Just Thinking About it!

THE CONVERSATION

Have you ever listened to a debate or conversation and not know which side represented you? I mean it's not like you lack the skills to differentiate, it's just that it really gave you Food for Thought.

There were four men debating about what Law Enforcement represents in Our Culture; and the debate got really intense. One gentleman said that Law Enforcement is always there when you need them, and yet people do not respect them as they should. He said these men and women place their lives on the line daily; and they have to deal with the scum of the earth without any real recognition for the very people they are protecting. He said people are always quick to judge the law and blame them for all of the ills of the world; and not realize that these men and women fear for their lives daily. He asked how many of you would put your life on the line daily to defend others?

The second gentlemen said that Law Enforcement Officials are corrupt individuals who do not care about anyone but themselves; as they continue to protect their own whether right or wrong. He said Community Policing is a thing of the past where neighborhoods knew their officers and looked out for them. He said law enforcement use to realize that the citizens are the ones paying their income and they are the ones that hired them to protect us all. He said that officers have become cruel and non caring and look at everyone the same and have immuned themselves from feeling; and recognizing that we are all people. He said officers will come to your home and shoot it up and ask questions later and that he did not know the difference between the Police and Assassins. He said it has become Law Enforcement against the People, rather than protectors of the People. He went all over the place, he said that we have become dog friendly rather than people friendly, I think he may have exaggerated when he said that a man could do more time for killing a dog, than he could for killing a man. He said all of the killings of young minority men happening daily and they haven't prosecuted anyone or found the culprit; but let a dog be abandoned or ill treated, the courts, law enforcement, the ASPCA, PITA, etc will tear you to shreds. He was really riled up and everyone was just listening to him rant.

The other gentlemen said that Law Enforcement goes through so much adversity daily that they do not know who to trust and they stick together to keep themselves protected from harm. He said you forget that these officers are not just a badge, they are people as well and they need protection just like the next person. He gave an analogy of an officer being on the street after squealing on another officer; he said gangs, murderers and the criminal elements of the world all coming after this officer, if he doesn't stand up for his brother, he is on the streets alone. He said who wants to be alone on the streets, nobody, so you back up on your own regardless of the consequences. He said you cannot expect officers to be on the side of the public, when these are the very people which will crucify them at the drop of a hat.

The fourth gentleman shared that this world we live in has regressed and become the Wild West West and each man, woman and child is for himself. He said parents cannot protect their children, men cannot protect their families and law enforcement views everyone as criminals until proven innocent. He said we all need to bear arms and realize in the end we are all people wanting to live and be safe and you gotta look out for yourself. He said men are killing their wives, children are killing their parents and law enforcement is killing anyone who looks suspicious. He said this world is trifiling, you have a young man visiting his father in a gated community and people debating as to if he should have been killed or not. If you have our children being shot down in the streets like animals merely because they look like they are going to be up to no good; as people are making excuses as to why a man may have been led to the realization, that it was okay to kill this young man, then what can we expect in life as a society?

I was listening to this intense and heavy debate and all of the viewpoints and all I could say was uhhmmm, they really made me think about so much. I remember one of my friends called the police because her husband was threatening her and the kids, and she didn't know what he would do; the police arrived and spoke to both of them and asked her what she had done; she said that she couldn't believe how one sided the conversation went as the officers took her husband outside, and asked him to calm down as they laughed like friends. She said she was dumbfounded about how she was portrayed as the little woman that was paranoid or overreacting. She was later discouraged about contacting the police no matter what threats were made, because she felt Law Enforcement would just brush it off or make things worst. I mean should she label all law enforcement in this manner, just because of the negative actions of two?

The perception of the Police/Law Enforcement varies in communities and amongst different groups of people. I asked myself the other day as to why I always slow down when police officers drive near, I mean If I am going the speed limit and all of my papers are in order, why am I pulling the brakes? It was the fear factor of maybe being pulled over whether you were doing something wrong or not, but why? I do not know if it has been embedded in my mind or just from growing up in an environment where the police were not your friends all the time, but were viewed as the enemy. I personally respect Police Officers and Law Enforcement for the jobs that they do, it is not easy and they place their lives on the line daily. I also know that there are some not so great elements that plague the police force, as incidents tend to weed them out. We do not want people labeling us in one heap and the Police cannot be labeled in one heap either, there have been some Great Officers that look out for their assigned communities and people in general.

The debate continued as various topics were brought to the forefront and they are probably still debating right now as everyone believed their opinion to be the best. All I can personally say is that I hope that People that wear the badge, where it with Honor and Pride as they should, because they are doing a Great job by stepping up to the plate, being on the forefront and protecting their communities, cities and states; but for those who forget that they were hired by the people for the people, you need to find another line of work.

One of the gentleman said when you bust into the wrong house and kill the wrong person and not feel sadness or remorse that is a sad day; especially when you are entrusted with the lives of others. One cannot take the responsibility lightly of having the authority over life.

One question I personally had was if someone is trying to commit suicide on themselves mind you, why do police pull out a gun on them? If someone is trying to kill themselves, why pull a gun on them or shoot them? I mean no one else is in danger and they are killed sometimes, why not allow them to kill themselves rather than someone else pull the trigger for them. I mean I digress a little, but that was a question I truly had, I never understood that methodology. What is the difference with someone killing themselves and law enforcement killing them?

These men had quite a few people in the room thinking and pondering on their various viewpoints and it was intense. We all view Our Rights and the Law differently, and it was just interesting hearing how a diversified group of men looked in the window on this topic.

The bottom line is we all need Law Enforcement to protect us from the bad elements and the ills of the world, we just pray that we encounter the right ones at the right time as we give them thanks for being their for us as the PEOPLE!

