Tamir Rice. Michael Brown. Stephon Clark. Trayvon Martin. Daunte Wright.
Aiyanna Stanley-Jones. Latasha Harlins. Ma’Khia Bryant. Rekia Boyd. Shantel Davis.
These are just a few names of the Black boys and girls whose lives were lost at the hands of police brutality or perpetrators of anti-Black violence. They are the kids who never got to see 25. The kids whose futures and youth were stolen in an instant.
Now, Kohen Wiley joins this devastating list. A one-year-old baby who will never get to take his first steps into the world, experience the joy of growing up, or dream of a future. Police responded to a shoplifting report over a mother taking diapers. Instead of assessing the situation with care or attempting to de-escalate, officers opened fire on the car Kohen was in. In a matter of seconds, they chose violence over humanity and stole a precious baby’s life.
Black children deserve love, joy, and absolute safety. They deserve to live in a world where they are protected, not targeted, a world where they can grow old. Tamir, Michael, Stephon, Trayvon, Daunte, and Kohen deserved this. Aiyanna, Latasha, Ma’Khia, Rekia, and Shantel deserved this.
This cannot keep happening. Black children deserve love, joy, and protection. They deserve to grow up in a world where their innocence is guarded, a world where they can safely navigate childhood and make it to 25 and far beyond. Tamir, Michael, Stephon, Trayvon, Daunte, and Kohen deserved this. Aiyanna, Latasha, Ma’Khia, Rekia, and Shantel deserved this. There are so many Black youth, those whose names we may never hear, who deserved this.
Black youth have a long history of being failed by the system. From the murderers of Emmitt Till, Latasha Harlins, Trayvon Martin, and Elijah McClain being acquitted despite their actions being rooted in malice and anti-Blackless. We always talk about abolishing the police. We always talk about getting justice for the lives lost. We don’t acknowledge that not only will systemic racism prevent us from doing so. We don’t talk about how these systems are upheld by one common thread: white supremacy; it is not just about being “superior”. It is about creating a system that constantly places Black communities in danger and keeps us at a disadvantage within society.
Our Black youth can not keep dying at the hands of police brutality or trigger happy individuals. This cannot keep happening. Black children deserve love, joy, and absolute protection. They deserve to grow up in a world where their innocence is guarded, a world where they can safely navigate childhood and make it to 25 and far beyond. Kohen deserved a lifetime. He deserved to grow old. Tamir, Michael, Stephon, Trayvon, Daunte, Aiyanna, Latasha, Ma’Khia, Rekia, and Shantel deserved it too.