On Sept. 20, protests began in the streets of Charlotte, North Carolina. These protests were sparked by the death of 43-year-old Keith Lamond Scott, who was shot by officer Brentley Vinson. The police were at an apartment complex with a warrant for a different man when they spotted Scott in his car.

Both the victim and the officer were black.

Protests against police brutality and racism followed that same week. On Wednesday morning high school students left class to have their own protests.

Protests are a good way for the public to come together to voice their opinion in the hopes of sparking change. However, protests can easily turn dangerous, especially with large crowds. No one should be okay with vandalism and violence, but in the heat of the protest, people can lose control and act out based on their beliefs.

I have a friend who lives in Charlotte and though she was glad the protests were happening to speak out against this and similar injustices, she was worried for her safety since the protests were happening so close to home.

There are people who believe violence is not the answer, that hate should not be fought with hate. However, history shows that change only comes through violence and fighting.

It is a horrible to think, let alone say, but it is the truth. It is terrifying that nowadays protests like this are the only way to bring attention to sensitive issues such as racism and police corruption.

Hopefully such protests will not make their way onto our campus.

People are angry about the issues of racism and police brutality. However, incidents like the one in Charlotte show that even though the two issues often intersect, they are still separate.

I do not think that every single case of police brutality between a white officer and a non-white victim is an issue of race or that the cop is the one in the wrong in every scenario.

That is not to say that there is not an issue with police brutality or racism or that the two issues do not overlap very often in this nation.

What I do think is that the issues of racism and of police brutality and corruption in law enforcement should be handled separately and simultaneously. Though not the entire police force is at fault, the few who are do not seem to be held accountable for their actions.

So, while it is a racial issue, it is also a issue with the police. People will not budge easily and it will be harder to deal with these issues. Efforts should be focused on building better trust between communities and police departments before fully trying to tackle racial issues.

Once both sides fully understand the other, then the real change can happen.