I was born on August 20, 1995, around 9 a.m. However, many in the Omaha community may not see this date as important for that particular reason. This is because, on that day, Officer Jimmy Wilson Jr. was shot and killed. My dad is now a retired police officer, but on that day, he was still planning on going into work that night. Of course, my mom looked at him like he was crazy because his daughter, his first child, was just born. He did not go into work.
Fast forward almost twenty years, and another Omaha police officer, Kerrie Orozco, was shot and killed in the line of duty on May 20, 2015. It has almost been a year. Just recently, a Kansas City detective, Brad Lancaster, was also killed. Acts like these make it way past impossible for me to even listen to those who complain about the police without rolling my eyes.
Those people do not understand what each and every one of those officers risk when they put on their uniform. They do not understand that they all have family waiting on their safe return every day or night. They do not understand because they only see the riots in the streets that cause chaos in so many cities. But who is controlling those riots? The police. No matter what you say, accuse, or threaten, they're still there to protect and serve.
When Orozco died, the Omaha community pulled together for her family, as she had recently given birth to a baby daughter. We gave and supported the family. Our support did not come in the form of uprisings against the person who shot and killed her. No. It came in donations, offering help, and so on.
Now, I am not saying that police brutality is not real because that would be naive of me. I am saying do not group every single officer out there with the one who beat up someone who was already cooperating. Very often do we do this with people who share the same title, race, or religion. That's not the way.
What I am saying, however, is don't jump to conclusions every single time someone is shot by an officer. These people are trained to know a dangerous situation, not only for us and the city they serve but also for themselves. Excluding those few who fall under the previously stated brutality, the police do not kid around. Nothing screams guilty more than running away from a cop who has pulled you over. I hear of these situations on the news and hear of ones where the suspect even draws a weapon. Seriously? They do not shoot unless you give them a reason, and that right there is one.
To those who are actually for getting rid of the police, do you honestly believe our country would be a better place? Absolutely not. They put their lives on the line every day, and quite honestly, destroying their cars, burning our nation's flag, and attacking them at protests does not scream "thank you". I wish I could find a stronger word for dishonesty.
I cannot imagine the worry my mom went through every time my dad went off to work, and even now that my brother has become an officer. More importantly, I cannot understand the grief the families of fallen officers go through, and to know they were taken by someone who could not give in and come forward for everything they had done wrong.
May God watch over and protect those who are protecting us.
