Dear Editor,

We are the demise of our community in Selma and all other black neighborhoods. All the killing and unsolved murders here in this town need to stop and be solved! We see crimes that happen every day and yet we won’t report it. We let criminals come into our neighborhoods and let them trash, shoot and rob us and don’t do anything but gossip about it; unless you become a victim and want someone to help you. Loud obnoxious neighbors with unruly kids running around without supervision trashing property, to name a few.

If black lives matter so much, then why doesn’t it matter when there’s black on black crimes that happen in our community? Where is the outrage? We know that there’s racism in this country and police brutality. We just need to unite together to weed out the bad apples on both sides of the aisle. There’s enough room for justice and passion, we can do both. We also can fight for equal rights and justice with the same passion when there’s black on black crimes. Not just when a white cop kills black people or any cops for that matter. All lives matter! Again, I ask, where’s the rage and the passion, when your own race kills and destroys each other and our neighborhoods?

Someone is shielding and protecting a killer or killers here in this community! I don’t know how you can live with yourselves. Do you have a soul? Whether it’s directly or indirectly, do you know that you are an accessory to murder for not speaking up? Or are you only concerned when tragedy happens to you and your family?

A murderer is sitting at your dinner table, walking side-by-side with you at the grocery store and the shopping mall, smiling to your face as though nothing has happened. I appeal to anyone who has information to contact the Selma Police Department.

It’s time Selma, for our people to start taking back our city. The mayor and the city council need to stop their power play and they need to work on getting businesses and more police officers in this community. These people need a decent job and salary to provide for their families. Stop giving free things in your ward to keep the people in this community to continue to vote for you year after year.

Velma Sanders Shuford

Selma