Unrest continues to unfold across the US, as protests - some peaceful, some violent - are calling out the systemic injustices carried out against black people, not least seen by the recent deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor.
Now, footage has emerged of a police officer comforting a young black girl after she asked him if he was "going to shoot her".
In the instances where the protests have turned violent, police have been seen on camera continuing to use the knee-to-neck technique, firing at news reporters, and using non-lethal projectiles - AKA rubber bullets - to disperse crowds.
Now, heartbreaking footage of a five-year-old girl protesting in Houston, Texas, has emerged showing her asking a police officer if he is going to shoot her.
The girl, later identified as Simone Bartee, caught the attention of a police officer at the protest when she began to cry, and she asked him: "Are you gonna shoot us?"
The officer then knelt down, put his arm around the child, and comforted her.
The footage was shared to Twitter by the girl's father, who uses the Twitter handle @iamsimeonb.
Simeon wrote: "During the protest in Houston yesterday one of the police officers noticed my daughter crying. She asked him 'Are you gonna shoot us' he got down on one knee wrapped his arm around her and responded:"
You can see the officer's response below:The officer then calmly says to five-year-old Simone: "We're here to protect you, okay? We're not here to hurt you at all. You can protest, you can party, you can do whatever you want - just don't break nothing."
In the clip, Simone can be seen nodding as she takes in the officer's words.
As well as a call for justice, these ongoing protests are also demanding an end to police brutality and the racism that is so deeply entrenched in America and the western world.
The message is simple: Black lives matter.
VT proudly supports Black Lives Matter, and for ways to contribute to the cause, please click HERE.