I'm tired. But I'm not defeated. Brian Griffiths

I'm tired.

I'm tired of hearing more young African-American men have died at the hands of police violence.

I'm tired of knowing that every few months a new name will enter our consciousness, as Freddie Gray, Philando Castile and George Floyd have.

I'm tired of seeing a few terrible people hiding their racism behind a badge besmirch the character of the millions of decent, honest, hard-working members of law enforcement.

I'm tired of the pleas of the African-American community being ignored year after year. I'm tired of seeing the same tired politicians offering the same tired platitudes and cliches about fixing our cities be repeatedly re-elected.

I'm tired of those same politicians running to TV cameras when a crisis erupts that shows they have failed their city.

I'm tired of voters expecting those politicians to behave any different next time around. I'm tired of knowing the African-American community has to take to the streets in protest in order for anybody to notice something's wrong.

I'm tired of white middle-class anarchists and wannabe-revolutionaries infiltrating peaceful protests only to burn and loot African-American communities.

I'm tired of seeing celebrities send bail money to get these anarchists out of jail and back on the streets so they can make more mayhem in African-American communities those celebrities couldn't find on a map.

I'm tired of being lectured by fellow white people about white privilege when they can't see the beam in their own eye.

I'm tired of knowing that I can always do better in my own life.

I'm tired of people blaming our country's long-established sins on Donald Trump.

I'm tired of knowing Donald Trump lacks the ability to even pretend to have empathy for the plight of his fellow Americans in this or any other time of crisis.

I'm tired of politicians on both sides unaffected by the communities in chaos using this struggle and mayhem to divide us further.

I'm tired of grifters who want to exploit this time of protest, mayhem, and crisis to get rich. I'm tired of wondering what kind of country I'm leaving for my children.

I'm tired of knowing that most Americans are almost always silent on the issue of crime affecting African-Americans when it's not national news.

I'm tired of knowing more African-American babies (47.4%) are aborted every year than any other demographic.

I'm tired of knowing 74% of Planned Parenthood abortion clinics are within walking distance of a majority African-American community.

I'm tired of knowing that in most cities it is impossible for African-American residents to legally own a firearm for self-defense.

I'm tired of knowing that despite our progress America has a long way to go for us to be a truly united people who see past color, creed, class, gender, ability, and sexual preference.

I'm tired of knowing there are people who find it financially and politically profitable to exploit our country on those same differences.

I'm tired of seeing my fellow countrymen suffer.

I'm tired of not knowing how I can make things better. I'm tired. But I'm not defeated.

Psalm 30 tells us "at dawn there is rejoicing." We hurt, but things get better. We will become a better people and a better nation. We will mourn those we have lost. We will rebuild our communities. We will come together because we have no choice. We are all in this together.

It will be challenging. There will be mistakes. By no means will it be easy. But together, let's build a world in which police violence, racial animus, and violent protests are the exception and not the rule.

Brian Griffiths is the publisher of The Duckpin, launching on June 8th at TheDuckpin.com. He can be reached via email at [email protected], on Twitter @BrianGriffiths, or on Facebook at facebook.com/briangriffithsmd.