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The Police
Who are they, and whose side are they on?
By Trevaj Siller
 When I
think of the problems of my community, I think of the leaders of my
community and those who police it. The elders of the community are
generally the leaders of the community, and the police are people from
the neighborhood who are genuinely concerned with the well being of the
community, as well as keeping it safe. This is why I see these people as
the ones to look towards for help and guidance, but this is also where I
believe the rip-roaring rapids begin.
See, the community has
become so divided that we have become afraid of each other in more ways
than one. I see the police at the root of this problem because they are
here to protect and serve, but if they are not serving us then how can
they properly protect us?
The Elderly
A little
something the police can do to serve their community and make the
elderly of the neighborhood feel better is to spend some time with them.
Learn about them. Get some insight on the neighborhood from them. "But
what does this accomplish?" some may ask.
Well this will
increase the peace in my eyes. See, the elderly have a great influence
on the youth and one generally has good relationships with the friends
of their elders. That is not to say that your parents' friends become
your friends, but they become people you can call on just the same. If
the police had good relationships with the elderly they would have good
relationships with everyone else in the community as well. This is based
on the principle that you lead by example, and the youth generally
aspire to be like their favorite people. If their elders are comfortable
around the police and speak highly about them, then the youth would not
despise the police.
Young Adults
I often hear of
people being harassed because they look as though they should be in high
school, or because they don't look worthy of the fancy car they are
driving and happen to own. Being a young adult myself, I too have
encountered such harassment.
I think it's bitter people who have
managed to become police officers who make it so hard to look at the
police in a good light. I still don't see where in the job description
it says to bring childhood torments to work and take out your
aggressions on unsuspecting people. If not wearing suit and tie, or
blouse and pumps, we young adults are looked at by the pigs as potential
troublemakers. Why?
The police should not be stopping people
and asking them questions just to see if they bought the car they are in
or to asses their character. And just when you think it's all said and
done, when you think they are going to let you go, the cop gives you a
ticket saying that if they didn't then they would not be doing their
job. I don't know about you, but I would not call that policing the
community. People don't study long and work hard to be harassed by the
same police officers who are supposedly out to protect and serve
them.
Youth
The youth are almost never put first,
but they are first priority for too many police officers for too many of
the wrong reasons. More often than not the youth are put in groups by
the cops and assumed to be something they are not. I wonder why the
police feel so comfortable profiling people. I feel that it is wrong to
do so and is a big part of why the youngsters of today do their best to
avoid coming into contact with the police. I have heard the police being
referred to as so many things, but most disturbing for me was when I
first heard them being referred to as a gang — the biggest and most
powerful gang of all.
The youth of today would rather ignore or
make allies with the people the police consider to be bad because at
least those people don't harass them or give them any problems. There is
something wrong with that picture. The police are not on the side of the
youth nor do they look out for them. The police should be trying to make
things better and easier for the youth, not making their lives that much
more stressful.
Communication
How are we to become a
happy community again? I don't know for sure but it would mean that we
would all have to communicate with one another. This would require the
police making big changes in the way they interact with the people of
the community. Community group discussions/open forums between the
people of the neighborhood and the police would be a good place to
start. Remember not to pass judgment on anyone and from there we should
be able to get the ball rolling toward a community of peace and harmony.
In the immortal words of Rodney King, "Can't we all just get along?"
— Trevaj Siller's favorite TV shows to date are Oh
Drama, Politically Incorrect and The Real
World.
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