During the Charlottesville rallies, I watched in horror as white supremacists and Neo-Nazis marched through the streets and paraded around yelling out despicable, prejudiced, and hateful words toward people of color.

Not only were the white supremacists acting out, but they were enraged by the crowd of counter protesters who came to meet them with more objectionable language.

The abuse of our first amendment was like gasoline to the fire of hatred that our country faces, and we watch as people abuse this right over and over again, not only for protesting, but even in our schools where kids bully each other to the point where adolescents are convinced that self-harm or suicide is the answer.

Our freedom of speech causes holes in our union and creates rage and pain in our fellow citizens.

If we were to use the first amendment in a respectful way, would the Charlottesville rally have ended with the fatalities of three human beings and have left countless individuals injured? If we had restrictions to certain types of speech, would it have happened at all?

I’m not here to say that everyone’s basic right to free speech should be stripped away due to the actions of select people who took their racial pride to the extreme.

I am saying, however, that by censoring certain slang or racial, homophobic, or hurtful slurs, we might be able to keep others safe, as well as being able to boost others’ confidence, since they would no longer have to fear the name-calling and nick-names that taunt their religion, race, or sexuality.

All groups would still be able to march, but by allowing censorship in the form of arrests or lawsuits if their language was attacking other groups, we would be able to reform the violence that escapes our mouths. By doing, so the way people react, would lighten. More lives and more minds would be saved.