Reflections

On Viewing Police Officers in New York

In my first year at Agnes Scott College, I took a one-week trip to New York City as a part of a course that was focused on the history of NYC. On our third day in the city, we visited the World Trade Center Memorial. I was overwhelmed by the magnificent beauty of the site as well as the tremendous sorrow surrounding it. I was transfixed by the waterfall that represented a metaphor for the falling towers and the fallen victims. As I was taking a step back and taking in the entire scene, I saw cops standing in a circle talking. Seeing them at this place reminded me of all the help that officers gave when the planes hit the twin towers. They were there on the street helping. I also thought about the present day. I thought about what has been happening concerning police brutality and the like. The police have been getting a lot of heat, and, in some ways, it is very much deserved. However, I think we should all take a step back and stop generalizing like the way we have. I’m not saying that the families affected don’t deserve to speak out or take action because they certainly, certainly do. On the other hand, I don’t think that policemen as a whole should be ostracized. It is still policemen who we rely on for the most part when we need safety, justice for our loved ones, etc. Two years ago my cousin was murdered, and it was the police who tracked down the man and arrested him. In this past month, it was the criminal justice system that found him guilty and sentenced him 15-20 years in prison. So, while I think that it is important to bring to light the injustices done by policemen, it is equally important to remember the good they have done and still do. There are the bad ones, yes, but that’s true for everything in the world. You will always find bad seeds in any profession. Policemen are not all bad. Just like not all black people are “gangstas” with nefarious plans. Not all Muslims are terrorists. Not all whites are racist. Not all Christians are homophobes. The list could go on and on forever. People need to realize that assigning a role or stereotype to an entire group only separates people. Stereotyping has never proven beneficial for anyone. It is what keeps the world in the mess that is in. When we stop “othering” groups of people, human beings, as a whole, as a collective, can change things so atrocities that we keep seeing in America and around the world can be changed or ended.

You may also like...

1 Comment

  1. There is visibly a bunch to realize about this. I consider you made various good points in features also. edeebcdkddgaccee

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *