Anti-Black racism is an undercurrent in American society, a pervasive ideology flowing in the opposite direction of the values our nation purports to hold near and dear, like equality, liberty, and progress. Too often, pervasive stereotypes about Black criminality contribute to a shoot-first-ask-questions-later type of environment that endangers Black lives. And this is not an ideology limited to white people. People of color who buy into racial stereotypes contribute to the violence Black people endure. For instance, Rick Chow, a 58-year-old Asian-American gas station owner, fatally shot Cyrus Carmack-Belton, a 14-year-old Black teenager, in the back on Sunday, according to the Richland County Sheriff's Office. While Chow, the store owner, claimed Cyrus attempted to steal four bottles of water, his accusation was baseless. Cyrus did not steal anything from the Shell gas station, but the irony isn't lost on the Black community that his life was stolen, along with any hopes, dreams, and aspirations he had, experiences he could have enjoyed with family and friends. State Representative Todd Rutherford said Cyrus was "chased down like an animal."

While the Richland County Sheriff's Office arrested Chow following the shooting, Veronica Hill, a department spokesperson, asserted that investigators found "no evidence that suggests racial bias was a factor," a claim that doesn't hold water. Their argument rests on the fact that the alleged shooter was Asian-American while the victim was Black. However, if Cyrus were a White or Asian-American teenager, it is unlikely Chow would have assumed that he was stealing or that such a crime should have been punishable by death. Racial bias seemed to have played a role in shaping the moments leading up to the shooting; the presumption that Cyrus, a 14-year-old, was engaged in criminal behavior stems from anti-Black racism. Despite the claims of authorities, there is no credible way of deracializing Cyrus's death. While it’s a hard pill to swallow, some Americans don’t believe a Black life is worth the price of a few bottles of water.

What is a Black life worth in America?

The case of 14-year-old Cyrus Carmack-Belton echoes the case of 15-year-old Latasha Harlins. In 1991, Soon Ja Du, a Los Angeles market's Korean-born owner, shot and killed 15-year-old Harlins, assuming that she was stealing a bottle of orange juice. The death of a young, Black teenage girl outraged the community during the same month police officers brutally beat Rodney King on camera. Later, a jury convicted Ja Du of voluntary manslaughter, but the pain created a lasting imprint on the Black community, weary of the discrimination they faced at businesses they frequented. And as with the case of Cyrus, an investigation revealed that Harlins did not steal anything from the store, yet she lost her life, all because of the pervasive stereotype that suggests Black people are inherently criminal and dangerous, an effort to justify the disproportionate violence they endure from law enforcement and civilians. Here's the rub: Each of these teenagers was innocent of the petty theft that the Asian-American store owners accused them of. And even if they were guilty, shooting them would not be an appropriate response.

America is a trigger-happy society, and far too often, people use their firearms inappropriately to express anger towards a group of people in their workplace, school, church, mall, or movie theatre, to "get even" with someone they’re holding a grudge against, or express general discontent or anguish. While gun-rights activists often suggest that guns keep people safe, we often see gun owners using their weapons to kill people who do not pose a threat. And shooting someone in the back, as law enforcement suggests Chow did, suggests that he was not in any physical danger when he decided to discharge his weapon. Gun violence is the leading cause of death for children and teenagers in our country, which should drive the nation to support reforms, but so far, it hasn't. People can buy a gun in America more easily than they can acquire a driver's license. While you have to prove at the Department of Motor Vehicles that you know how to drive and can do so safely, there are no such standards for purchasing a gun.

When and if someone steals something from you, it does not give you the right to shoot and kill that person. And "no," this is not up for debate. In South Carolina, the state where the storeowner, Rick Chow, accused Cyrus of stealing four bottles of water, someone charged with stealing products valued at $2,000 or less can be found guilty of Petit Larceny, and the punishment for breaking this statute is "30 days in jail or a $1,000 fine," not the death penalty. So, when a gun-owner takes the law into their own hands and shoots someone they suspect of stealing, they're embracing a vigilante mindset and wrongfully asserting they have the right to unilaterally decide who lives and dies. And when you consider the fact that "commercial insurance can cover theft," shooting someone suspected of stealing is not only illegal but also senselessly cruel.

So, what is a Black life worth in America? It depends on who you ask. For the Black community, Cyrus Carmack-Belton's life was worth more than money and, certainly, more than the four bottles of water Chow wrongfully accused him of stealing. However, if the allegations are true, Chow did not value Cyrus's life and chose to shoot him in the back rather than risk losing less than $20 in profit, which he could have easily recovered. And we can't overlook the fundamental problem at the heart of this incident, that anti-black racism inspired Chow to make this baseless assumption in the first place. Asian-American companies make considerable money in Black communities. From nail salons, hair stores, cornerstones, grocery stores, and gas stations, Asian Americans like Chow can profit from Black people without respecting members of the Black community, and that's a painful reality we can’t look away from.

Cyrus did not steal anything from the Shell gas station, but the irony isn’t lost on the Black community that his life was stolen, along with any hopes, dreams, and aspirations he had.

During the 1960s, the “Yellow Peril Supports Black Power” movement showed that solidarity was possible between Asian Americans and Black people. And while some argue the phrase "falsely equates the struggles of the two communities,” I respectfully disagree. Acknowledging that Asian Americans experience racial discrimination and that some find solidarity with Black Americans' pursuit of racial equality does not undermine either group’s unique experiences. Asian-American people feeling solidarity for Black Americans is a very real phenomenon for some, but it doesn't change the fact that other Asian Americans have bought into the model minority myth and other racist myths, namely that Black people are responsible for their second-class citizenship, that Black people are more violent, dangerous, and criminal than other racial groups. People of color who buy into the rhetoric of white supremacists shouldn’t seek to profit from Black communities but will continue to do so. Sadly, 14-year-old Cyrus Carmack Belton's death is a painful reminder of the way the trope of black criminality cuts Black lives short. Cyrus will never graduate from high school, have children, own a home, or develop a career, all because Chow assumed he was stealing four bottles of water. Moments like this make solidarity hard, and that’s understandable.

People of color are capable of exhibiting anti-Black racism, and no one should be surprised by that fact. After all, white women are members of a marginalized group, and yet they were once slave owners. After the Civil War, many white women fought against Black men’s voting rights and championed a movement to stymie integration efforts. In the modern era, White women-led groups like the Moms of Liberty are actively attempting to censor books written by or for Black people offered in public schools and libraries, mirroring the efforts of The Daughters of the Confederacy. Likewise, Asian Americans have been persecuted in American society, yet some perpetuate anti-Black racism. The 1871 Chinese Massacre, one of the largest mass lynchings in American history, and the federal government forcing Japanese Americans into internment camps during World War II are a few examples of the racial injustices Asian Americans experience. Nevertheless, being marginalized doesn’t make someone exempt from feeding into white supremacist ideology and believing anti-Black racial stereotypes. Perhaps Cyrus would still be alive today had the Asian-American gas station owner not assumed he was trying to steal, or if he had realized that four bottles of water were not worth taking a young, Black person’s life.