OUR CHILDREN

SPEAKING STRENGTH TO EACH OTHER
Part One:  Our Children Series and What We Face

Challenges, Challenges and more Challenges, We live in a World where we face challenges daily and how we respond to those challenges will determine the path we take in Life..

My children joke with me and call me old, and they say that I grew up in a time where things were different. I cannot understand how we have allowed our society to become plagued with so much violence. I am not just speaking of minority on minority crimes, police against minorities crimes, domestic violence and random gun violence; but society as a whole thinking the worst of each other and not lending a helping hand. I remember growing up and hearing how a community/village raises a child; but yet so many of us do not look out for each others children.

The hatred, the lack of patience and the lack of love for one another is overwhelming; when did we become these people. We have to be there for one another, we have to look out for each others kids and put action behind our words of family and love. We have to seek out the real answers to so many of our questions:

• Why my kid, why that kid?
• What can I do to help?
• What is the problem?
• Why are our kids killing each other?
• Why aren't the police on our side, is it . us against them?

The questions can go on and on and over and over again. We all could be doing so much more to protect and empower our communities as we provide security and stability for our children.

Racism plays a major role in our society and yes we are getting closer and closer to overcoming Racism, but it does still exist. When a Police Officer views your child as an animal and not a person because of the color of his or her skin, what can you do? Our children have to continue to be careful and watch what they say, watch what they do and who they talk to; as usual as we try to keep them safe. I remember going into a store with my daughter and being followed all around the store, you can see people coming in and out and up and down your aisle and piercing through the clothing racks hoping to catch you stealing. My daughter asked me why they were following us; and as you ponder the question you can feel your eyes swelling with water as you explain that they just want to make sure we are not stealing. To be honest it is not a nice feeling at all to be followed around in the store, especially when the others in the store are comfortable to shop as they choose. I spoke to the floor attendant in front of my daughter and stated boldy that "we have money' so do not worry, we will not steal. The person was so embarrassed that they turned red and went to the other side of the store. Someone who has never had to worry about things like that cannot comprehend this concern nor experience. We have learned to brush it off and to teach our children to do the same, but it is a reality whether we choose to acknowledge it or not; we as minorities are judged not just by the opposite race, but by our own as well. We have to go to battle daily just to survive.

Our children face these challenges daily and they just try to merely survive. There are minority children being killed daily and yet outrage only surfaces when children of other races are killed as well, because it is expected that minority children be killed because they are savages and not human so their death is expected in the world they live in.

None of us have all of the answers and we have to learn to love our fellow man and treat our families and neighbors with respect (Basically as we would want to be treated). When you hear about young kids being killed daily and shot down in the street like animals; we all vent for a minute and then what; the whispers are let them vent for a minute and they will refrain and get weary. We are weary, we are so very tired of burying our young people daily; when with this turmoil end? One kid said that he feels like this is the Wild Wild West and you never know if you will make it home, whether you know how to use your gun or not. This young man is sixteen years old and he is living in a war zone in his own community.

We listen to people venting daily, when a mother has to get on the school bus to fight for the safety of her child, yes we are appaulled that an adult, a mother would react in this manner and no matter what you should know better; but there are two sides to every coin. Not taking any sides and just hearing a scenario, (we are not condoning by any means this type of behavior) imagine every day your child complaining about mistreatment on their bus ride home, you speak with the school, you complain and you vent and to your dismay the status quo for this treatment of your child continues. what do you do next? We all think that we know, but do we?

Personal Experience Time: This is my Blog I can share;

I remember being beat up every day on the school bus when I was in Elementary School by a Girl named Gail, I mean she would smack me on the back of my head, she would kick me and I would just sit there and cry as everybody looked on and laughed. I didn't want to tell my mother because I was embarrassed, so I just feared riding home on the bus every evening. One day one of my oldest brothers came to pick me up at the bus stop before I had time enough to dry my face from the tears, he asked me why I was crying; another kid told him that this girl beats up your sister every day. Needless to say this was my tough brother and he got upset with me for allowing someone to beat up on me daily, so he decided he would beat me up all the way home; and he agreed that this would be continuous daily since I seemed to like and endure the abuse. I decided to share with my mother what had been going on (my brother threatened to tell),  and she was livid. My mother was upset with me for not saying anything and she was upset with the school for not stepping in ( I never told anyone at the school).

Well, my mother went up to the school and they said they would handle it; I was so happy to ride the bus the next day and unfortunately Gail was ready and waiting for me, and my harassment was worst than before. I told my mother what had happened and she told me that I would have to stand up for myself and fight back, because nothing else was being done. Let me tell you back in those days you could have a fight and live to tell about it, nowadays it is a fight to the death, literally. I remember holding a pen in my hand and walking through the auditorium with my class and some other classes, Gail decided that she wanted to pick on my in front of everyone. I vowed to myself that if this girl messed with me one more time, I was going to take her down. My good friend said here she comes and Gail came up behind me and pushed me; I had a pen in my hand and I just started attacking her, all I remember was the Principal grabbing and saying "LOOK AT WHAT YOU HAVE DONE", I saw blood and ink all over her face and I was more scared than ever before, I thought I was going to jail!

Well, the school contacted her parents and they contacted mine and the response was not at all as I initially anticipated. My mother threatened to sue the school if they suspended me, she told them that she had voiced her concerns and complained about the harassment and nothing was done. The Principal spoke with his office and they confirmed what my mother had said and I was not suspended, but Gail was and my life was forever changed at that very moment. I became the Girl that kicked Gails buttocks and respect was then granted.

Gail and I later became friends (she apologized to me) and I was able to hold my head up high and feel a sense of freedom. Kids face these types of crisis everyday, but with guns and massive emails and social media abuse at times. We have to protect our children at all costs or else they will truly become a statistic.

We will discuss many topics in one article and focus on Real Life incidents.

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