Over the past year in America, we have seen the rise of the Black Lives movement and subsequent civil rights actions. These are all progressive movements aimed at righting the equality gap in our country. However, when looking at this movement, we must be careful not to make martyrs out of criminals. The police have a very difficult job in trying to prevent crime in our neighborhoods. This is not to say that the war on drugs and police brutality is non-existent, just that they perform a very difficult job. This job has become increasingly more difficult as protesters and public perception have turned on them. While some cops may be guilty of brutality, the majority are not. While some police may be racist, many are not. For some reason, we forget that some of the men killed by police that sparked so much anger were criminals. They were being arrested for a reason. Despite the willingness to end police brutality and racism, you cannot rally behind a criminal.

The reason for this should be simple. You are making a criminal the figure your young kids are now looking up to. Making the police, whom many people see every day, your enemy and not the criminals on your street is foolish. The purge of all racists and those who use brutality will slowly occur as body cams and public opinion push them out of law enforcement. However, can you imagine our streets without police? Too many people nowadays see police as a threat and not as our protectors. While among different races this can have understandable reasoning, the fact remains that you pay for the police and they serve you. They are there to maintain your rights and protect your civil liberties.

Many people have criticized the police for the rise in child or teenager shootings. Tamir Rice in Cleveland is an excellent example. A young man in a park had something that looked like a real pistol. However, the police did not follow protocol in securing the park properly. Unfortunately, the officers approached the young man and, instead of simply dropping the weapon, he turned. This movement in law enforcement cannot be mistaken or given leeway. If someone you think has a real weapon makes that move, you must defend yourself. It is tragic that a young man lost his life; however, if he had complied with orders and put his hands up, I fail to see how it could not have been resolved peacefully. This was the case this past week, as well. In another part of the country, a boy was playing with what looked like a real pistol. The police responded and, instead of complying and dropping the gun, the kid made a fatal movement. Police responded by shooting and killing him.

These incidents are not to be thought of as anything but tragic. It is tragic that those young men died. It is tragic that those officers have to live knowing that they killed a young boy. However, in an officer’s line of duty, they must always be on their toes. More often than not, the threat they face is real. The difference in a fake gun or a real one is almost impossible to distinguish in a fast-paced, face-to-face confrontation. Officers must protect themselves from what they view as a possible threat. In the end, we must change the perception of police in our country. They must win the people’s trust back and continue doing their duties.

However, we must teach our children that they cannot go out in public playing with something that looks like a real weapon. If your child wishes to play with a replica toy gun, keep them inside or around the house. Teach them to always drop it when approached by an officer and to treat the officer with respect. Coming into a situation with disrespect for a cop you do not know is to set up a bad situation. Most importantly, we must create good role models for our kids. This means not idolizing or martyrizing criminals who died while being arrested. There is nothing to be glamorized about this, even if the situation was created by a bigoted police officer. The officer is not to be glamorized and neither should the criminal, but both should be condemned in this situation. The problem is not a race war; the problem is people who wish to break laws and do harm to other humans. Creating a better environment and changing the attitude towards police is our only way forward to a brighter future.