(photographer)
Monteria Robinson never thought police violence would directly affect her. She remembers having a conversation with Jamarion after the killing of Michael Brown, just two years before Jamarion met a similar fate.
"Jamarion said to me: 'Mom, they're killing us out here every day,'" Robinson recounts. "But I never thought my son would be one of them. My whole family is educated. I make a six-figure income. We're middle class. I always thought these kinds of things happened to families in poor neighborhoods. I never thought it was something that I would ever have to face in my life."
Robinson is now friends with the parents of numerous Black people who have been victims of police violence, including the families of Michael Brown and Sandra Bland. They call themselves the "unwanted sorority" and provide emotional support to one another.
Robinson explains that once she gets closure and sees the officers who killed her son finally face consequences, she and her family are planning to move outside of the US.
"After what they did to my son we don't want to be in this country anymore," she says. "Me and all my sisters have sons and we're constantly worried about them. We don't feel safe here. So we need to get out of here because you never know who's going to be next."
"I haven't even had time to properly mourn," she continues. "I've been so busy fighting to get justice for my son. I just want some closure so I can move on and find peace. I want to be able to breathe again."
✐ ~ Jaclynn Ashly
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✐✿ WCOV
- Since the start of this platform, I have been sharing various events worldwide, cultural, political; and yet neglecting to turn the attention to the country I am based in. Not that we don't have any problems here in the US, it just when you live in an environment, the desire to explore other parts of this globe is great, and it usually wins the spot on a stage. But today, I came across this post, which made me pause and realize that here, in our country, there is much that needs to be shared.
The racism, the police brutality, a broken political system, crumbling economy.... all are very present and need attention. In 2020, amidst the Covid disaster, our country had faced many challenges where the anger and the frustration against the injustice flooded to the surface, shaking the entire world with its message. Much has been accomplished, and yet so much to be done—big hopes for the Future.
✐ Nataly Rader
Instagram Post: https://www.instagram.com/p/CRtluVXHCMi/