It has come to this – we must police the police. When we see officers arresting people, we need to stop what we’re doing and watch. That’s all – watch. If things aren’t going well, we record. We can no longer go on about our busy days, assuming law enforcement will administer our laws equitably, though most will. My cousin recently retired after decades of service as a police officer, and I understand it is a very difficult and dangerous position. I appreciate the men and women who put their lives on the line every day and the families who know there is always a chance they might lose their loved one.
At the exact same time, videos of unarmed men of color being murdered by the police keep coming – again and again and again. It sickens me. It appalls me that we are only seeing a fraction of what takes place, just what happens to be recorded.
Body cams were supposed to encourage everyone to stay in line and provide proof of wrongdoing, but here we are once more. Now, we must all witness what takes place in our communities, and that should only feel threatening or intrusive to officers who are not accustomed to following department protocol (no chokeholds, don’t kneel on anyone’s neck – especially when that person is telling you they can’t breathe). If everyone is, at the very least, treated as a human being, there shouldn’t be an issue. That’s why it is frightening, disgusting, bewildering, and heartbreaking to watch this tragedy play out time and again, over all the centuries,YES, CENTURIES, of white people trying to deny people of color their humanity. The irony is that the perpetrators are, through their actions, revealing their own lack of humanity.
#NotOneMore
SurvivingSara 