I have had police officers on my brain lately. Since the Dallas police shooting and the sad cases of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling, I have been thinking positive and negative things about police officers.
In my own personal life, a retired police officer, Officer Denis Hassan, from my hometown, who worked at my high school and was a family friend, passed away. Officer Hassan was an amazing police officer. Once I got stuck in an elevator while I was on crutches. When someone got the elevator open, he grabbed me by my arms, pulled me out and said "Thank God, you don't weight 200 pounds." That was the personality he had. He knew everyone around Plymouth.
I attended his wake with my family where I spoke with a fellow officer who spoke so kindly of him and loaded me with plenty of stories. He knew my dad and took me under his wing at the high school after his passing. It really made a difference for me.
When I first arrived, I got into the line and noticed the police officer who worked at my school (after the officer who has just passed) so I went up to say hello. My eyes began to swell as soon as he gave me a hug. The terror in Dallas gave me a deep feeling of horror while thinking about this amazing officer in front of me and I told him that. I told him I had been thinking about him and I wanted nothing more for him to be safe.
My junior year, there were high tension with the whole "world ending in 2012" thing, the Sandy Hook shooting, and rumors about students from my own school making threats. We were horrified. We openly talked about our feelings, the teacher saw the officer walking down the hall and stuck her head out to get his attention and called him into the room. She told him about our worries and he stayed and comforted us until we were less uneasy.
What really struck me was the fact he stayed in our class room for almost an hour just talking with us. After that, he would check on the people in our class in the halls and in passing to just be sure we all felt okay. I wrote him a letter months later expressing how comfortable I felt and truly thanked him for his service at my school and in my community. He called me to the office and personally thanked me.
Seeing him in line with all of his fellow officers, stepping out of line to talk to me and thanking me for coming to his fallen brother's service triggered a million feelings. Watching every single officer salute my old family friend opened my eyes. Men, women, blacks, whites, young and old: all saluting a man who died unexpectedly and did so much for my community. It was one of the most moving things I have ever witnessed in my life.
This whole experience opened my eyes about what is really going on in this world. Five other services for five other officers were held this week. While they are different circumstances, I can't even begin to imagine the more grief and heaviness felt at the services in Dallas. At this service in Massachusetts there were people smiling and chatting with a few tears here and there. But in Dallas there is complete heartbreak and trauma. A wake for a retired police officer put so much of what's going on in this world into perspective.
Not all police officers are bad.
Just like there are good people and bad people, there are good officers and bad officers.
As Americans, we cannot take out the pain and heartbreak that cruel excuses for officers caused on families, on the good guys. While it is very easy to remember all the times police officers have done us wrong, we have to remember all of the good things police officers do daily in order to keep us safe. Police officers have a right as human beings to go home safely at the end of the day just like people in every other job and profession, just like every nurse, waitress, hairdresser, and teacher.
While it is easy to remember every bad thing officers do, we have to remember the amazing things they do for us, despite the risk their lives are at every single day. We must remember the times that these police officers of America don't give us that ticket or come running when we have an emergency, despite whatever danger may be waiting for them. We have to remember the time the cop gave you the benefit of the doubt or held you up and gave you a handkerchief in a time of fear, derangement and need.
We need to stop taking our pain out on the ones who are here to protect us.
Yes, not all police officers are stand up men and women. It's the unfortunate truth. But they are the minority.
Not all police officers are bad.
All week I shook my head at what was going on at this world. I struggled on what to write this article about. But all it took was attending a retired police officer, a family friend and a brave man's wake to open my eyes and empower me so much to write this all for you.
As the hashtag goes #bluelivesmatter, #blacklivesmatter, #ALLLIVESMATTER
Rest in peace, Officer Denis Hassan
October 1, 1957 - July 11, 2016
