Today, January 17, 2020, as I was walking out of the grocery store, I heard a lot of yelling. As I was approaching my car, I looked up and saw several police officers aiming guns at the truck parked in front of my car. I realized the police officers were yelling at me to get back.
The emotions that ran through me were fear, panic and helplessness. As the day wore on, I began to feel anger and outrage about how many people have had similar experiences but with fatal outcomes. I thought about all the survivors I’ve met and can’t imagine what they must have to endure on a daily basis.
I am grateful that I am among the fortunate ones, and I share this story not as a survivor but as an activist in the gun violence movement fighting to prevent: unarmed black men/boys from being murdered; children and adults being shot and killed at schools, parties, movies and concerts; women suffering from PTSD as a result guns being pointed at them by partners or rapists; people being injured by guns and having to live with the emotional and physical scars.
Please join us in this fight.