The ongoing protests in the United States have held a mirror to the country and shown many what they should have known a long time ago.
And somehow, people are still missing the point.
At a protest in Chicago on Sunday, a White man decked in tactical gear and guns showed up and was politely turned away by police.
Video of the incident was shared to Twitter.
According to the tweet, the man was putting his gun in people's faces, and instigating confrontations. He was decked in tactical gear, a customized AR-15 and a handgun holstered on his leg.
The police spoke with him and politely asked him to leave. He complied and left the protest, uninjured.
Which, if you've been paying half-attention to the protests the last few days, might make you double-take.
This right here? This is exactly why people have been protesting.
Our country is very different depending on your skin color and reasons for protesting. There is a history of excessive force on people of color compared to White people, even when the actions of the White people are the same or worse.
It's a double standard this country's law enforcement imposes on its citizens.
Philando Castile was a Black man with a legal permit for conceal carry. When he was pulled over by a cop for a traffic stop, he calmly informed the officer of his weapon, as he is legally required to.
He was shot five times in front of his girlfriend and her 4-year-old daughter for following the law and threatening no one.
The man in the Twitter video is displaying fully armed weapons, and shoving them in peoples faces and he's politely asked to leave.
That is America.
It's possible there's a legally acceptable reason for this man to have his weapons. But he doesn't have to fear a cop killing him for following the law.
Meanwhile, many in this country are terrified to interact with the police because they might be arrested or killed or both for literally no reason.
The protests are once again showing the world the ways America discriminates against its own people. Hopefully, this time things change.
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