I just woke up from a terrible dream. It was so vivid! I just had to write about it. In my dream my husband and I were returning home from grocery shopping. We opened the back door and my security alarm started going off. J tried to put in the pass code to turn the system off but he accidentally pressed the “fire” button instead of the off button. The security company called to tell us that the fire dept was being dispatched. He told them that there was no fire and he accidentally hit the button while trying to turn off the alarm. They asked for the password and my hubby gave them the pass code for the alarm instead of our password. I tried to correct him quickly but the dispatcher stated she was sending over police as well. This started an unfortunate chain of events. Once the fire department arrived, they could clearly see there was no fire. We explained what happened and they checked things out, had me sign a couple of documents and went on their merry way. Meanwhile an “officer” showed up to the scene. My husband was in the process of telling him what happened when he started yelling shut up and walk to the car. Once I saw this I was like “whoa whoa whoa! What is going on?” The officer was like “ma’am be quiet and stay out of this.” My husband said babe, just stand over there. We know what this is all about. Clearly there is an agenda here. So I stand on the sidewalk quietly for a few minutes. The “officer” then starts questioning my husband, asks for his identification, and then proceeds to put my husband in handcuffs. I then ask the officer “is there a reason why you are harassing my husband? I can prove we live here and he did nothing wrong.” He ignores me and starts to push my hubs down the driveway with a club in his back. I could tell my husband was very annoyed and I started crying because I was extremely pissed at this point. Of course, by this time my nosy neighbors were standing outside trying to figure out what was going on and another cop had arrived. They put my husband face down on the ground while handcuffed and stepped on his back. At that point I couldn’t just stand by idly and watch this mistreatment. I started walking toward the officers screaming my husband is not going to be another statistic of police brutality. All these people may stand here and press record on their camera and allow this crap but I will not. My husband begged me to not get involved and assured me that he was ok but I couldn’t just stand back and watch.
At that moment, my husband’s alarm started going off and I woke up so there never was a resolution. When I sat up I was visibly shaken and teary-eyed. I looked over at my husband as he slept through the alarm and thought to myself he is a pretty amazing guy (and seriously how in the ham sandwich on rye can he still be sleeping through all this noise?) I couldn’t imagine that anyone would see him as a threat or treat him so horribly. He is one of the nicest people I know. But the sad reality in America is that anyone from any walk of life could easily become a victim of police brutality. It’s my belief that some of the most hateful people on this earth hide behind a badge and a uniform. I’m not saying that ALL police officers are bad but there are definitely SOME bad apples mixed in the bunch who give these organizations a bad reputation.
Photo credit: Getty Images
I also started thinking of the case of Eric Garner, the asthmatic father who recently lost his life in NY as a result of a run in with the NYPD. What hurt me the most from watching the video (besides the fact that he died) was that no one really tried to help this man. People stood by and recorded the incident with their phones. The police and onlookers did much of nothing as he lie on the sidewalk fighting to breathe. Yes the police called EMS once he started going into distress but no one stepped up to attempt CPR. No one stepped in as he was being choked (which is against policy by the way) and as he yelled that he couldn’t breathe. People just yelled from the sidelines and pressed record on their iPhones.
After my dream I realized that I can’t just read about case after case of police brutality without doing something. Even doing something small is better than nothing at all. So this morning I have been signing petitions on change.org that are related to incidents of police brutality. This vicious cycle needs to end. These bullies in the guise of police officers need to be exposed for who they are. The American public needs to be able to trust police officers to do what they took an oath to do ~ to protect and to serve. We should not have to live in fear that we could become the next victim of a rogue cop using his authority in the wrong manner. I would like to challenge all of you to check out the viral video of Eric Garner’s death and to sign this petition to help put an end to this unfortunate phenomenon. After all Gandhi said it best…
“You must be the change you wish to see in the world” ~Mahatma Gandhi
Have you ever had a dream that inspired action? What are your thoughts on cases of police brutality? Is this an American issue or worldwide? Let’s chat about it.
