Zianna Oliphant has a message that we all need to hear. This young girl spoke at Charlotte’s city council meeting Monday night, where she is a resident. This was the first official public meeting after last week’s shooting of Keith Scott, the latest black man killed by police.

As she wept at the podium, Oliphant said, “It’s a shame that our fathers and mothers are killed and we can’t see them anymore,” she said with tears streaming down her face. “It’s a shame that we have to go to their graveyard and bury them. And we have tears. We shouldn’t have tears. We need our fathers and mothers to be by our side.”

And she’s right. There isn’t a much more succinct way to put it at this point.

Many other concerned residents spoke at this particular meeting, but none like Zianna.

Now crowd is chanting #KeithScott #JustinCarr pic.twitter.com/wl0sFpAbu0

— Joe Bruno (@JoeBrunoWSOC9) September 27, 2016

It’s shameful what has and continues to happen to black men, women, and children at the hands of the police. Scott died on September 20th during an attempt to serve a warrant, to a completely different man, at an apartment complex in Charlotte. Somehow, the officers approached Scott exiting his vehicle. And that encounter resulted in the officer, in question, shooting and killing him. The body camera footage of the shooting was released over the weekend after days of riots and demands for transparency. One man died after being shot in the riots.

Exactlly one week later, there is pressure to the mayor and city manager to fire Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney.

Many other concerned residents spoke at this particular meeting, but none like Zianna.

Hear Zianna in her own words.

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Zianna Oliphant

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