User blog:Dblcut3/Charleston, SC Shooting & Racial Divisions

Hey guys!

Before I begin, I noticed I have a weird theme. The only time I really make blog posts are during holidays or when a tragedy strikes. Sadly, the second cause applies to today's post.

If you haven't already heard, there has been tons of racial tension here in the United States. For the past year, it seems that almost every 2 weeks or so something terrible happens that stirs up what is becoming known as the "Race War." Most of the trouble has been stemming from police brutality. Some of the many significant events stemming from this are the killings of Michael Brown, Freddie Gray, and Eric Garner, all african americans killed unjustly by white police officers. These events and many more have led to several protests and a few violent riots across America. These include the Ferguson Riots and the Baltimore Riots.

Last night at around 9:00pm, a white man, Dylann Roof performed a terrorist attack on the Emanuel AME Church, a predominantly black church in Charleston, SC. During the time of the attack, church members were peacefully gathered for a bible study. Amongst these members were children. Roof, acting as if he were interested in the study, stayed for an hour before opening fire killing 9 and leaving others injured. The attack was specifically targeted at this church due to its significance to the civil rights movement and African American history as a whole. Amongst those killed was Senator Clementa Pinckney, who was also a pastor at the church. A five year old was even caught in the shooting and only lived because she acted like she was dead.

I personally am deeply affected by this occurrence in particular due to my ties with Charleston, SC. In fact, I just arrived home from a vacation there...and the hotel was only 2 blocks from the shooting. It greatly frightens me that even in such a beautiful, historic, and peaceful city that something this tragic can happen.

The point of this post is to show my support for the end of the terrible divisions occurring in the US and everywhere. If anyone here may say some racist things even as jokes, I greatly urge you to reconsider your actions and work towards unity amongst us. I hope that one day, people will not have to worry about being shot... especially in a peaceful bible study session. Thank you for reading. I know it was long but it is an important subject.