I have been watching the news of Michael Brown and the Ferguson Police Department for the past two days. I have seen so much hatred. I then pull up social media and find so much of the same on the feed. I thought of remaining quiet, but I can’t.
Where does this hatred for all of our police officers come from? Are we so naive to think that the only actions our officers take are those that make the front page of the media? Do we forget what they do everyday?
Not long ago I wrote this. It is so disheartening to see the lack of support for those who give so much to our community. It appears that as a community we only want the police when we need the police. Does that mean that because you are not in a time of need that someone else is not? We all know that the rate of violent crimes are increasing nationwide. We also know that the number of police officers being shot or ambushed is also on the rise. Does that not mean that officers also need to increase their level of self-preservation? I wonder if we asked Officer’s Johnson’s family their thoughts what they might say?
Instead we respond with, hate, rioting, stealing from the innocent, public negative posts about the whole-whose members hope to protect us.
When you are running away from a situation, they are running in. How many guns or weapons do you encounter on your job in a given day? How many people threaten to kill you, or hit you? How many people per day say, “I hate you scum pig?” If this happened everyday would you go back to work? When you saw that same name calling, hating citizen in the street bleeding, would you then run to give aid? The police officer does. Everyday the police officer does.
Please don’t think that these situations don’t add up. Don’t think that the officers involved in job related shootings aren’t going home wishing that instead they would have had a day off. They were called there, to the scene by you or me. They didn’t pick to go, someone said “help me.” It is so incredibly sad that a young man lost his life. There were decisions on both sides that led to that. In every shooting situation there is a sad outcome with many stories. You may say that some officers are bad. That may be the case, but certainly not all. Some teachers are bad. Some electricians are bad. Some contractors are bad. Does that make them all bad?
If you hate the police I can make a simple educated assumption that the reason is that you have had a negative interaction i.e. you were breaking the law and/or guilty of breaking the law and/or wanting to break the law and/or hiding something. Right? These officers are there to keep the peace, to protect us, to walk in when we run out. These officers are good and they do good and deserve respect as a whole. Anger at one officer should not be portrayed to all.
I hope that the day does not come when you “need” an officer. I hope that the time does not force you to respect and support. I know I will never change someones opinion or thoughts but I hope as you think of these things that maybe you start to change yourself. Put your energy of hate and asking for change instead to the abused child, instead to the schools who need support to keep weapons out of their doors, instead to stopping the drugs that are finding themselves in elementary school kid’s hands.
Thank you to the good officers out there. To the ones who continue to go to work everyday to protect me and my family. Go home safe to your family!
