*Columns are the opinions of their respective authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Wichitan as an organization.*

When you are trying to kill a flame do you pour gasoline on it or water? A fire will never
burn itself out by pouring gasoline on it. Our country is on fire. Not on fire for God or love or
equity. It is on fire for hate and anger. No fire will ever be extinguished by adding fuel to a fire.

I implore people, please, see what you are doing. You are crying love and equality, but you are
saying it with hate inside. Please, people, see what is happening. We are stuck in a circle of
anger and hate. Mothers are terrified to take their children out in the streets. Elderly and
innocent people are getting injured and killed. Police officers who have done nothing wrong are
being attacked. Cities are facing terrible fires and looting. I beg of the people out there to come
together in a non-violent way. Looting encourages anger and hate. You are screaming for
equality, which you have every right to, but violently protesting and looting isn’t the way to do it.

There is so much anger and hate. Please, God made us love each other. Justice is occurring
but killing other innocent people and threatening people’s livelihoods, homes and families, isn’t
a way to make the process faster. Look at the people next to you. We are Americans. Why
should it matter if we are Black or white, female or male, trans or cis, Republican or Democrat? We
are all blessed to be born in a country that has as many freedoms as this country does. Since
our founding when we fought together for a better life, we have been leaders. We mastered the
industrial revolution and became a global superpower. Our founding fathers created this country
with dreams and hopes that we could represent the best a group of people could be. A country
divided and torn apart from within will never be able to rise again. The last time our country was
this divided was the Civil War.

God has got to be looking down on us and weeping. We were made in a grand and glorious way with morals and the ability to feel. Joy, anger, love, sadness, injustice and so many more. We weren’t made to hate. Become firefighters, with amazing capabilities so that you can extinguish this fire of injustice and hate. Rise up and speak through your actions. Show real love and equality. Only through this way is there any hope for our country and world as a whole. Rise up and stand together to battle this fire the right way.