When someone says, “All lives matter,” in response to the “Black Lives Matter” movement, they’re probably thinking “Oh no! Not just black lives matter all human lives matter! And lions too!” But what these people don’t seem to realize is that “All Lives Matter” doesn’t unite you to their cause, but only serves to trivialize and water down the real problem.

And that problem, folks, is that police are killing black people across the country like it was going out of style. See when some wannabe SJW, says “All Lives Matter,” they forget that police aren’t killing all people equally. The reason why “Black Lives Matter” exists is because black lives are in danger by just walking down the street or driving their car or wearing a hoodie.

But let’s backtrack here. It’s 20-fucking-15 people! We live in an age where you can get surgery on your face to look like some dumbass celebrity, an age where we carry around a device that would be considered sorcery just 30 years ago and even then we haven’t answered the most important question: Why are we still asking which lives matter?

Hell, people gave more of a shit for lion than they did for some poor black kid that was shot by a cop. At that point we have to stand back and realize that we shouldn’t be asking that question at all. Peoples’ lives shouldn’t be in danger because of the color of their skin. Ever. Under any circumstances.

It is important to bring race into the conversation because we don’t exist in a leveled playing field.

It is hard to specify just how many deaths a year are perpetrated against the black community, or anyone for that matter, at the hands of police because the data is incomplete and that in itself is ridiculous in this day and age.

According to a USA Today article titled “Local police involved in 400 killings per year” published on Aug. 2014, only four percent of American law enforcement agencies turn over data of police-involved shootings to a database operated by the FBI.

Not only is a program that would detail under what circumstances suspects were killed at the hands of police lacking in funding, but police don’t want to implement such a system because it would damage their image.

With a system that only tracks “justifiable homicides”, also known as the shooting of armed suspects at the hand of police, how do we account for those killed unjustifiably?

In a sense it poses the question: “Who watches the watchmen?”

It is absurd that in 2015 we see military tanks at peaceful memorials in Ferguson, a city which is made up of 67.4 percent black people, who live with rampant corruption and a racist system in place…but remind me that all lives matter.

It is absurd that in 2015 we see a cop sit on a 14-year-old black girl’s back to subdue her as she screams, while white adults stand and watch, but tell me again how all lives matter.

It is absurd that in 2015, we are seeing cops literally get away with the murder of unarmed black people, but hold on…I thought all lives mattered?

That clearly isn’t the message being sent out, but it is the one that is often erased when we counter with “All Lives Matter.”

Just what can we do to change?

First, we need to let go of the notion that we’re “color blind.”

Yes, race plays a part and yes, the color of someone’s skin is the one of the reasons they are dead.

We need to get rid of the “angry black female” and “aggressive black man” tropes that often exist in jokes and conversations based on generalizations.

We also need to educate ourselves about systematic racism and how it affects communities. Racism is intrinsically connected with the roots of the United States of America and that no matter how much we try to bury it, it still exists and investigate what new ways of oppression are being used in this day and age.

Most importantly, we can step back and listen to the demands of the black community and act in solidarity in more than just hashtags, but by actually being there.

In a world where the Sandra Blands, Mike Browns and Trayvon Martins drive to work, walk in their respective neighborhoods and wear hoodies in fear, think twice about your “All Lives Matter” reasoning, because the obvious answer to that is, Of course.