How I felt about #HumanizeTheBadge
For the “Improve a Wikipedia Assignment” I chose to focus my edits on #HumanizeTheBadge motivated to better the image of law enforcement in the United States. I edited the Wikipedia search of “Hashtag Activism” due to its organizational issues and absence of hashtag humanizing the badge. “Hashtag Activism” had a wide variety of hashtags from all over the world. I chose to organize them within the already existing categories into country origins. Primarily the United States of America or International, due to the overwhelming amount of hashtags mentioned that originated in the USA in comparison to what was already in existence on the search.
For me, I found two aspects of #HumanizeTheBadge fascinating firstly the lengths police departments would take the hashtag and secondly the contrasting support and opposition to the hashtag from law enforcement.
Different police departments chose to take the #HumanizingTheBadge to different levels. Some would post videos of police doing trendy dances while others would post videos of police interacting with their families using the hashtag. One police department in Albany, Oregon glamorized the hashtag by having a female officer in uniform take down her hair and lip sync to a Celine Dion song with her hair blowing in the wind and police cars lights flashing in the background. This video was on ‘trend’ for the time period in which it was posted to TikTok, gaining millions of likes and views due to its over-the-top execution. However, I personally wondered why was sexualizing this female cop necessary to displaying #HumanizeTheBadge. Was it to appeal to the trend or appeal to the viewer by sexualizing the female police officer? For me, it did not seem professional or necessary to demonstrate the humanization of law enforcement. I understand the police department’s desire to create a viral video that would get millions of views, but as law enforcement, it is their job to lead and set an example for their community. Does the Albany Police Department feel as though this video is setting a positive example for their community, or did they just not think of other individuals’ interpretation of the video? Different individuals create different meanings for videos, and for me a female, I see that video as sexualizing a female cop for likes.
While on the other end of the spectrum there are videos posted to TikTok of police officers having honest interactions with the communities they serve. For example; in Columbus, Ohio officer AJ Johnson creates TikTok content of himself going to community block parties, creating dance challenge videos, and acts of kindness he does for the community he serves. For me, these videos put a smile on my face and created an idea of who Officer Johnson is behind the uniform he wears. This is the type of person I would want to serve my community.
Secondly, I found it interesting to see a lot of support for this hashtag on social media and online. The hashtag HumanizingTheBadge is used on all social media platforms and even has merchandise. A company known as ReLentless Defender has apparel including different collections focused on patriotic themes. The collections are; Law Enforcement, Patriotically Correct, 2nd Amendment, Corrections, Texas, Fire, Dispatch, Fundraiser, K9, Honor the Fallen, and Seasonal. The majority of those collections are centered around the theme of law enforcement and are very right political leaning categories. This allows those within the law enforcement community or those supporting the community to advertise their support in their wardrobe. This visible display of their beliefs creates more traction for the hashtag and movement. However, I have found this hashtag polarizing in the wake of George Floyd.
After the wrongful death of George Floyd at the hands of overt police brutality, leading to the Black Lives Matter Protests. Many United States Citizens found themselves no longer trusting the judgment of law enforcement. They no longer see law enforcement as leaders within their community, and being fearful of police. Including myself. Prior to researching #HumanizeTheBadge I associated all cops with bad. While I have never had a bad encounter with law enforcement, I knew what I saw on the news which was wrongful acts of violence. Throughout 2020 I saw people of color being wrongfully arrested, accused, and murdered by police. This caused me to no longer trust the people meant to protect us. However, after doing research on #HumanizeTheBadge I began to see the families and loved ones behind the police officers. The majority of law enforcement are normal people, doing a job, trying to make their community safer. While there are some agitators within law enforcement, not every single officer is like that. This assignment honestly gave me a new perspective on law enforcement. While I am still angry and disturbed by wrongful violent acts by officers, I believe that with the right training and less weaponry there is hope for the United States Police Department.
This assignment has allowed me to understand the benefits of Wikipedia. Prior to this project, I was told throughout my education Wikipedia is an unreliable source, that anyone can edit. Throughout the modules and trainings, I have come to learn that this is in fact false. While yes anyone can change something on Wikipedia, it will quickly be reversed if it is incorrect. Wikipedia is heavily monitored to ensure factual accuracy on their site. Additionally, Wikipedia has shown me the importance of a wide variety of authors to ensure objectivity. Utilizing a plethora of authors it allows for a limitless amount of information for anyone to access. Even more allowing different professionals to contribute to their area of expertise on Wikipedia displays a more in-depth understanding of a topic creating a greater saturated site.
Overall, I have found this Wikipedia assignment to be extremely engaging. It is an assignment in which you get out what you put into it. For me I put in hours of work; researching, watching videos, and searching social media. I feel as though I have a grasp on the hashtag humanzie the badge and evenmore the thin blue line movement. I comprehend the positive impact of the hashtag but also the criticisms of it. For me I learned that not all law enforcement is out to get me, and that at the end of the day it is just a person inside the uniform.
