Growing Up WHITE with COPS; The Boys in Blue

The Boys in Blue

        I’d be remiss to not write my perspective on the seemingly civil war that is going on in America today.  More than ever in the history of our country, we are acutely aware of police brutality and the colors it chooses.  We have moved into a era where more whites are aware of the injustice done by the privilege that our skin color provides.  More whites are taking up their cross for civil liberties across the board.  This combined with the digital era where news is made available to people across the globe within minutes of events occurring has created a cauldron of anger, frustration, and hate.  This cauldron is pushing people to their boiling point; we are there.

         The Black Lives Matter movement is not new to the black race.  They have been fighting for their lives for centuries.  The difference now is that blacks have all the civil liberties that whites have always had and whites that are around the millennial cusp are now on board with much of the discrimination that “minorities” experience.  The difference is that within moments we are aware of hate crimes being committed.  Enough is enough and we know too much now to go back.  Those who are educated people around my age are aware through our education that with having white skin comes many privileges; most that go unrecognized because we are so accustomed to reaping the benefits from being born with the “right” skin.  

         I grew-up with two VERY close family members being police officers.  My perspective of our family was that we were a “Blue Blood” family.  My sister and I at one point, due to feeling left out of the Blue Blood identification, created a song many years ago called, “The Blue Blood Sisters”.  It was a ridiculous song based on the ridiculous principle that part of our identification came with having police officers for primary people in our family.  One of the officers in our family became a police officer in the early 60’s and served law enforcement till just a few months ago.  He went through the civil rights movement on the nightstick side of things.  The other police officer in our family followed suit 20 years later.  They served in the same area and in much of the same capacities.  

        I’ve been privy to much discussion about the racial tension presently in our country and the opinions of the Black Lives Matter movement vs. Police Officers (because that is how they perceive it).  Both state that given the conditions of today they would NOT chose to be a police officer again and they would implore any loved ones choosing to go on the force to not do so.  They are both retired now but state that if they were still serving, they would fear for their lives in several different ways.  As a Pastor in training and a social worker, I have to exude a lot of effort to keep my mouth shut during these discussions, even with the wives of the two men in my family that served.  It’s a fine line to straddle when trying to open white, heterosexual, males to their privilege.  The whites that don’t agree with the Black Lives Matter Movement and push All Lives Matter do not want to acknowledge their privilege.  The people that push Blue Lives Matter do not understand what the inherent issue is. 

        The issue is race. The issue is excessive force. The issue is power, control, privilege, prejudice, and discrimination.  The issue is what we PERCEIVE is a threat and if you can tell me that we as white people are NOT conditioned to perceive black people as a threat to some extent, then you aren’t acknowledging our history; systemic racism that is embedded into our white souls. The root of this IS NOT at the heart of law enforcement. The root is prejudice and discrimination; how we are conditioned.  Law Enforcement is just an exposed means for a venue of our prejudice and discrimination.  

         There are good cops and bad cops.  Police officers that make a difference in peoples lives and police officers that destroy others lives.  The game changer is going to be for Police Officers and Whites to take responsibility for their party's involvement and work to eradicate these wrongful structures built in our minds about race.  My two close family members are good men.  They are integrity filled men that have truly worked to make our world more just.  However, getting them (getting us) to acknowledge our privilege and how that is such a strong rudder for us is a difficult feat.  

Newton’s 3rd Law: For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Best put I’ve heard on the subject.  Please check this link out for Radio DJ speaking to a police officer on what part of the problem is.