Every week I plan out an article circling around politics or economics. This week's topic was going to be the change in tobacco laws and the long term effects of such. I wasn't going to dive into any controversial issue or spark up some debate that's been argued over and over again in our society, but following recent events all over our country, it's something I can't ignore. The cycle of police brutality and retaliation by citizens has to end.
When the events in Ferguson happened a few years ago, it kicked off the Black Lives Matter movement. Ever since then, we have seen the escalation of tensions between minority communities and various police forces all over the United States. This week we have seen the culmination of years of disagreement and unrest with acts of hatred against the police causing the deaths of five police officers and injuries of seven others. The man who caused these attacks, Micah Johnson, stated that he “wanted To Kill White People, especially white police officers.” This begs the question that I would like to ask today, why do people see the police force as monsters? I'm not backing up every incident of police brutality by taking their side, but let's not forget that police are people too. Police are just normal people like you and I who are doing their jobs. They have families, kids and friends. They are not some paramilitary group to keep the streets clean and orderly. They serve and protect the best the can, but by no means do they have an easy job.
Do police make mistakes? Sure. Are all officers perfect? No. But does one bad apple mean you throw out the whole bunch? It shouldn't. Before blaming the police as the “Axis of evil” remember that the police are here to serve and protect the public. Some may get carried away and react too soon to situations, but can we blame them all? Imagine working in a profession where everyone hates you and some are even trying to kill you. Wouldn't you be quick to react, if you thought your life was on the line? It isn't an excuse for all incidents, but we shouldn't ignore the surrounding circumstances to them either.
If you believe that killing police officers to redeem those who died by poor judgment is right or just, I don’t want to live in this society. As a police officer’s son, I fear for my father every day when he is out working the streets with the current conditions the way they are. I fear for my father because of retaliation like this. I want to see my father when I come home every day, and I don’t want to see him in a body bag because someone felt vigilante justice was the correct course of actions to redeem someone else’s mistakes.
