The truth hidden behind police brutality
Police brutality has been an issue that was ignored for ages, and now it has become a major problem in our society. And it is way deeper than lack of training because innocent lives are lost, not just because of their crimes but because of their race. The government needs to step up and create change by making new laws, changing the length of training required, building trust between communities, and mostly talking about race, not ignoring the facts because we are having systematic racial injustice that needs to be addressed. And before you can find a solution, you need to know the problem and understand it.
Dear future President,
First and foremost, I would like to congratulate you as the president of this country and I am looking forward seeing the great work you will do to make this country even better. I am one of the many citizens of this country who immigrated to the United States of America for freedom, for safety, and for a better education. I live in New York City and am currently enrolled at Brooklyn International High School as a senior.
The goal of my letter is to express the tears that have been shed in the past few years. The tears of those families who have lost their daughters, and sons, their uncles and aunts, their moms and dads.
The tears the nation has lost when its brave and innocent officers were taken away, and when its innocent civilians were taken away.
The tears that have been shed because there is lack of proper training
The tears that have been shed because there is fear of the other race
The tears that have been shed yet weren't swept off of our eyes.
Why? That’s the question we ask,
Expecting the unspoken words to be revealed
Excepting the obvious yet so unobvious to be determined
When our founding fathers created the Constitution
Men in uniforms were born, born for protection from the invader, from the villains
Men in uniforms were born for hope and safety
Well President, it doesn’t seem to be the case these past few years
The hope has become distrust
The safety has become fear
Rather than feeling fear from invaders, it became something we had for men in uniforms.
Dear President,
Tears have been shed on
February 26, 2012,
When Trayvon Martin “the guy with the hoodie” was killed because he looked “suspicious”
Tears have been shed on
July 17, 2014
When Eric Garner was killed for selling cigarettes in Staten Island
Tears have been shed on
Sept. 14, 2016
When a 13-year-old boy, Tyre King got killed because he was holding a fake gun
Tears have been shed on
Oct. 18, 2016
When Deborah Danner, an unstable 66-year-old black woman armed with a baseball bat
And tears have certainly been shed when those
Who killed them never got fired or condemned for their crimes
When we saw
Dear President,
Tears are still being shed knowing in
2016 alone, 791 people have already been killed
Dear President,
How many more of us are we going to shed tears for, because of our alleged protectors?
How many more of us will have to face the racial criminalization of our skins?
How many more of us will have to take matters in their hands because they lost or never had trust for the men in uniforms?
How many more of us will have to encounter police brutality for the fact
they weren’t trained enough
they are let into the world of men in the uniform just 21 weeks of life with a gun
They are given the responsibility for the life of a civilian after just 21 weeks of training
Dear President, like our former president has said it,
The moment is now for us to make changes.
Laws should be changed
Training should be transformed
The trust we once had should be regained.
The trust that was never known should be built
Dear Future president,
As a civilian of this country that was built on freedom, safety and justice
Men in the uniforms are protector, and hope
But that has changed
Lives are lost,
Justice for those who lost it unserved
I await the change in the police force training
I await the day, I could say and hear my friends say
I trust the police with my life, and with my safety.
Sincerely,
A Citizen of the World
References:
Downs Kenya, (2016, July 14). Why aren’t more people talking about Latinos killed by police?. PBS.org. Retrieved October 31, 2016, from http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/black-men-werent-unarmed-people-killed-police-last-wee
Matt Apuzzo, Adam Goldman and William K. Rashbaum, (October 24, 2016) nytimes.com. Justice Dept. Shakes Up Inquiry Into Eric Garner Chokehold Case. Retrieved from
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/25/nyregion/justice-dept-replaces-investigators-on-eric-garner-case.html?_r=0
Newsela, (2015, March 4). President's special team says let's improve police operations. Newsela.com. Retrieved October, 28, 2016, from https://newsela.com/articles/obama-policetaskforce/id/7814/