Hearing sirens race down the street was once a comforting sound in Hemet, CA. Now though the sound makes me physically ill and heartbroken for many reasons. Both fear for the ones in the unit as well as for those that had called fill the spaces where familiarity and peace of mind once resided.
The world and political climate of today’s world is a scary place right now. For reasons that most people either understand or ignore, the rise of race vs. race and officer vs. civilian has grown more tense than this author can remember it being. This opinion may be unpopular but as the child of a police officer there is something to be said about having an inside look at their lives.
My parent and myself would be the first to admit that there are bad cops out there abusing their power and making the job difficult and painful for those that truly want to help. Due to the actions of a few, the good are now looked on with the same suspicion and distrust that would normally be saved for a serial killer. Understanding that there is such a thing as police brutality and an unfair justice system is only one step toward helping. This author understands though that she only personally sees one side of the story. She can interact with the other side affected by the bad apples in the system, but understand that she can never fully understand the pain.
However, this is coming from a place of hurt as well. Being told that my parent was a cruel, hateful person because of their job while seeing and gaining first-hand experience of the terror these men and women feel everyday hurts something deep inside that can’t be expressed. In a way, the fear of uncertainty grips both sides of the equation and neither side appears willing to accept this of the other.
The continued bombardment of specifically the negative press for police and ignoring the good is causing more harm than good. This reopens wounds that might’ve had a chance at healing and while sharing both the good and the bad is what should happen, there needs to be a balance that isn’t led by fear.
Maybe I am biased in this situation. I know that there are bad people playing at being officers that hurt a lot of good people. I know that there are a lot of bad people that hurt a lot of good cops. I understand that there has been hurt on every side of the equation. But don’t tell me that my parent was evil when you hadn’t even met or interacted with them…and I’ll pay you the same respect.
