Everyone is affected in some way. Prisons are overcrowded and the government has to spend billions on the prison system. Taxpayer dollars fund the cost of prison facilities, programs, services and security personnel. The children of prisoners are affected because they were raised without a role model father to teach them how to function properly in society, which increases their chances of ending up in prison. Prisoners lose the freedom to be with their loved ones. Police interactions with minorities are becoming increasingly violent and deadly. Lower- and middle-class communities are affected by racial injustice because it breeds resentment and distrust of our law enforcement and criminal justice system. The bottom line is that if there is no racial equality in America, things will only get worse.