Kalyn Chapman James, the first black woman to be crowned Miss Alabama, took to Facebook on Sunday to voice her feelings on the shootings in Louisiana, Minnesota and Dallas last week.
In the video that quickly went viral, an emotional James discussed her lack of sorrow for the police officers murdered by Micah Johnson in Dallas at a Black Lives Matter protest:
I don't want to feel this way, [but] I don't feel sad for the officers who lost their lives [...] I know that's not really my heart. I value human life. And I want to feel sad for them but I can't help but feeling like the shooter was a martyr."
James goes on to say:
...I know it's not the right way to feel because nobody deserves to lose their lives and I know that those police officers had families and people who loved them and that they didn't deserve to die but I'm so torn up in my heart about seeing these men, these black men, being gunned down in our community that I can't help, I can't help but feel like; I wasn't surprised by what the shooter did to those cops and I think a lot of us feel the same way. And I know it's not right and I definitely don't condone violence against innocent people, but I'm sick of this [...] Something has to be done.
It is understandable for James to feel pain and grief watching Alton Sterling and Philando Castile die after being shot by police. It is definitely a possibility that both were victims of unjust police brutality, and investigations are ongoing into that very issue.
However, calling someone a "martyr" for killing innocent cops does, in fact, condone murder. It seeks to justify Johnson's actions, and the murder of any innocent victim, regardless of race or occupation, is not and never will be justifiable.
Check out the full video below: