There have been many reports of police brutality in the last few years, and I think that it is time for change. Incidents like the Eric Garner case are just out of control, and I’m glad people are standing up and attempting to make a change.

Eric Garner was a black man who was thrown to the ground and ultimately choked to death by a New York City police officer in 2014. He was questioned by the police on the suspicion of selling single cigarettes without tax stamps, according to The New York Times.

I personally have been stopped by the police before and questioned just for being black with a hood on. I was just walking to go play basketball; a police car pulled over in front of me and the officers asked questions like “Where are you headed?”  and “Do you have any friends coming there?” They were very aggressive, and it felt like I was going to be arrested for something I didn’t do. I was thankful they left me alone after asking a few more questions, and I proceeded to the basketball courts.

I really can’t even say that I feel safe around the police, even though I know that they are here to serve and protect us. I feel that there is not as much trust as there should be between young blacks and the police, especially since we now have a black mayor.