Reading your response I just wanted to chime in and say that I really do appreciate you taking the time to research and provide us with facts and numbers!! I genuinely do. I learned from you. But something that I wanted to add and ask is…. when you read these articles, about racist and prejudice in this country, do you read them with an open mind to gain some type of insight? Or do you automatically form an argument towards what is said as you read? Meaning, do you even TRY to take in the point that the person is trying to make?……. Undoubtedly the numbers don’t lie. Like you proved, you’ve done your research. But does our PERSONAL experience not mean anything compared to numbers on a page? …. Because the numbers are there, statistically does that make my REALITY an illusion? When Alton was shot, like you mentioned, yes he had his prior offenses, but they were not stapled to his head. The officers were unaware of that at the time of his murder. But what he did wear was his black skin. The outrage for this is caused by there being proof of his MURDER but ALSO because in very similar cases to this our justice system has let us down…. Bringing up his prior cases were irrelevant to his death, and also to this post…. I agree that all lives do matter. But the black lives matter movement is not against that at all. we say black lives matter as a reminder to those who are placed to serve, protect and seek justice for us. Racism and profiling does exist. Regardless of numbers. Not even attempting to empathize is why we feel we need to remind people that we do matter.