Have you ever felt no one is listening to you? Have you ever felt you were wasting your breath by telling someone something?

We do.

We are starting to feel like our pleas are falling on deaf ears. We are starting to feel the ink that falls upon this page each day is ink that could be better used somewhere else.

On many occasions, we have said that enough is enough when it comes to gun violence in Selma. On many occasions we have called on community leaders to lead by calling on this violence to stop.

Instead, we have continued to see residents shot — some injured, some killed — and we have seen suspects go to jail for their crimes.

There are still those who coward behind the idea of offering excuses for such violence. They say unemployment is too high, economic conditions are leading to crime, or blaming others for the social pressures that lead to violence.

Enough.

When a person pulls a trigger, they do so deliberately. They do so with purpose and they do so with ill-intentions.

Unemployment figures are improving. The economy is growing stronger. In short, things are getting better.

What’s the next excuse those cowards among us going to use next to rationalize the next shooting?