It's Time For CHANGE!!!!

      For weeks, I have been putting off launching my organization. For some reason, I didn’t have the energy or the get up and go to do it. I would work on it, but I couldn’t finalize anything. Well today as I was looking through my timeline on Facebook, I saw that the trending topic was “Alton Sterling”. A couple statuses stuck with me. The first was a status expressing concern over raising a black boy or girl in America. The second was a status portraying Alton as a family man before he is betrayed as a thug. Both of these statuses troubled me. Why? Because I am a black woman raising a black son. Do I want my son or anyone else to experience this pain? No. Will my son and I be exempt from the stereotypes, the negativity, and the injustice? No. Prior to today, the issues of “being black in America” has crossed my mind, but I didn’t get the same feeling that I got today. Today it felt that Alton was my family. It felt that Alton was my husband. It felt that Alton was my father. It felt that Alton was my brother. It felt that Alton was my son. My heart ached. How would this family cope with the loss of their loved one? How could they get past the treacherous video of his last moments? How could they trust a justice system that has failed them time and time again? How could they make sense out of a senseless act? How could they find comfort, when their heart is filled with hurt, pain, anger, and confusion?

     I normally refrain from commenting on situations such as this because the comments are normally treacherous. You have those who automatically assume that the person killed was in the wrong. You have those who assume that the officer was wrong. You have those who are seeking an opportunity to jump on a bandwagon. You just have so many different opinions until it leads to the back and forth, which ends with no solution. Well today, I want to voice my opinion and give my thoughts. I agree with the status discussing the fear of raising your son or daughters in society today. It’s scary. I want my son to respect law enforcement. I want him to live a life in which he upholds the law. I want him to do so many things, but does this mean that he will follow my every instruction? Does this mean that he can’t get caught in the wrong place? Does this mean that he won’t get caught in a similar situation? Does his mistakes and behaviors justify him being gun downed and killed? I hope most people answered NO to those questions. I can raise my son to the best of my ability. I can put him in the best schools, expose him to the world, teach him etiquette and respect, but yet he can still end up in a situation that I never imagined. That is what I fear the most. Will my son be the next victim? Will he be the one being judged and treated like scum? Will he be that angry black man that people assume is up to no good? Will I get the call that my son has been hurt or even killed?

     Now some may say, well what about the good police officers? What about the police officers whose lives have been taken? I agree. There are some excellent police officers. There are some men who dedicate their lives to keeping the streets safe each day. But just as there are some bad “citizens” there are also some bad cops. Let’s face the fact. There are. In no way am I saying that a bad cop deserves death, but I am saying that the badge should not be a pass to treat citizens any kind of way. A badge is not a pass to stereotype. A badge is not a pass to treat people like that are less than human. The badge should be worn with honor, and there are some cops who do just that. Just last week I experienced a co-workers grief when his brother, an honored police officer, was gunned down by a man. The man cold-bloodedly killed the officer. That officer’s family was left hurt. I was equally saddened in this situation because it showed me that we live in a world where those who serve and protect us aren’t even safe. Those men who are on the streets each day trying to protect us aren’t respected.

      The current issues leave me confused. The communication and relationships between police and citizens is destroyed. There is a dialogue needed, but no one is stepping up and making it happen. How are mother’s supposed to raise their kids? You tell your kids respect police, but what if their respect is viewed as a threat? What happens when their appearance or the way they speak is viewed as threat? What happens when the place that they are visiting is viewed as a zone of danger? What happens when they encounter the wrong officer at the wrong moment? How do I teach my son to live in a place where the relationship between police and citizens is strained? Now, you should also ask “how are police officer’s supposed to do their jobs?” Should they walk around in fear? Should turn the other way when a crime is being committed? Should they fear that they will be targeted? It’s difficult for everyone when the lines are completely blurred.

      As an officer of the court, an attorney, it is my ethical duty to uphold the law. But how do I teach my son to respect the law when it seems like the law is failing him?  I don’t want my son to walk around in fear. I want him to be able to trust the police and go to the police if he ever needs help. I don’t want him to be afraid when he sees a police car. I don’t want him to feel that he needs to run when he sees a police officer. I want him to be able to show respect and be himself. I don’t want him labeled or judged. I want him to have a healthy relationship with officers. I don’t want this constant agony for anyone.

      It’s time to stop jumping on bandwagons, and get some things done. It’s time to work toward better relationships and healing. It’s time to turn the movement into action. It’s time that we become trailblazers and heal our nation. It’s time that we stand up for our sons, daughters, and officers. It’s time that we revisit our individual roles in society and act on those roles. It’s time for change. I’m not 100% certain of how I am going to put things into action, but I ask that you join me in pushing and working for change.