To all those who believe the #BlackLivesMatter movement is not needed, tell that to Ryan Twyman. Ryan Twyman was an African American man, a father of three, only twenty-three years old. On June 6th, he was in a South Los Angeles neighborhood, sitting in a car with another man, when he was brutally murdered. Doing nothing and unarmed, Ryan Twyman was shot 37 times by L.A. County Sheriff’s Department deputies.
Twyman’s girlfriend, Davielle Johnson, said she believes “everything is destroyed. Everything is ruined. Our plans, our life, our kids’ life.”
Under no circumstances ever should an unarmed human being be shot 37 times. That amount is horrifyingly excessive and inhumane. Especially considering that Twyman wasn’t behaving aggressively- he didn’t have any sort of weapon whatsoever.
Ryan Twyman was barely an adult at a mere twenty-three years of age, murdered just before his 24th birthday. His children will now have to grow up without their father. He was a dad, a boyfriend, a brother, a son, and most importantly: a human being. His life was stripped from him far too soon. He had a whole future ahead of him, and now he will never get to experience it simply because of the color of his skin.
The public is awaiting more information on what went down on June 6th, but regardless of the nitty-gritty specifics of what happened, there is no excuse, no reason fathomable as to why an unarmed person would get shot 37 times.
To those who enjoy tossing out the #AllLivesMatter statement, of course all life holds value. But #BlackLivesMatter is merely trying to draw attention to the fact that black people are often killed or persecuted unjustly. And the major media outlets don’t cover it every time it happens, which is why many believe that it is not an issue. For instance, there has been little to no coverage of Ryan Twyman’s tragic death even though it happened in the beginning of June.
The fact is, when a white person gets shot by a cop, it usually has nothing to do with their race. But with black people, there is the likelihood that it was because of the color of their skin. Even if the individual is not shot or killed, many experience irrational prejudice or bias simply because of their dark complexion.
If one has the desire to help Ryan Twyman’s children, girlfriend, and other family members now that he is gone, a Go Fund Me page is set up. Rest in peace.
