Dear American Citizens,
I have kept my mouth somewhat shut for a while now in regards to society’s “we hate the police force” attitude, and now I think it's time I shared my opinion about this situation.
I have grown up my entire life with an amazing, loving, brave father who is also a Lieutenant of the Houston Police Department — and not to mention, one of the most honorable people I know. He holds the rights of the people in the highest honor and protects these rights every day, sometimes putting his life on the line for others.
After the awful things that happened in Ferguson, New York, and now Houston, it's easy for society to assume that all white male cops HATE every single young black man that they encounter because after all, that’s what the media makes it look like. This statement is honestly one of the most ignorant statements I have ever heard in my life, and it is extremely untrue. My father is not a racist and would never purposefully harm a young black man that was honoring the laws of his country. To say this statement about every cop hurts. To say my father, the man who raised me and loves me with his whole heart, would kill another human being because of the color on their skin, is hurtful.
A couple days ago, I came across a popular tweet from a known “student leader” who tweeted this ...
"I have no sympathy for the NYPD officers who were murdered today." — Khadijah (@punQros3) December 20, 2014
"LMAO, all I just really don't have sympathy for the cops who were shot. I hate this racist f*cking country." — Khadijah (@punQros3) December 21, 2014
A student LEADER? I must have the definition of a leader mistaken, because I would never want to follow a leader who could say such cruel things. No life should ever be taken and then praised on the glory that you have no sympathy for that person. In case you don’t know the background information on this story, a Baltimore gang member who boasted about killing cops shot two NYPD officers execution style. So I’m sorry, but I have no respect for a person who cannot sympathize with two cops on duty not harming anyone who were brutally shot and killed. What about their families? Their wives? Their children? Do you, as a leader, sympathize with them, because I cannot fathom how you could not; the freedom you have is respected by those men and protected by them, and they are now dead.
Unlike the leaders society is surfacing with the “kill all the cops attitude” there are leaders out there who put their lives on the line for you and give you that freedom of speech. My father being one of them. My father does not discriminate based on race, sex, origin, ethnicity, or gender. He protects you and the fact that you have the right to choose which gender you want to associate yourself with and which ethnicity you choose to associate yourself with. His job is to serve and protect his state and nation, and he does exactly that. So it doesn’t seem completely unfair to assume that the actions of ONE police officer determine the actions of each and every one of them?
So who do you really hurt when you say, “we hate the police force.” You hurt their families. It hurts to hear the words “F the police,” “pigs,” “racist cops,” “murders” because that is my father you’re referring to. All I can think about when I hear that is the families who worry about their loved ones when they have to work an extra job or a late night. The fact that maybe a gang member with that attitude may decide to shoot and kill my dad while he’s on patrol, because they are not happy about the decision of the Ferguson trial. This fear is real, and it is an awful fear to encounter that someone may hate my dad so much and not sympathize with him because you don’t even know who he is.
My dad is the best protector and security I could ask for. I am blessed to have such a brave father that would sacrifice himself for the rights of the people. I will always stand by my dad because I trust he will always serve the greater good of the people. I am proud to have a dad who is a part of the police force, and I cannot express how much gratitude I have for him and every one of the members of law enforcement, because this nation would fall apart without them. My dad is a hero, and I can only hope that society will realize this and take the stand to be grateful for what each law enforcement officer sacrifices and does for it.
