Such a tragedy. Life can be overwhelming if we let it. I will say prayers for those who are murdered and those who are injured unjustly.

Two things occur to me:

Police officers do not have an organized and coordinated plan to profile, assault, and/or kill black people. A few officers, scattered around the country are bad and do these things. A few officers have made poor decisions and done these things unintentionally. The vast majority of officers are dedicated to doing the best job possible, being safe, and going home at the end of their shift.

Black people are not a monolithic group who follow the leadings of Al Sharpton, J. Jackson, #blacklivesmatter, etc... A few groups and several individuals have decided to target police officers. We don't know who or where these groups or people are until they make themselves known. Some groups and individuals, who are black are racist and dislike white people or hispanic people, or asian people, etc... The majority of black people would like to live their lives and pursue their own notion of hapiness just like other Americans.

We cause problems for ourselves when we confuse who we are dealing with. If we wrongly judge the motives of other people or groups we often inflict pain and tragedy on others who do not deserve such treatment.

I will make some suggestions and they are just suggestions: Try to treat others as you would like to be treated. Defend yourself without being defensive or offensive. Avoid situations you know or assume will be dangerous. Always try to be aware of your surroundings and be proactive about leaving before trouble begins. The hardest thing of all, is try to be humble. I struggle with these things on a daily basis, but when done well, these suggestions have helped me get through my career.

Be safe.