Back when I was younger, I remember eating dinner really early during the week because my dad would work from 4 p.m. to 12 a.m. During 9/11, I remember him coming home covered in dust and exhausted. My dad is retired now, but I am still scared for him, especially within the last couple of years.
As a daughter of a police officer, we are automatically put into a box. Any time we have a political or social discussion with someone, they automatically think that we will side with police. We have no say or no input because “bias” is typed on our forehead. However, in recent years, this has become more prominent.
There are so many problems with this. Yes, the police system is corrupt and there are bad police officers out there, but don’t go and label them all as bad. Also, people forget that police officers follow a code. They are trained to do certain things. If they don’t follow through, they can get themselves into big trouble. This, however, does not dismiss the fact that there are good and bad people out there. What makes you think that all police officers are bad?
Recently, especially on social media, people have been using aggressive words to express their anger towards police officers. However, police officers are human. Saying you want to kill a police officer means that you want to kill a human. You don’t know the man behind the uniform. Maybe instead of being quick to hate like this, think of their families and their children. I didn’t know if my father would come home during the job. I would be afraid that my mother would get a call during the middle of the night and say that he was killed. So, before you write that, think about if your parent, sibling, or family member was a police officer. Imagine the anxiety and fear of them not coming home.
Our views on everything are also restricted. We are labeled as conservative and all our political and social views are decided upon the fact that someone, friend or family member, is a police officer. Wrong! The last time I checked, I stated in this article that there are good and bad police officers. Also, last time I checked, I checked off the little box called independent on my political views sheet. Trust me, my father and I disagree on many things, and his views are not the same as mine. So don't tell me, "Oh, your views are invalid because your father was a police officer." I am a different person. My father and I aren't Siamese twins.
All in all, what I am trying to say is: Be careful what you say in front of people. I know that many minorities have been oppressed, and rights and lives have been taken, but other lives have been taken, as well. It has been difficult to voice opinions on this, and if I have offended anyone, I apologize. I want to live in a world were opinion and free speech are respected. Thank you.
#EveryoneMatters
