. Then you have your gang members, our police, who patrol the streets but cause more bad than good: they provide drugs to minors, hop in and out of jail, beef with the next neighborhood, and get involved with younger girls who are too naive to see their intentions. But these are the sons, daughters and grandchildren of the previous generation, and no matter how bad they may be, they are viewed as saints in the eyes of our community. When a form of authority like the police come in and attempt to regulate ‘our’ streets it isn’t be taken lightly. Hence the issue of representation.

Representation goes a long way in how a person is judged so when law enforcement enters our shabby neighborhoods and witnesses young men with their pants beneath their waists, the homeless about on the road, and girls no older than 15 with a child( ren) of their own, their perspective of us isn’t quite bright. It’s true that sagging your pants doesn’t make you a bad man; it’s their upbringing that is misguided. I’ve met some guys in my neighborhood that may look like they know nothing - like I shouldn’t waste my time on starting a conversation with them. But when I allow my better judgement to take charge I see that some of these men aren’t as daft as they may look. I’ve even gotten into many controversial debates about worldly affairs, and their opinions and response were nothing short of intellectual. We must admit that appearance speaks way louder than words, which is why we as a minority race should dress as we want to be respected. We should treat our neighborhoods better and wear our clothes properly. We should prohibit alcohol stores on every street, and crack down on the illegal distribution of narcotics to minors or just people in general. Then maybe we will be viewed differently, because we will be presenting ourselves differently. If we chose to remain the same then we will continued to be shackled to the past and not moving and growing with the rest of society.

Recently my class and I went on a field trip to play a stock game downtown in the financial district. We had never been to an event as such before and weren’t aware of how we should dress; we were told it was a friendly competition, a game. When we arrived we were embarrassed. Some of us wanted to leave, others tucked themselves in corners. We stood out, and not in a good way either. Our clothes were not appropriate our hair wasn't extravagantly done and our language was different; it was as if our english was improper. When we attempted to follow the rest of the groups to the game we were stopped by custodian and asked, “Where are you going?” When Ms. Mulligan informed her that we were actually here for the stock market game the expression on the custodians face was of pure shock. She apologized and let us pass to join the other groups heading upstairs to the simulation room.  We were judged before we even reached the game room; no one believed we would make it past part one. But as we sat down and got to work people were flabbergasted by how well we did. My group specifically beat more than half of our competitors who had years of experience-- and when we walked out you could feel a change in the aura of the room. We were congratulated not only by fellow competitors but also by our teacher, ms. Mulligan, for keeping our composure, disproving a stigma that was placed upon us as we set foot through the front doors.

The word stigmatize derived from the latin word stigmatiz?re, to characterize or brand as disgraceful or ignominious. I believe that as a minority race we are stigmatized as prone to trouble compared to the rest of the general population. Perhaps the worst consequence of this stigmatization is the brute force used from law enforcement. Statistically this year alone there have been 776 people that have died due to police brutality; 161 of them were unarmed at their time of death. These numbers outrage my people everyday. Why is it that their are more minority deaths due to police than any other race? There have been more deaths from authority than man to man death ( citizen vs citizen) and this has to stop.

When police enter our neighborhoods they aren't viewed with respect because we already know how they view us. When you hear the word police you’re supposed to feel safe, and secure not scared due to the melanin in your skin. And while this doesn't apply to all law enforcement workers it applies to a majority of the population. My father and uncles are officers I grew up with officers. At every birthday family event they were there-- like a second family. I do not fear them because I grew up with them, but not everyone is as fortunate as I am. Not everyone is willing to see the good in some of them.