Yesterday afternoon I found myself waiting in my car, at an intersection in downtown St. Paul (MN) while a group of police officers helped direct traffic so that a large group of people (it looked like students and teachers) were able to safely leave the Excel Energy Center. In the three or four minutes that I waited, the officers very professionally did their jobs while taking abuse from a number of people who drove past in vehicles and at least one who walked past. Every single person who I saw, who was swearing at the police officers and being openly and loudly disrespectful, was an African-American. At least one of the cars with people exhibiting this outrageously disrespectful behavior, had children in the car to witness it. So that left me with a number of questions for these individuals.
1. Who taught you that this behavior is acceptable?
2. Do you believe that your disrespectful behavior is helpful to the perception that police are unfair to black people (i.e. Black Lives Matter)?
3. Is there a possibility that your behavior demonstrates (to police and bystanders/witnesses) that you are in the wrong rather than the police?
4. Have the children in the car who witnessed the adults in the (same) car showing disrespect to the police officers, now been shown (or taught) a behavior that could ultimately put them in danger at some future time during some potential encounter with law-enforcement?
5. How is it that adults, can act in such an immature fashion? How can they not know how to properly act?
6. Does the possibility exist that the behavior I witnessed shows a systemic problem within a particular demographic?
7. Are there self-defeating behaviors—including never accepting responsibility for one's own actions, that are fueling the hatred and unrest to the detriment of not only those present now, but also future generations?
8. Is that what any of us really wants???
9. Who would you call for help if all of the police officers left law-enforcement?
10. Do you honestly think we would be safer in a world with no law and order?
While it is good that the police are being held to a higher standard, why should that not also include the rest of society? Who benefits if cops have to act better but the rest of the population is allowed to misbehave?
BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD.
—KJC
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