In a country that experiences mass
shooting and threats from ISIS members, in a nation where families worry about
break-ins and theft, we count on a certain group of individuals to keep us
safe. These men and women, however, often do not receive the respect they
deserve. They are stereotyped and criticized, even by persons who want to
someday be called President. These individuals are our policemen and women.
The
men and women in blue who serve in America put their lives on the line to
protect American citizens, regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation.
They bleed and die to keep residents safe. The majority are brave, honorable
individuals who serve with everything they have. There are of course some
policemen and women who have made mistakes, who never should have worn the
badge, who have used unnecessary violence or made decisions based on racism.
These acts are deplorable, and most be discussed, but they cannot be the mark
to which we judge all in blue. We cannot stereotype all cops based on the
actions of a few.
There has been a
disturbing trend of disrespect to the police, often which comes about when
protesting in the name of “Black Lives Matter,” or when discussing this
movement. A recent example would be the performance of Beyoncé at the
Superbowl, where her troop of all black dancers in Black Panther berets
performed an anti-police song. The music video for such song, “Formation,”
shows a sinking cop car, graffiti on a wall that says “stop shooting us,” and a
young African-American man dancing in front of a line of cops.
More
disturbing, however, are some recent comments made by democratic presidential candidates,
particularly Bernie Sanders. As Bernie panders to receive the African American
vote, he stereotypes the police.
Many
comments he has made in just the last month demonstrate this trend. At a recent
debate Sanders discussed how he talked to a Black Lives Matter individual, and
why we need to end all the bullying and terrorizing that the police apparently
commit. He then made it clear that white people don’t know what it is like to
be poor or to be hassled by the police when walking down the street (and contrary to the
lies his supporters are spreading, when he said this he was NOT quoting
anyone).
At
the Fox News Town Hall he continued his tirade. He stated, “In African American communities you
have people who are living in desperation, often being abused by white police
officers.”
I
am not saying that candidates should refrain from discussing real concerns by American
citizens. However, Mr. Sanders seems to stereotype all police officers while
rarely thanking the men and women for the great work they do protecting cities
like Philadelphia which have a high rate of crime. Nobody believes that black
lives matter more than the police do; they are the ones protecting these black
lives in crime filled cities.
Many
criticize Donald Trump for stereotyping Muslims, for believing that the
majority of Muslims are America hating terrorists. Of course, I disagree with
Trump as the majority of Muslims are good, honest men and women. However,
Bernie will criticize Trump for these statements then turn around and stereotype
the police. Imagine if Bernie instead would have stated that non-Muslims are
harassed daily by Muslims, that Muslims are bullies and terrorizers. People
would not have cheered him on and called him a vehicle for equality.
We
need to make sure policemen and women are doing their job and not abusing their
power. We need to take seriously concerns from African Americans regarding
police and crime. We do not, however, need to stereotype and treat an entire
group in a disgraceful way because of the actions of a few. We must respect
those who die to keep us safe; we must respect our heroes in blue.
Written by: Carissa
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