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Hi, I'm Candis Messam
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and I'm a mother of five children.
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I have three boys and two girls.
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When I saw the video of George Floyd's death
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it saddened me.
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It made me lose hope in humanity a bit.
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My name is Jason Quammie
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and I have three kids.
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Two girls and one boy.
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The past couple of days have been
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an emotional roller coaster.
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Just trying to make sense of what's happening.
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I'm at a loss for words.
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I just feel so much weight on my heart.
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And it's just painful to see another black life lost
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and not think to myself
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wow, that could have been me.
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My name is Melanie Carrington.
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I have one 12-year-old son and his name is Aiden.
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I was heartbroken and fearful.
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This is not new.
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This is just newsworthy.
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And it's exhausting.
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I'm scared, I'm upset.
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[Candis] To see my children crying
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for somebody that they didn't even know
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and the injustice that's going on.
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It breaks my heart.
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[Jason] It's hard.
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I don't want to take their innocence away
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and kind of grow them up too fast.
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But at the same time I think they need to be aware
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of what's happening in the world.
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My son has seen a lot about what happened
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and for the first time as a preteen
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he's starting to ask me, "What if?"
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"What if that's me?"
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And I don't have answers for that
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except to say that he's always loved.
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If anybody would ever call the police on them
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that would be my biggest fear.
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Them being shot.
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Being targeted by police.
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[Jason] When I was growing up
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whenever I'd be leaving to go out with friends
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my dad would always say to me
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"If you get pulled over by the police
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make sure to keep your hands on the wheel.
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Respond, "Yes, officer"
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"Thank you, officer."
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"OK, officer."
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Be super polite."
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And I didn't realize then
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that it was because my parents wanted me to come home alive.
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And now becoming a parent
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I feel the same fears for my kids.
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Can they just come home alive.
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My sphere for my son
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has lived through each opportunity
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speaking with teachers, principals, parents.
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Each need to remind him
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about what he needs to say to police.
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When, not if, he's stopped.
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Because I'm raising black children
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I don't let them roam around freely.
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If they have to go to school, I drop them to school.
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I wait for them after school and bring them back.
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The school is only three blocks away.
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I'll teach them to be aware of their surroundings.
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To be aware of the dangers
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that they'll face because of the colour of their skin.
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And the real-life consequences that come with it.
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When my son started walking home from school by himself
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we created a script.
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Something that he could commit to memory
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to be able to talk to police.
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"My name is Aiden."
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He tells them his age.
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"I am 12-years-old."
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He tells them where he goes to school.
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He tells them what he is doing.
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I just want my kid to grow up to be old.