Protests, riots show African Americans are tired of waiting for change | Opinion

What happens when the cries of the unjust fall on deaf ears? For many years I’ve lived amongst a group of people that have been openly mistreated and disrespected. As I stand in the midst of these protests promoting peace, I have no choice but to understand the resentment and frustration that my people feel.

We are sick and tired of having to be sick and tired.

As kids, we always imagined 2020 being the year of the future. Who could blame us? With so many advancements in technology and medicine, it seemed inevitable. While we sat and dreamed of flying cars and immortality, who would’ve thought that decades later we would still be dealing with the same oppression as our ancestors?

As we search for answers yet again, we ask: What happens when the cries of the unjust fall on deaf ears? Due to the lack of answers, we come to realize there is a thin line between protest and riot. We have come in peace for hundreds of years begging for an opportunity to be heard and yet, nothing is done.

At this point, our silence is no longer acceptable.

The overwhlemingly peaceful protests and riots we have seen since George Floyd's death are fueled by grief, fear and misplaced anger. Unfortunately, the same ones who are enlisted to protect and serve have played a major part in the buildup of our resentment and overall fear for our lives. As we unite and shout, “No justice, No Peace” that is our way of letting our leaders know that we simply want peace, but justice should no longer be optional. We have been put in a position where we have no choice but to put our foot down. It is life or death.  

I just wish our government and members of law enforcement would stop seeing that as a challenge and recognize it as the cry for help that it is. These protests are much bigger than the chants and gatherings that are shown on TV. What they can’t show is the constant trap of systemic discrimination and racism that we fall into once we leave those protests; the traps that are made up of degrading statistics, and stereotypes that follow us everywhere we go.

These are the struggles we live with everyday, whether it be an unnecessary run-in with the police, or that judgmental look you get when walking into a predominantly white room.

It shouldn’t be illegal nor uncomfortable to be black in America.  

We have been dealt an unfair hand, and as we wait patiently for the tables to turn, some of my people have decided to fight back the only way they know how. I can only hope that one day soon we reach common ground without any further lives being taken or businesses damaged.

We lash out to be heard. We vandalize and destroy because our youth are being destroyed and our community and character have been vandalized in a place that we are supposed to call home. Most Americans were brought up reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and singing the National Anthem. However, most people of color grew up to realize there isn’t much freedom for us. This is a land that’s proclaimed free in a home of the brave, but when we stand up, we get knocked down.

Where do we go from here? In a perfect world, my people see that violence is not the way and we come together to strategize and put ourselves in positions of power to make change. Floyd's death has fueled a nationwide outrage against police brutality. In the public eye, we fight for George while still holding on to pain from current events in our own backyards.

Cases like Demarcus Semer, an unarmed black man fatally shot by Fort Pierce Police during a traffic stop in 2016, and Greg Hill, shot by a St. Lucie County deputy, have come and gone in my hometown and no arrests have been made. We lose loved ones far too often at the hands of police brutality. Although we know most of our officers do live by their oath, the stain from these tragic events outweigh all of that.

We want arrests to be made and steps to be taken to prevent this from happening in the future. Until then, they riot, and we wait.

Tyon Davis grew up in Brevard County and Fort Pierce and is a hip hop artist who goes by T-Lyon.