The other day I asked my kids if they feel safe in our neighborhood. My daughter said, “Yes, I feel safe except when I hear about a murder that happens on our block.” We didn’t always tell our kids about these situations, they are kinda oblivious to any violence. When we saw a bunch of balloons and teddy bears on a tree (memorializing someone’s death), I wouldn’t mention anything. About a year or so ago, when a 16 year old was shot, I started telling my kids what the balloons meant. I have a hard time expressing how sad this makes me feel that my daughter said this about not feeling safe, not because I’m sad for her childhood, but because any kid has to live in a neighborhood where they don’t always feel safe. If I say Black Lives Matter, I need to care about all Black Lives, even the ones that live on blocks where bad stuff happens. If I say Black Lives Matter, I need to try and make all neighborhoods better.