In the past few weeks we've seen a white woman murdered with a high powered automobile... [View all]

We've seen an anxious white woman, who was a drunk driving suspect, being assuaged by a police lieutenant, telling her that cops "only shoot black people," and lastly there we've seen a white nurse who was brutally arrested by a cop because she had the temerity to do her job, follow appropriate rules and abide by the law.

And in all three cases, the outrage on behalf of these victims by decent people everywhere was swift, sympathetic and vocal. That was as it should have been, of course.

However, I wonder if the same would have been the case had in each of those cases had the only difference been the victim was black or brown. Because we've seen plenty of outrageous injustices inflicted upon black and brown people by white authorities and others over recent years without it resonating at all... Especially when it seems that the only people expressing that outage were black and brown people along with a relatively negligible number of white allies.

As we've just seen in the previously mentioned cases, white lives and the lives of white women in particular DO matter. But we also have to ask ourselves, when in this country will the lives of black (and brown) people also matter commensurately and concurrently?

That's of course the message of Black Lives Matter... Which was actually a warning to all whites: What has happened to us, can happen to you as well.

Anyone out there listening?