Police brutality, harassment, shootings, you name it. If you ask anyone why they don’t read the news, one of the most common responses is that it’s just too violent.
Regardless, the news will never and should never back away from these stories. And neither should you.
Apart from what some Twitter feeds might have said, this summer consisted more than just tanning, traveling and working. In fact, a lot of key events happened, and are continuing development, that are important to talk about despite the violence involved.
Here is a timeline of the events and headlines that caught my attention over the summer, and which I believe will continue to impact us for the rest of the year if not longer:
June 17, A white man shot and killed nine people at a historic black church in Charleston, South Carolina after sitting in a prayer meeting with them for several minutes. This led to a national discussion about the Confederate flag and whether it should continue to fly over the capitol building, as well as what the flag represents. The South Carolina state government eventually removed the flag from the grounds on July 10.
July 13, Sandra Bland, a 28-year-old black woman is found dead in her jail cell after being arrested three days earlier for a traffic violation outside of Houston. Contradicting booking documents caused users on social media sites like Tumblr and Twitter to question the police department’s actions. An investigation by the district attorney is ongoing.
July 23, A white man walked into a theatre in Lafeyette, Louisiana and shot 11 people. Two of those shot died, and the gunmen died by an self-inflicted gunshot wound. Theatres are now looking into checking backs at the doors.
Aug. 26, Two journalists are shot and killed during a live broadcast in Roanoke, Virginia. The shooter, an ex-employee of the news station, killed himself after police pursued him.
All of these stories are gruesome and not easy to read. But it is inevitable that we will continue to face similar stories as time goes on unless we take time to read them, think critically about them and move to make a difference.
