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It’s so hard for me to swallow the fact that an innocent man was killed in broad daylight as others watched. It pains me to even watch the video as you hear his last breathes and cry for help. I still wonder what was going through that cops head for him to feel no sympathy as he drains the life out of  George Floyd’s body. There is no excuse for systemic racism & police brutality, but when people try to justify a senseless killing it shows me how ignorant and racist the world is. I would love a world where we are all treated the same no matter color, religion or looks. But we can all agree that we are in the same era as we were less than 50 years ago. It’s sad for me to say I share more of the same experience with my parents than my fellow peers. If we redirect this to EPHS so much work need to be done to make our school a more inclusive and an all welcoming school. It saddens me that only a limited amount of staff reached out to their students. Staying silent and watching on the sidelines shows you have chosen the side of the oppressor. Staff/teachers you need to do better for your students of color because right now we have little to no support from you guys!!

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Rekia Boyd

Sandra Bland

Aiyana Stanley-Jones

Charleena Lyles

Atatiana Jefferson

Renisha Mcbride

Breonna Taylor

*no one should have a hashtag to memorialize them
*We are more than the hashtag
#blackwomenmatter
#blackgirlsmatter

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“No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
-Martin Luther King

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You guys think burning Minneapolis and St. Paul will get you somewhere, and will be a good thing. It won't. Want to know what's going to be the outcome of Minneapolis being burnt down? Gentrification. If you look at the area's being burnt down and looted in Minneapolis, those areas are not only filled with small businesses, but also minorities. Those small businesses more likely can't afford to open back up, especially at a time like this. And the cherry on top in now the national guard is here. People are saying the media is finally listening. They may be listening, but not to group like Black Lives Matter, but too the fact that Anarchist groups are moving into the city while it's on fire. But at the end of the day, we can all agree what happened to George Floyd is horrible and we should be respecting his family's wishes, his family said he wouldn't want this, and the officers are now getting a higher sentence. I know this won't bring him back, but stop burning our home. Another thing to note is Covid, it's highly contagious and kills people. Everyone stays home when its convenient, talking about helping lower the case number and how we need to look out for those of us who could very likely die from getting this virus. But it isn't convent or easy so people aren't staying home. Now a lot more people will die than intended.

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"I don't see color" is not the point. People should say" I see you, I see your color. I may not understand but allow me to try. Teach me how to do better." The world is not black or white or brown but full of every shade in between!
#BlackLivesMatter

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The only thing that i know is those men who killed George Floyd are having their sweet time in their houses and they have police who is over watching them like they are president. And in my opinion there is no way people would start this if those men were in jail in first place.

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please do not quote MLK's word about peace and love and then ignore his quotes about violence. He supported that too. We have tried to end this injustice with peace and love for YEARS and nothing had changed. obviously people were going to turn to another angle eventually and that time just happens to be now. peace and love don't work. we tried that and I am sorry but I am SO sick and tired of people saying that.

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Hashtag

The hashtag says black lives matter

The toe tag says they don’t

We’ve been labeled and tagged

They put bullet holes through the price tags of our lives because to them we have no value

If they did our people wouldn't have to talk to our sons and daughters about choices as they are young enough to ride around in car seats

Driving down the streets trying to explain why

We seem to gain more of a voice once we’ve lost our heartbeat

So welcome to black Friday

Where the best things in life are free

Except air

Now a days men are waiting to exhale too

You know the cops shop
I mean strangle
I mean shoot till we drop

Then call for back up

Instead of an ambulance there’s an amber alert out for common sense and a bulls eye pressed on the back of all black men

But you’d rather press the red dot on your phone than record the red dot aimed on his head instead of calling the Red Cross

Shout out to my man Cross Eye Red who was shot by the cops at the local pound burger

Ironically the pound button was the last thing he pressed on his phone before being murdered

And as his blood lines the streets

His blood line is ceased

You use your bloodline to tag your peeps in a video you posted to FaceBook

But it won’t matter because cops don’t facetime

So let’s face facts

When it comes to blacks too many are tagged by the trigger

Maybe more cops should be on twitter since they love to follow

And retweet I mean re-beat I mean repeat the plight of the black man

#Seanbell #Oscargrant #Ericgarner #Me

Ps. I can breathe

#Freddiegrey #Ammado

#I'm not through

Julian Cartie

Notice he didn’t get a hashtag and

he was a US army vet but all but he gets is an unsolved murder in my memories of identifying my brothers body as they unzipped that black bag and a casket draped in an American flag as they handed my mother before  they lowered my brother in the ground

Pound rest in peace bro

Pound Trayvon Martin

Pound Mike Brown

Pound Prince Jones

And I admit his name I had to google on my phone because I’ve never claimed to be an activist or a revolutionary

It’s just scary how social media tends to dictate this worlds trending topics

So instead of immortalizing our deaths

I’m trying to immortalize our future that’s why we post so many pics because nowadays it seems like our lives really don’t have too much value unless you can get them to trend

so I found myself on Instagram scrolling down a little bit and I see a pic that said black lives matter but I can’t help but reply #sincewhen

Since it won’t matter a week later when some football player hits his wife on an elevator now you’ll have something new to post about

Domestic violence is nothing to joke about but when the weight of the world is measured by the pound sign we begin to wonder how many hashtags does it take to fill a coffin?

Black lives only matter during black history month but blacks become history so often we should dedicate a season

Spring showers leads to summers flowers for the fallen leaving our hearts as cold as the winter leaving us as memories

And you will remember me

I swear to god you will remember me

but before I become I become just another memory

#rememberme

I feel like the only way you know we exist is because our lifelines gets posted in your timelines and because it gives you the option to share you can act like you care

So tell me do black lives really matter or will we continue to be considered as the country’s cancer

Take a minute

Think about it and then you can hashtag your answer

CREDITS
poem written by Black Ice, Chief the Poet and Prentice Powell
edited by Mina

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If George Floyd was white, he would still be alive.

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I believe that this was also not about racism I Know what the officer did was not right but you have to remember this officer was charged with many other things so I ask you why did they not stop him.  In my opinion I think it is a detraction someone is hiding something I mean think about it there was always something that was going on when we had problems like this. I think this is for personal gain. I believe that there are people out there that make us Americans mad so that it makes us so blind we don't see what is really going on. Why do we pray to God when we need help why don't we pray when were not in trouble were is are faith I don't care if you believe in God or not but I now that when this country was built it had a foundation and someone help us make America and I believe that was God

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I believe that this was also not about racism I Know what the officer did was not right but you have to remember this officer was charged with many other things so I ask you why did they not stop him.  In my opinion I think it is a detraction someone is hiding something I mean think about it there was always something that was going on when we had problems like this. I think this is for personal gain. I believe that there are people out there that make us Americans mad so that it makes us so blind we don't see what is really going on. Why do we pray to God when we need help why don't we pray when were not in trouble were is are faith I don't care if you believe in God or not but I now that when this country was built it had a foundation and someone help us make America and I believe that was God

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I believe it was a race thing which is what us of other races should try to understand. If the victim was Asian or White, I see that the situation would end differently. That not as much force would be used.  That one of the three other officers would've stopped him. And I hope the consequences bring change to that and that we can learn and heal.

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I do not believe this was a race thing, Mr. Floyd just happened to be black. If the victim was Asian, Mexican, White or anything else people would not have cared. The officer also did not make racist remarks. He just had bad training. And because of that officers everywhere good are bad are facing the consequences

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"Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that." MLK Jr