The local Dairy Queen I’ve worked at has given free ice cream to police officers for as long as I’ve been working there. So for the past 3+ years, I’ve had the privilege of putting a smile on an officer’s face when I tell them that it’s on us.

More recently I’ve noticed that their gratitude has increased. Officers have offered to pay, but I tell them once again that they’re free to go and not to worry about it. Just the other day, an officer stood there for a few moments as if he couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that a group of employees gave him a free Blizzard. It broke my heart seeing how happy and surprised he was.

I didn’t feel as if I did anything special. He wakes up every day and puts on his uniform to protect citizens of our county knowing that he could be injured or killed in the line of duty. That takes courage. I don’t know if I could do it. It broke my heart seeing that he was so moved by our gratitude, and it took me a few minutes to realize he probably doesn’t receive too much respect from others, but that’s all I did. I showed him the respect he showed me.

Police officers are constantly being talked poorly about, and they receive a lot of hate from a lot of people. I see way too many kids on social media posting statuses about how they “hate the police.” I hear way too many people talking badly about the police. All too often I hear songs about how the police are terrible and some songs even go so far as to say that police should die.

If you commit a crime and get caught, it is no one’s fault but your own. It’s as simple as that. If you’re under-aged and drinking at a party that gets busted by the police, it is your fault. Don’t say “F*ck the police.” They’re doing their job, which is to protect people and enforce laws. The same can be said if you blow a stoplight or a stop sign or go over the speed limit. Your recklessness could have caused an accident and ruined someone’s life. The police aren’t out to get you or to ruin your day; they’re enforcing the law and protecting citizens.

When I got pulled over for speeding last year, I was polite and respected the officer. I was mad, but my anger was not toward him. My anger was with myself for not noticing that I was speeding and for not slowing down. The speed limit had just dropped and I did not slow down, as I should have. I was in the wrong, and I got caught. I took responsibility for my actions. The officer let me go with a warning, but I learned my lesson.

In light of recent events, I realized that complying with officers’ demands does not always have the same effects for different people. I am against police brutality and I believe that officers should treat everyone equally. I know that many officers do try their hardest to treat people equally, but unfortunately some do not.

Not all cops are bad or racist; unfortunately there are some cops who are. Not all black people are criminals or involved in gangs. Not all Mexicans are immigrants. Not all Muslims are terrorists. Not all Christians are good. Bad people do bad things, but unfortunately people choose to mark entire races or groups of people by the actions of a few bad people who are a poor representation of the race or the nationality or the religion. Things like that happen unfortunately. I wish it would stop. It will take a while before things change.

Cops need to stop shooting people. People need to stop shooting cops. People in general just need to stop shooting other people. I know it’s easier said than done, but more people need to realize that stereotyping and profiling people moves America steps in the wrong direction. We should be moving forward as a country. We should stand united. We should strive to treat one another with respect and generosity, regardless of sex, gender, race, ethnicity, and religion.

It won’t be easy, but start by getting to know your neighbors. Talk to people who you normally wouldn’t. Pay it forward. Make someone’s day. Make people smile. Be a friend. Let’s be proud to be American.