Respect Our Police
Everyone in the country has an opinion today about the events that unfolded in Ferguson Missouri. According to Twitter it's assumed that because I am a cop wife, I automatically side with Darren Wilson. Obviously because us cop wives can't think for ourselves right? Well let me tell you a little secret. Us cop wives are probably able to understand this case the best and come to a conclusion based on facts, better than the average citizen.
My husband has been a cop for 11 years. I'm obviously very immersed into the law enforcement culture. That means I know that not only are there some amazing cops, but some really crappy ones as well. I know the stories of police brutality and the departments that sweep evidence under the rug to protect cops. I know the stories of police heroics that never make it to the news. I know the laws for use of force. I know the amount of cops who are assaulted every year...the ones who are spit on..called names...treated like dirt. I know they have a split second to make life or death decisions....decisions they really wish they didn't have to make.
I respect that the family of Michael Brown is and should be mourning his loss. They lost a loved one and that is so hard, regardless of the circumstances. He did not have to die that day. But I don't make that statement because I think Wilson was wrong in his actions. Wilson was attacked. He feared for his life and so he acted according to the law to protect it. {Let it be known as well that in Missouri a person can use deadly force if they are concerned that someone is going to commit a felony against them...hitting a cop is a felony} Where is the outrage over that? Where are the protests when a cop is killed or assaulted just for being a cop?
I respect that a lot of people want to open up discussions on race in this country. While I think the media is the one who made race an issue in this case, I agree that racism is still a problem in this country, from all sides. What I would also like to see is open discussions on a need for respect for the police. It's never okay to assault a police officer...to call them names...to throw things at them...to blame them when YOU do something wrong. They are human beings who just want to try and keep this country safe and come home to their families every night. They work 16 hour shifts...miss holidays and birthdays. They are screamed at, spit on, and hit with things...on a daily basis. They say goodbye to their families, their children, never knowing if they'll come home again or not. And yet it's okay to hate them just because they are police?
There is a reason I didn't blog about this topic before today. Because I was waiting for the facts, waiting to hear the evidence. The facts are that a police officer was attacked and followed the law in use of force to save his own life. Please, research the law....research the facts...before you form an opinion. There is a lot our country needs to fix, and that I think we can all agree on.
I believe that every single American deserves to feel safe and treated with respect. And that needs to include our police.
My husband has been a cop for 11 years. I'm obviously very immersed into the law enforcement culture. That means I know that not only are there some amazing cops, but some really crappy ones as well. I know the stories of police brutality and the departments that sweep evidence under the rug to protect cops. I know the stories of police heroics that never make it to the news. I know the laws for use of force. I know the amount of cops who are assaulted every year...the ones who are spit on..called names...treated like dirt. I know they have a split second to make life or death decisions....decisions they really wish they didn't have to make.
I respect that the family of Michael Brown is and should be mourning his loss. They lost a loved one and that is so hard, regardless of the circumstances. He did not have to die that day. But I don't make that statement because I think Wilson was wrong in his actions. Wilson was attacked. He feared for his life and so he acted according to the law to protect it. {Let it be known as well that in Missouri a person can use deadly force if they are concerned that someone is going to commit a felony against them...hitting a cop is a felony} Where is the outrage over that? Where are the protests when a cop is killed or assaulted just for being a cop?
I respect that a lot of people want to open up discussions on race in this country. While I think the media is the one who made race an issue in this case, I agree that racism is still a problem in this country, from all sides. What I would also like to see is open discussions on a need for respect for the police. It's never okay to assault a police officer...to call them names...to throw things at them...to blame them when YOU do something wrong. They are human beings who just want to try and keep this country safe and come home to their families every night. They work 16 hour shifts...miss holidays and birthdays. They are screamed at, spit on, and hit with things...on a daily basis. They say goodbye to their families, their children, never knowing if they'll come home again or not. And yet it's okay to hate them just because they are police?
There is a reason I didn't blog about this topic before today. Because I was waiting for the facts, waiting to hear the evidence. The facts are that a police officer was attacked and followed the law in use of force to save his own life. Please, research the law....research the facts...before you form an opinion. There is a lot our country needs to fix, and that I think we can all agree on.
I believe that every single American deserves to feel safe and treated with respect. And that needs to include our police.
Amen! I share the same sentiments. This is what I wrote on my friend's blog post about the Ferguson shooting.
ReplyDeleteI thought about this and I have a few things to say. As a wife of a cop, it hurts to see people spew messages of hatred and violence against all LEOs, when in fact, not all of them are bad cops. I know some cops are bad but like any profession, you have a few bad apples. Let's not let those few bad apples spoil the rest. My husband loves his job and puts his life on the line everyday. Who else can say that? Another thing, we weren't on that jury. We didn't sit in for nearly 2 days listening to testimony and seeing the evidence so I can't trust everything the media has to say. We will never know the truth behind what happened that fateful night. There's no clear winners in this--a family lost their son and now a cop lost his freedom. Lastly, just can't wrap my head around what the rioters think they accomplished by ripping dreams and jobs from the small business owners and their employees. Whether the verdict was right or wrong the business owners and their employees had nothing to do with it and now they have no job to go to today. Who's going to protest for them?? Who's going to help them put the pieces back together or help the single mom who relied on her job to feed her kids? I'm sad for all of them today.
There were so many times last night that I wanted to say how I really feel about this. I wanted to write a blog post about it but just can't put into words how this makes me feel. How ANGRY this makes me. You & I both feel the same way. It's unbelievable the amount of people who I thought were on the same page as I am that are backing this kid and are supporting the protesters. Did he deserve to DIE? No. But he was committing a crime and then committed another one once he hit that officer. Just because a person is unarmed doesn't mean he can not pose a threat to an officer (or anyone else for that matter). That was a BIG guy against an average size male. There was a huge difference and I can see why he would feel threatened. This country is so quick to scream racism because it's easy. They are entirely too ignorant to look at the facts, know the law, and use common sense. I am baffled at how acting like thugs, demolishing, and vandalizing and committing more crimes is going to get their point across let alone solve anything. The only thing I'm getting from it is confirmation. And that's all I'll say about THAT. lol
ReplyDeleteThis has been so hard for me, coming from a law enforcement family. I truly believe the general public has very little concept of the way the men that we love are treated and the things they have to deal with on a daily basis. It's tough for me to not be defensive when people attack cops, and I'm sure you understand. Praying for this whole situation!
ReplyDeleteI have so many friends (mainly via Facebook) who instantly jumped on the race bandwagon. I too refrained from comment of any sort before I saw articles with evidence... and people are still holding fast to the initial media reports that were wrong. "He was just a kid. He was going to college in the fall. He was a good kid and did nothing wrong."... no he was a 6'6'' 300lb 18 year old who robbed a convenience store and assaulted a police officer to the point of fracturing the man's eye socket. But most people cling to the initial description, made it about race and refuse to see any facts. It angers me. The media is mostly to blame in this situation too.
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