Dear Alton,
It was startling seeing your name across my feeds when I awoke a couple days ago, as the name we share isn't particularly popular in this country today.
But that's all that we share in common -- a name. We have incredibly different backgrounds, different stories, and are perceived wildly different by the people around us, including the police. We couldn't be more different.
I have never feared for my life around a police officer. Growing up, my parents and elders taught me that the police were my friends, people who would help me when I needed it. You were probably taught the opposite.
I have never fallen asleep without a confident, nearly guaranteed assumption that I would be able to fall asleep in that same bed -- a week, a month, or even a year later.
I have not needed to publicly affirm that my life matters.
But this -- clearly -- isn't about me. It's about you. It's about Philando Castile. It's about the countless black individuals who can no longer breathe because of a system built against them.
