Four shootings in north Tulsa may be connected; three dead, two hurt

[qanda]

69. The only people who have killed my black relatives and friends are other black people

My cousin's murderer was just sentenced a week ago to 17-30 years. This guy used an assault rifle to shoot up a car my cousin was riding in. There were children in the car and only by the grace of God they weren't killed also. This kid said that he got the wrong person-- I guess it was mistaken identity but my cousin is gone and will never return. That would be sad enough if he were the only member of my family to die violently at the hands of another black person but I could name so many other cases of family and close friends who have died in this manner.

Still, what makes this extra sad is the fact that it seems that there is open season on black men and they are not safe anywhere and with anyone-- what do I tell my 15 year old son other than keep a low profile and try not to bring too much attention to yourself? He has to be a certain way so he doesn't become a target of other black boys and then another way so he doesn't become a target of the police or people like Zimmerman. What do I tell him? He is an endangered species.