After the spate of shootings of unarmed black men and children by the police, the failure to file charges, the massive demonstrations, and the retaliatory killings of two police by a mentally ill black man, it’s clear that we all need to calm the rhetoric. Charges by conservatives that the cop shootings were caused by NYC Mayor Bill DeBlasio and President Obama are not helpful. Clearly, America has a problem with race and the increased militarization of our police forces.

But there’s a related problem that has too long been swept under the carpet: Mental health.

No one has addressed the issue more thoughtfully than Royce White. White was one of the most brilliant college basketball players of the last decade. He also suffers from anxiety disorder which cut his NBA career short. But after reading his recent article which was published in The Cauldron, it appears that basketball may be the least of his talents. He is an intelligent writer and a staunch advocate for mental health. His article sums up the underlying issues that face police and our black communities…issues such as PTSD that have, thus far, been ignored by our elected officials, our major media and our national political pundits (who themselves likely suffer from some form of mental illness).

We can all learn from White’s insights. Read his article which I’ve linked here. Then take a deep breath and demand that your elected officials begin to address the issues of race and police relations…all of the issues.