GIGPowHer: God Inspired Girl Power to Change the Conversation

Facebook trends is part of my daily life as a marketing professional. Today the topic of Tyree King’s death landed at the top of the trending items list as I checked for new marketing topics for me to read over for the day before taking my daughter to school. Some of the comments were scathing, biased, volatile and most disgusting. I’ve learned to curb my need to chime in on topics online most days but I couldn’t hold it in anymore… one of the people tried to share a comment I found unproductive so I ignored them because they missed the entire point of my post. Which was we should change how we respond to these unfortunate events and not just spew vitriol.

Nothing would make me happier than to never read about another shooting of ANYONE by ANYONE else. Since that is not going to happen why don’t we address the root of the problem so we can stop the unproductive, volatile, unnecessary bickering. Let’s give the traditional media an opportunity to find something else to feed on that doesn’t have the potential to whip our country into a further divided, negative frenzy.

I appreciate and respect his decision to educate the “unlearned” or loudest media pundits who oppose his views, and despise watching Roland Martin engage in “blistering” check sessions with people who DON’T WANT to AGREE or care about his view. No one he has been lauded for “checking” or “sonning” is interested in what he has to say. These people only want more exposure, to continue to stay relevant and to be told their opinion is correct. Exposure and relevance are reinforced when he gives his attention and shares his platform with them.  His intelligence, passion and skills are wasted on people who don’t want to see outside of their perspective. Much like the woman who commented on my Facebook post… I ignore negative people I don’t know… responding to them is unproductive… being unproductive is one of my least favorite things in life… I digress.

Here is what I posted on the Columbus Division Police Facebook page.

“Since I don’t know this child I won’t assume he was or wasn’t anything other than a child. Since I don’t know this officer I won’t do anything other than assume he was doing his best to protect and serve. Until EVIDENCE of Tyree being in a gang comes out to assume he is in one lends itself to appearing to be a racist. Until EVIDENCE of the police officer being habitually biased or racially biased when interacting with people is presented to assume he is would mean I’ve bought into the assumption most officers are racist… which I have not and will not. Our country has a problem which will require some uncomfortable conversations and undesired revelations about how it was formed and what happened as a result of the actions of some and the silence of many. We can continue to allow the past to shape a very dismal future or we can come together, have the hard conversations, create productive resolutions and move forward. At the end of the day we have a man who shot a child and has to live with it for the rest of his life and a child whose life ended. No matter what happened or why it happened those are the facts and they are tragic for everyone involved. This is not a war between citizens and police, or black people and police, or minorities and police, or poor people and police or black people and white people. This is a tragic event. All of the facts haven’t come out but one fact is true… both the officer who discharged his weapon and the loved ones of Tyree King need prayers and support. Let’s try something new with the loss of life and potentially volatile incident and support those who need it instead of injecting opinions and biases without credence into the already unfortunate situation.”