I Am a Black Man and I Am a Police Officer—But I Am Not Derick Chauvin, and I Am Not George Floyd

And I am not George Floyd

I am ME

I am compassionate and I am caring, I have a very big heart….so why do you hate me? I’ve given the socks off my feet to a homeless drunk who had no shoes; I’ve prevented a woman from going to jail for stealing laundry detergent by paying the store for it so they wouldn’t prosecute, after I found the lady next door at a laundromat washing her children’s clothes – she was desperate and had no money; The other day an elderly mans car broke down on the side of a busy road and he had no phone, so I drove him to the gas station up the block and paid for his gas.

I’m a father, a husband, a son, a brother, a nephew, a cousin, a friend….so why do you want to hurt or kill me? – I’ve stepped in and arrested that man that assaulted your grandmother, he knocked her down and snatched her purse and we chased him down and took him to jail; A lady called 911 in a panic and told the dispatchers her 4 month old baby wasn’t breathing – we got there before the paramedics and started compressions – BY THE GRACE OF GOD that baby is now a happy little bright kindergartener; a crazed man began opening fire on a large crowd – in the mass hysteria of people running away – we ran towards the gunfire to stop it.

I speak slang, instead of “Hello” I say “Whats Good Yo?”, some say I have an inner city accent, and I may not spell everything correctly or use perfect grammar…But why do you undermine me and assume I’m not smart and ignorant? – I have a high school and a college degree, I love to read books and I constantly do research to learn new skills; I graduated head of my police academy class and went on to become a course instructor for the department; I have spoken at public forums, community meetings and in news interviews – all very well articulated, clear and concise; I’ve put together evidence, facts and leads and helped solve and close cases…I AM BLACK AND I AM INTELLIGENT.

I listen to rap music, I wear baggie jeans and backwards fitteds off duty, and have tattoos all across my body….But why do you profile and stereotype me? – On Thanksgiving I volunteer with Equinox handing out dinners to families in need; Around Xmas time I bought hats, gloves and meal cards with my own money and handed them out – we also prepared hot meals and distributed them down by the City Mission and at a Senior Public Housing Building; I volunteer my own time as a youth mentor for PAL – and I love to visit schools and talk to the kids; I walk up and down these neighborhoods, I live in my community – I CARE ABOUT MY COMMUNITY.