A white police officer sent me a letter today that I include in the post below. He is on the inside and is worried about what he hears since Donald Trump’s election from other white policepersons.
Conversation with a police officer on Politics Done Right
I must admit that I was not shocked by the content of the letter from the police officer as it is the fear of many who saw Trump as emboldening evil. I get several calls from police officers on my radio show Politics Done Right (on Facebook) show when I discuss the systemic problems within many police departments. I find it refreshing that some in the department are in fact showing the pressing concern that will ultimately occur because of the Trump effect. Things just may have to get worse before they get better.
Here is the letter from the police officer:
Good Morning, Mr. Willies
I am writing you because I am scared. I am genuinely frightened by what I am seeing transpire in this nation with the renewed and now openly expressed hate espoused towards people of color, Muslims, Jews, women, LBGT and anyone who is not a white, Christian male.
I also think that the mainstream media has just been castrated and will now fall in lockstep with Trump and his administration. I find it disturbing and telling that the first CNN post online after Trumps “meeting with the media” was stating that “Polls show that 74% of Americans think Trump will do a good job”.
Let me tell you who I am: I am as Anglo as you could possibly be. I am also a cop, and have been for over 25 years, in various departments and capacities. Most cops (white ones, anyway) that I know feel that Trump is going to be a good thing for them, and in a stilted way, it will be. They think he will restore “law and order” and respect for the police. What I see is that any malfeasance or oppression that happens on the part of law enforcement will be easier to squash or minimize or even eliminate. To put it bluntly—brutality will will not just be legitimized, it will become normalized and expected. I don’t say this lightly. It is not easy for me to be critical of my profession, but I know that with change in society, the social norms, including law enforcement, need to change and adapt accordingly.
It would be easy for me to sit back and watch my country and community disintegrate around me. I’m a white cop, pushing 50 with a very secure job. I’m in no danger whatsoever of being oppressed in any form or fashion. I choose not to take that path. I can’t. Morally and ethically I have to stand up and make my voice heard, even at my own peril.
What I am asking from you is for some direction. I need to do more than make donations to the ACLU and Panned Parenthood. I feel the immediate need to organize and mobilize, because I feel if we don’t do so soon, we may not be able to do so at all.
I have not included my full name with this e-mail, as my employment and livelihood would be in jeopardy if my views were publicly stated . That being said, if you choose to use any of what I said, feel free to do so under the caveat of my anonymity.
Sincerely,
[Name Protected]