Over the past year, society has been shaped by multiple widely
publicized police shootings, and people are understandably angry. With the rise
of the Black Lives Matter movement, protests have been taken to a new level,
and people’s concerns are being broadcasted around the country. It’s not hard
to see where this distrust of law enforcement stems from. As we saw in Homegoing, Kojo fears for his life and
freedom as he is harassed by an officer who tears up the drawing of his wife. This
racism is something that is easy to picture occurring throughout the country
during the 1800’s, and is truly horrible. What this does, however, is create
generations who are raised to not trust the police, to hide from them or run at
every chance, and furthers the divide between law enforcement and black communities.
Now, when you turn on the news, most of the things you see
are about all of the bad things that police officers do around the country. It’s
as if the media is designed to make you forget about all the good things that
police do.
When I was six years old, my mother was shot by a sawed-off
shotgun in a drive-by shooting outside of our house in Baltimore. The first
responder was a Maryland state trooper who helped compress her wound until the
shock trauma helicopter could land. The next officers were comforting to me and
my family and helped keep me preoccupied so I wouldn’t grasp the gravity of the
situation. As the helicopter took her away, the officers told me she would be
okay and proceeded to check in with my family and me every day for the next few
weeks. In this time of shock and trouble, one of the only things that kept us
together was the support of kindness of these police officers. They went above
and beyond their job, and truly made a lasting impression on my family.
Although this may not be the case with every community and
every police officer, these men and women risk their lives every day to keep
all of us safe. For every bad cop there are 1000 more good cops that care about
your safety and upholding the laws of this country.
So next time you’re angry at a police involved shooting, don’t
last out at police as a whole, but instead, get to know your local officers and
help make the changes that you want to see in your community.
Billy Seibel
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ReplyDeleteIt has become increasingly difficult for officers of the law to do their job because of the reputation that has been placed on all of them as a whole. This generalization does not only fall onto these officers, but it also falls onto the black community. It is easy for people to generalize about both groups, and create stereotypes. Not all officers are bad people, and not all African Americans are 'thugs'. These stereotypes are what have been increasing the racial divide we see in today's society.
ReplyDeleteI agree 100% that not all cops are bad. The anger that stems from the brutality and shootings more so comes from the fact that hardly ever are the officers convicted of their crime. Also another reason for the anger, is because all of them are quick to claim self defense, when in most instances according to video footage, they are not in harms way. If he justice system fought harder for our black men who are true victims, there would not be this much tension.I have friends who are harassed by officers way too often, even with complying with what the officers tell them they are still told that they are disrespectful or cursed out. This is a reason as to why most black men feel like they shouldn't trust police officers, not to say it is right but it's a matter of respect.
ReplyDeleteI read a Facebook post recently written by a police officer who had pulled an African American teenager over for texting and driving. He stated that when he got to the window of the car the young man was shaking and essentially begging for his life. The officer wrote about how striking this was to him, so striking in fact that he let him off with a warning and the message that he wanted him to life a fulfilled and safe life. As you said, I think it is extremely important to remember that not all police officers are bad. Law enforcement was established to keep citizens safe. Although it is entirely understandable, it is sad to think that there is so little trust in the establishment, especially nowadays.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that not all policemen and women are bad. I think that the majority of them have the absolute best intentions. I also agree with the notion that we should make an effort to build relationships with our law enforcement. In light of recent events, though, I think that it has become increasingly important for law enforcement to take the initiative to increase the trust between themselves and those they serve. I know that in Binghampton, a neighborhood near Rhodes in Memphis, officers occasionally play soccer with the kids at a local park. I understand that policemen and women are very busy, but I think that if they were able to make an intentional effort to build a relationship with their communities on a more regular basis, we would see an increase in trust in our law enforcement.
ReplyDeleteThe testimony from Billy about his mother is a powerful example of what good police officers will look like. These good police officers are the key to rectifying the police brutality problem. We need the good cops working as a form of checks and balances stopping and reporting bad cops to prevent them from committing any travesties. I recently watched a video of a man being assaulted and arrested while sitting on his mother's porch. There were two cops, and one was the aggressor in the situation. If the other cop would have stepped in to alleviate the escalation of the situation, then this would not have been another unfortunate case of police brutality.
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