An Open Letter from an Officer’s Daughter to Police Protestors
Dear Americans,
It’s time to put aside our animosity. It’s time to put aside our differences. It’s time for us to say that what has happened in our past is nothing shy of a tragedy, but it’s time for us to move on. It’s time for us, as a nation, to heal.
The taking of a life doesn’t justify the killing of another human being. The killing of Michael Brown by Officer Darrel Wilson didn’t justify the killings of Officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos by Brown supporters.
The truth is, all lives matter. Black lives. White lives. Asian lives. Hispanic lives. Biracial lives. Every. Single. Life. Matters. No one life is more valuable than another because of the color of an individual’s skin color.
These two officers left behind families. Not only did the NYPD lose two officers, but wives lost their husbands and children lost their fathers.
Officers take an oath to protect their community, to do no harm. They risk their lives to make sure we are safe. Targeting these brave men and women is cowardly and misplaced.
If you’re concerned with the procedures and protocols police departments utilize, work with your police department to change the policies. Rioting, looting and killing officers aren’t going to change how situations are handled or how officers respond to disturbances. All it’s going to do is intensify things between officers and the general public.
Before you take to the street and protest or demand a change in this country, I ask you to take a moment and reflect. Without these men and women risking their safety, how much different would your life be? How much different would your community and our nation be? Would you yourself be willing to put on that uniform every day and risk never coming home again?
While it’s easy to judge a scenario, it’s another to be apart of it. Before you come to one solid conclusion, I ask you to reconsider your position and think about this issue in broader terms.
Sincerely,
A law enforcement officer’s daughter
