I’ve received some interesting emails around the post about Police Fanobilia. OneTime summed them up when he posted this comment, “I would never walk around with a t-shirt indicating that I was associated with any police department. It makes you a target.”
.
For civilians and those of you who do not have a cop that you know personally, this is a common response and sadly, a common state of urban society. The resentments, and worse, toward the police often seem to be reactions to feeling powerless about some situation, and in doing so, rather than look at what’s going on with themselves, it is far easier to blame someone “in power.” I’ve seen this with the Blagojevich public lynching that has been taking place. Right now, if you are having a bad hair day, it’s probably Rod Blagojevich’s fault. If your car insurance went up (never mind if you caused an accident while driving drunk), just blame someone else, and Blago is a very handy scapegoat for just about anything. Come to think of it, my experiment with Rocky Road Brownies didn’t turn out so well, so it must be Blago’s fault as well.
.
But I digress. This same misdirected blame often gets directed toward cops and anyone who is too open in their support of local law enforcement, or sometimes, any law enforcement will do. Years ago, when I participated in a retail cooperative, this woman who had a booth across from me was friendly enough but when I told her my landlord was a cop, her countenance changed and her unmistaken hatred for Chicago Police was clear before she even expressed things verbally. I told her he was a really good guy, and her response was to unleash a torrent of vitriol and diatribes about how ALL cops were evil, mean, bullies, abusers, etc. Apparently in the past, she had participated in some sort of protest, and when they were told to disperse, she mouthed off and refused to move. This resulted in her finding her face smashed against a wall and being handcuffed. Well, duh, but I guess if you’re too busy deciding that you’re a victim of brutality and nothing is happening, then mouthing off at the police and refusing a direct order is a sure fire way to make sure that you can be right about your beliefs.
.
I have nothing against protests, and our country has certainly proved some darker periods of time where, without civil disobedience to often make a point, policies that should not have been in place would never have been reviewed and modified or changed. If nothing else, our nation was borne from protest, but we also need to temper what we do with knowledge and maturity, and to decide whether our actions will serve the cause we are supporting versus just allowing us to be right in our beliefs about “them” and “the police.”
.
Many years ago, during a large fire that destroyed a well known Chicago grocery store location, Mr. N ordered the group of civilian gawkers to move back. Never mind that the building was ablaze in full glory and it was clearly a dangerous situation, and that by moving them further away from the scene they would be protected. One of the overly righteous shot an angry verbal question, “By whose order are you telling ME to move?” Hello, anyone notice the uniform, badge and gun?? Or maybe this cretin just confused watching television with the thing called reality. Personally, I couldn’t imagine questioning someone who is trained to entrust the safety of the public while a building is all ablaze and clearly going down. I know we all have some issues about being bossed around, but common sense should prevail.
.
So coupled with the need to blame others, the negative general attitude that many already harbor toward law enforcement, frustration in their own lives and who knows what else, it isn’t a huge surprise that wearing anything that draws attention to oneself as either a cop or a fan of the police could make one a target.Police officers themselves have told me that when they are going to and from work, they do not wear their uniforms unless they can cover up at least the top (which identifies them as the police). I’ve seen what then creates an odd wardrobe look in grocery stores, since I recognize the dark navy cargo pants that the CPD here wear, often topped off with a leather jacket or sporty looking parka. It’s definitely not Donna Karan or Ralph Lauren.
.
It’s a sad reflection that the people who are sworn to serve and protect are made to feel that they are not only under appreciated, but fair game for the nasty comments most have had the unpleasant privilege to hear while off duty. I’ve heard my fair share by people who need to make others wrong, whether it is about the police, some coworker, or someone they have acquaintance with.
.
I have to wonder about the haters, who do they call when they need the police? Sting?
