On April 20, as the nation celebrated the guilty verdict in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for the 2020 murder of George Floyd, a young Black teenager, Ma’Khia Bryant, was killed by police in Ohio. Shelburne poet Stella Ewald, featured this week, addresses the fatal shooting of Ma’Khia, both lamenting the unnecessary loss of another young life and calling us to action.
Ma’Khia
By Stella Ewald, 16, Shelburne
For a few moments last evening, I sat back with relief.
Finally, the man who murdered George Floyd was behind bars.
Then, just as I thought we might enter an era of reform and accountability, a 16-year-old girl was shot by police in Ohio.
A girl who had called the police because she was being abused within the walls of her foster home.
Tell me why, when I reach my 18th birthday, I should pay taxes to support the police.
When all this pain, all this distrust, is because of law enforcement systems.
Tell me why a young woman was murdered for protecting herself.
Tell me why a uniformed officer shot her for being brave enough to say, “I need help.”
Tell me why girls in similar situations are going to feel silenced rather than supported, now that they’ve seen what happens to girls who speak out.
Why do we continue to allow police officers to fill the roles of social workers and therapists? We have professionals who have been trained to handle cases of domestic violence and mental health crises.
We need to reform our system now or risk losing more innocent lives.
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