I tried to stay in a cocoon for almost 24 hours trying to protect my mind and heart from news of yet another unarmed Black man being killed by Tulsa police. It took me a looong time to get up enough courage to watch the video. Terence Crutcher (40) had the misfortune of having car trouble on his way home from class and needing aid. But instead of receiving aid, he got a bullet from female police officer Betty Shelby, allegedly for “not complying” to any commands, though we have now all seen video of Terence walking to his car with his hands up. By the way, since when is “not complying to officer commands” an offense punishable by death? It’s not. Unless it’s one of our husbands, fathers, uncles, nephews or SONS. Yes, Terence Crutcher was someone’s son. And husband. And father. And student. And choir member. Yet, none of this mattered to Betty Shelby. I just have one question (well, maybe a few). Does Betty have a son? Has she ever loved and wanted to protect someone so much that it hurts? Has she ever feared for her life, from someone who’s taken an oath to protect her? Has she ever spent sleepless nights hoping and praying her son would make it home, without having unexpected car trouble and encountering some trigger-happy officer?

Sadly, this is a regular day on the job for us MOBBs. And it’s STRESSFUL. And SCARY. And anxiety-inducing. That’s why we need each other. And it’s why we need to DO SOMETHING to stop these unjustified killings of our sons. Since we started mourning Terence’s death, another Black man, Keith Lamont Scott (43), was killed by police in Charlotte. And this follows the killing of 13 year old Tyree King in Columbus, OH just last week. It’s too much to take. That’s why we’re supporting HR 5221, a bill to require deescalation training and implementation. That’s why we need you to sign this petition right NOW to stand up for Terence. Sign the petition to honor his mother. Sign this petition to offer some measure of comfort to his twin sister. Share this petition to build up his four children. They’re counting on us. And our sons are too. #MOBBUnited

https://campaigns.organizefor.org/petitions/mobb-united-for-terence-crutcher-tulsa-ok