Display Type by Crystal Miller

Most of what is happening recently with protests against police is stemming from two high-profile cases of people who broke the law and had a tragic outcome. It’s a tragedy anytime someone loses a life, and in a time of grieving it’s easy to grasp at straws to find a reason why. It’s easy to blame anyone else.

The fact is that these two individuals broke the law, and when confronted they escalated the situation. Criminals can be violent and I promise you that any fighting looks ugly. Police officers have to face the risks of this difficult and complex job every day. There is limit to any situation on how much or when someone can be calmed with counseling.

Further tragedy came from New York. We can all agree that Ismaaiyl Brinsley did not have the actions of a sane and rational person when he murdered officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjiam Liu in New York. Can we also agree that his hatred had been fueled by recent protests? The threat from insane and irrational people is that they look just like you and me. It is hard to tell who is who.

When someone breaks the law or is a person of interest, the police will make contact. If this person runs, the police will chase them. If this person fights, the police will fight back. These are not acts of police brutality; these are acts of criminal brutality. It’s not racism; it’s singling out people who are breaking the law. The law applies to all of us.

If you’re anything like me you live a busy a life. You work hard at a job and you work harder to take care of your family. I am rarely out of the house past midnight. We live our lives in our personal bubbles and don’t realize how ugly behavior can be, even in Albert Lea after midnight. We read the reports in the newspaper, but that doesn’t explain how someone fought when they were caught breaking the law. The truth is, they fight and they fight hard to avoid getting caught.

We can only live with the happiness that we are accustomed to because our police protect us. We sleep at night while they worry for our safety. We sleep soundly while not realizing how bad life is for our neighbors. Stealing. Harassment. Babies in two-day-old diapers. Children being abused.

People literally are wielding swords down our streets. There are drug dealers in each neighborhood. Domestic disputes have turned deadly. It’s hard to imagine because this behavior isn’t how you and I would act, but it’s there and some of our neighbors behave inhumanely. I hope you don’t have to experience it, but it can’t be ignored.

If you ever wonder why a police officer isn’t smiling, consider the lack of humanity he or she has seen for the day. Consider that they are trying to figure out who is a regular person and who is an insane person wanting to kill them.

Yes, protestors, we hear you chanting abrasive comments, comments against police, though you are somehow absolved of being discriminatory. Do you think that is going to make change?

The change starts with addressing the real problem, behavior and false sense of entitlement. The rules apply to all of us. It doesn’t matter what your last name is, what your race is, your religion or customs. When you break the law, you get in trouble. The change starts when we start having human compassion toward each other. Don’t break the law, don’t fight your arrest if you are caught, be kind to your family and be kind to your neighbor. And by all means, when your family or neighbors aren’t being kind to you, do as you always have and call the police.

Are you prepared for our police officers to be murdered? Protestors can choose to stand up for criminals, but I choose to stand up for the police.

My husband is a police officer in Albert Lea. He is my hero, and I share him with you. Each night he works to make Albert Lea a better place for you to live. When you wake in the morning, your community is better, and you didn’t even know it was in trouble. He runs toward danger when the rest of us run away.

When you hear sirens throughout town, you pray that someone, somewhere is going to be OK. When I hear sirens, my heart skips a beat and I pray that it is my husband who is going to be OK. It is the same for all spouses and families of police officers.

My sleepless nights are comforted with the fact that other families share their hero, and they are dutiful to keep my hero safe. Thank you to those officers and to those who share their hero with me. My hero will protect you as he does me. When you protest against him, he will still protect you. He is my hero, and I will still share him with you.

 

Albert Lea resident Crystal Miller is the publisher of the Albert Lea Tribune.