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  • Hi, I'm Candis Messam

  • and I'm a mother of five children.

  • I have three boys and two girls.

  • When I saw the video of George Floyd's death

  • it saddened me.

  • It made me lose hope in humanity a bit.

  • My name is Jason Quammie

  • and I have three kids.

  • Two girls and one boy.

  • The past couple of days have been

  • an emotional roller coaster.

  • Just trying to make sense of what's happening.

  • I'm at a loss for words.

  • I just feel so much weight on my heart.

  • And it's just painful to see another black life lost

  • and not think to myself

  • wow, that could have been me.

  • My name is Melanie Carrington.

  • I have one 12-year-old son and his name is Aiden.

  • I was heartbroken and fearful.

  • This is not new.

  • This is just newsworthy.

  • And it's exhausting.

  • I'm scared, I'm upset.

  • [Candis] To see my children crying

  • for somebody that they didn't even know

  • and the injustice that's going on.

  • It breaks my heart.

  • [Jason] It's hard.

  • I don't want to take their innocence away

  • and kind of grow them up too fast.

  • But at the same time I think they need to be aware

  • of what's happening in the world.

  • My son has seen a lot about what happened

  • and for the first time as a preteen

  • he's starting to ask me, "What if?"

  • "What if that's me?"

  • And I don't have answers for that

  • except to say that he's always loved.

  • If anybody would ever call the police on them

  • that would be my biggest fear.

  • Them being shot.

  • Being targeted by police.

  • [Jason] When I was growing up

  • whenever I'd be leaving to go out with friends

  • my dad would always say to me

  • "If you get pulled over by the police

  • make sure to keep your hands on the wheel.

  • Respond, "Yes, officer"

  • "Thank you, officer."

  • "OK, officer."

  • Be super polite."

  • And I didn't realize then

  • that it was because my parents wanted me to come home alive.

  • And now becoming a parent

  • I feel the same fears for my kids.

  • Can they just come home alive.

  • My sphere for my son

  • has lived through each opportunity

  • speaking with teachers, principals, parents.

  • Each need to remind him

  • about what he needs to say to police.

  • When, not if, he's stopped.

  • Because I'm raising black children

  • I don't let them roam around freely.

  • If they have to go to school, I drop them to school.

  • I wait for them after school and bring them back.

  • The school is only three blocks away.

  • I'll teach them to be aware of their surroundings.

  • To be aware of the dangers

  • that they'll face because of the colour of their skin.

  • And the real-life consequences that come with it.

  • When my son started walking home from school by himself

  • we created a script.

  • Something that he could commit to memory

  • to be able to talk to police.

  • "My name is Aiden."

  • He tells them his age.

  • "I am 12-years-old."

  • He tells them where he goes to school.

  • He tells them what he is doing.

  • I just want my kid to grow up to be old.

Hi, I'm Candis Messam

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