I'm going to copy V's post from a couple days ago, who is a PoC. I can only imagine that our students athletes who are also PoC feel the same way & even worse. We have to LISTEN to them. These are her emotions right now & Texan is 100% correct...that in order to be an ally, we can no longer be silent we must Speak Up and Act:
Since the sun has set, I would like to share something personal. I am one big ball of nerves this week and if anything I hope that what I say you can share with others and/or make a mental note to understand my true feelings right now.
I was raised in East Texas. In a community where everyone knows everyone. I worked at a local restaurant where my favorite shifts were Friday evenings or the afternoon day shifts. My favorite customers were the families, retired community, and the local service men and women (cops, firefighters, sheriffs, and EMTs). I have been pulled over once in my life for a traffic violation and at the time I had no fear when I saw those flashing red, white, and blue lights. To be honest with you though, I thought I was pulling over to let an ambulance by . So when I realized it was an officer coming to my window, I was extremely calm. I had no fear or any hypotheticals come to mind because I KNEW JPD and the sheriffs and the state troopers who worked in Jacksonville.
You may have married, been raised by, went to school with, or become a member of law enforcement. There is fear every time that uniform is put on that someone you love or yourself will never go back home. So you always say your goodbyes and be safe and I love you before leaving for a shift.
There has been a shift for me since moving to a large city. I 100% make sure I don't speed. I always use a turn signal. Every stop sign I hit, I count a full 3 seconds. I turn my music down lower when I get to my neighborhood. And I always have my phone charged when I leave the house. Because I don't KNOW HPD or state troopers or sheriffs who serve this area. And they don't know me.
I drove home from a friend's house last night and was extremely cautious because it was dark and I don't know how harshly Houston is enforcing curfews if there is any. I was also terrified for the first time in my life to be driving alone at night. Because if I see those red, white, and blue flashing lights in the city, I can't assume the cop who will come to my window behaves like YOUR friend or spouse or neighbor. One small traffic violation with a bad cop pulling me over and we can only recognize each other by the uniform they wear and how I look behind the wheel. Anything as simple as a brake light being out could have ME on the ground begging for the ability to breathe. Or shot because I'm reaching for my ID too fast.
I had no fear when I was pulled over in Jacksonville because I was calm and trusted that the officer knew how to do their job... but what eats at me sometimes when I'm counting to 3 at a stop sign is the fact just a month later that the same officer who pulled me over shot and killed a family's dog. THEY were trespassing on the wrong person's property and the dog was scared due to 4th of July fireworks so the dog was scared as you can imagine. JPD released a statement saying the officer did what they were trained to do. No reprimands. Could I have been that dog if I had not reacted "the right way" to those flashing red, white and blue lights that pulled me over?
So I ask you to tell your spouse, your child, your parent, your best of friends, when they put on their uniform to do what they swore to do. To stand with people who are being peaceful and begging for change in this country because #BlackLivesMatter. There's a lot of "I don't agree with looting and violence" going around but it's eerie to see how you don't speak up on excessive force used on PEACEFUL protests. All we are asking is for police officers to do better not only for their community, but for themselves and to STOP KILLING BLACK PEOPLE. See something, say something. Change can easily start from within.
