I want to discuss something that has been weighing heavy on me for the past few weeks. It is certainly a sensitive topic, not just for me, but for all people right now, so I ask that you bare with me as I do my best to put pen to paper, metaphorically that is. If you would like to comment feel free, that's your right, but if you go fishing for a fight or try to chastise, understand I won't reply back, so you'll be speaking to yourself essentially, so save your breath.
As we all know a few weeks back, the decision in Ferguson was made, and it incited a lot of mixed emotions in a lot people, as I would hope it would. If something of that magnitude hadn't struck nerves with everyone, I would think the problem even bigger. Following this, only a week ago the decision involving Garner in New York was made. Again, the decision sparked heated emotions from both sides.
If you've made it this far and are still reading, I'm sure you are curious as to see where I am heading with all this, and wondering how this all is weighing on me. Well, I am the son of a Cop. So not only was I raised in your stereotypical white upper middle class environment where you grow up trusting the police, but I was also raised in an environment where you are almost expected to side with the police in all situations. It has almost become second nature because it been all I have ever known. Now fallowing these incidences, there's been a severe rise in hate towards police which has been hard for me to hear and just take with a grain of salt. Because my father has been a police officer for 28 years in the city of Washington, D.C. And he has worked hard to do his job while keeping the respect and dignity of all people in mind as he has worked his way up to lieutenant. And to hear these over-generalizations that all cops are racist and bad hurts, because I see it as an attack on the man who raised to be a gentleman accepting of all peoples regardless of their story.
This however isn't really the main thing that is weighing on me, and a little more has to be explained before I can get there. Let's continue. Upon getting to college, I had only one friend to start. He was and still is my best friend since third grade. So I don't associate him as friend I gained in college. My first real best friends here college and they too still are, are all African American. And with the way things have gone these past few weeks, I can't just expect them to be alright with everything, or not to be angry, or think certain things. Plus, regardless of where they stand on all that has happened their my best friends, and I care about them, and truly believe in #BlackLivesMatter.
This is where my dilemma lies. I haven't discussed my opinions on Ferguson or Garner, and I plan on continuing to keep my stance to myself. And part of the reason that is, is because regardless of which side I pick, I'm going to have to hurt people that mean a lot to me. If I rule in favor of the ones who lost their lives, I cause a riff between my father, my mother, my sisters. I hurt my family. But if I rule in favor of the officers, then I cause a riff between my best friends and I. The ones who have treated me like family since day one and vice versa; the ones who have always felt like I was home even when home is 8 hours away.
So I've decided, as vaguely mentioned in the previous paragraph to take the bipartisan approach to things and not choose a side nor get in to debates on the issues. Now I know many of you might call that a cop out, and I know some of you might even say that by remaining silent and/or bipartisan that I've already picked a side and it's "the wrong one" and that's your opinion. You have the right to it. But it in my opinion is the best option. Because I love my family to death, and I was raised by them to accept and respect and love all people. But I also love my best friends, and I can't not look at them and think #BlackLivesMatter, because they do. We have had some great times, and I hope we have many more. But in order to keep the peace for both sides of my life, this is where I'm at.
So that's that, and I needed to get that off my chest. Sorry if you disagree or even hate me now. That's your right. But so is the approach I have taken.
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