We live in dark times in America and the outrage abroad is justified. The government is spying on its citizens, exiling whistleblowers, and the justice system is out of control. Statistics show us that, to a degree, there is a race problem, with African Americans more likely to be arrested for certain offenses. While this is true, the fact has been exploited to perpetuate violence abroad. Black supremacy group Black Lives Matter and like-minded groups and activists have exploited multiple tragedies to create social unrest.

Whether it be Ferguson or Charlotte, the response to an innocent African American human being shot has been more violence, including violence against innocent American citizens. Small businesses are destroyed, corporations looted, people injured, and private property damaged in the process of “protesting”.

But what happens when a white man is shot and killed? This is the question being answered in the case of 19-year-old Zachary Hammond.

Zachary Hammond was a young teenage boy who was out on his first date when he was shot dead by police. The reason for the undercover operation that led to the young unarmed man being gunned down was due to ten grams of marijuana. After they shot her date, they arrested Tori Morton for possession.

Does having a little bit of a plant in your possession justify a big undercover operation that results in shooting down an unarmed young man?

As we saw from Trayvon Martin in the most recent Charlotte incident, whenever an innocent or unarmed African American citizen is gunned down, it’s a big story. This is true even when one African American shoots another and race cannot possibly come into play, but somehow it still becomes an issue. The result is rioting and violence, as Black Lives Matter and other black supremacists seem to support.

Where are the riots after an unarmed 19-year-old is gunned down in front of his date while she ate ice cream? Is there no supremacist group named White Lives Matter to torch businesses, storm the streets, and pick fights with police?

Obviously, color should not be a factor in these issues. Violence is violence no matter the victim and it is wrong. The skin color does not change the severity of an unarmed teenager being shot. We should be armed at excessive force and police brutality, regardless of whether the victim is black or white.

Unfortunately, the rioters in Charlotte, and the Black Lives Matter activists before them, believe otherwise. They’re not protesting violence against all American citizens or standing up for all Americans. When they smash windows, vandalize property, and encourage violence, they’re doing so while encouraging racism and singling out skin color. This won’t improve race relations, but will – if anything – worsen the divide.

The lack of riots in support of an unarmed white teenager being shot dead by police shows that there is racism. To a good portion of society, white lives do not matter. The truth is, however, all lives should matter, and violence isn’t any less wrong because of the victim’s skin color.