IT MAKES ME SAY SOMETHING - 10

IT MAKES ME SAY SOMETHING – 10 The indiscriminate murder of police officers – nothing heroic about it – makes me say something. Friends of mine retired from law enforcement – I have family still in service; for a short while I was an MP (military policeman) while on active duty in the Marine Corps. These and my life experiences give me some idea of what police community relations should look like. Just laws and enforcement of those laws are absolutely necessary for a civil society to sustain itself. Citizens must be protected against those who would do them harm. I refuse to close my eyes to the reality that some people among us don’t give a damn about anyone but themselves; they don’t give a shit about color or kind – they will take whatever they can get away with, including human life. Some crafty criminals work to turn color and kind against each other. I frankly don’t care whether someone hates me or not; but when a hater tries to harm me I want an officer of the law to hear my cry for help – I’ll fight till he or she gets there. If law enforcers and citizens do not work together there will be chaos. American law enforcers don’t have a long history of protecting black people; more often than not law enforcers have been used to restrict the rights of and even kill black people – especially those who stood in defiance to unjust laws and enforcement. The existing mistrust between law enforcers and black communities – especially those economically depressed – shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. Now with the passing of laws that directly impact black communities and with the intensification of enforcement, the thread of trust between the black community and law enforcers is at a breaking point. Law enforcement in the 21st Century cannot work in a democracy using treat and intimidation – fewer and fewer people are afraid of dying while more and more people have guns…. www.adolphusward.net, www.amazon.com/author/adolphusward