Social Unrest through the eyes of a Criminal Justice Major
Defund the Police? ACAB? We learn what these words mean, and more, from a student who is an aspiring police officer.
Police across the country have been put in the spotlight as protests and riots continue to march on. The country seems to be split on issues surrounding our police departments and there’s no end in sight. One side argues that police are essential to a functioning society and are needed to maintain order. The other side sees police as a danger to people of color that cause more harm than good.
Young people, more than ever, are going out into the streets to protest in support of groups such as ‘Black Lives Matter’ who attempt to bring justice to what they believe has been years of police oppression and brutality. On a topic like this, most coverage goes to the protesters, the police, or politicians arguing over the issue. The perspective I was most interested in is often ignored because it is not an extreme view.
A student.
Not just any student, but one that is currently studying Criminal Justice and had a dream of becoming a police officer in the future. This brought me to Matthew Arroyo. Arroyo is a 19 year old student at Mira Costa College in Oceanside, California. He grew up in a predominately Hispanic community along with his parents and sister. I found his support for the police as a person of color, a deviation from the norm. Most of what I saw showed overwhelming support for the BLM movement and the current protests across the country. His stance on our current social unrest was different and interesting.
In high school, Arroyo participated in band, which he says had a large impact on his life, “Band definitely helped shape the way I look at things… The friends I made then are still friends I have now,” Arroyo said.
He loved being part of his high school band, but he always wanted something else.
“Being in law enforcement was something I always wanted to do, since freshman year of highschool,” Arroyo said.
He also hoped that the discipline he learned from the band would benefit him when joining law enforcement.
My first question to him was why did he want to become a police officer? He said, “ I wanted to help out the community where I used to live (Santa Ana).”And this, I would find out, was the basis of Arroyo’s motivation to join law enforcement. He wanted to help protect the community he grew up in. He saw what the police did in his community, like helping and protecting others, and that put into action the goal to become a police officer.
But his motivation to become a police officer has diminished as unprovoked attacks on police officers increases. Arroyo said, “When I look at the current pushback on police, it makes me question my career choice. The way I see police isn’t the same as others see them.” I mentioned the recent attempted murder of two police officers in Compton, California and wondered if that was something that makes him second guess his future. He agreed, saying that it was really eye opening and hard to watch. There’s been a 28% increase in attacks on police this year.
While he supports the police, Arroyo is also critical of them as well, “I understand where these protesters are coming from. The system is broken in some ways and needs to be fixed.” He understands the wrongdoings of some police officers and believes there should be a solution to the problem.
I asked him about the phrases ‘Defund the Police’ and ‘All Cops Are Bastards(ACAB)’ . Two phrases often used by protestors at rallies or on social media. Defunding the police was also a goal listed in the mission statement for Black Lives Matter, but after recent criticism, the BLM website removed the page listing out the ‘demands’ of the organization.
He went on to say, “I feel like it gives out negative connotations for police who are actually good and it affects the people who need the police.”
Arroyo believes there are better solutions than Defunding the Police. “Instead of Defunding, we should relocate the money. When you defund something, you take away from the performance and the ability of the police.”
Some of the ideas he mentioned were better training and more focus on the mental health of active police officers. He also suggested a better screening process that would weed out the ‘bad apples’ of police departments. All this echoes what many current police departments across the country are suggesting.
We all want peace and for everyone to be treated equally and fairly. There are problems within the police departments and Arroyo illustrated that within our conversation. He is a small part of the population that can see both sides of this debate. As a Criminal Justice major and a person who wants to become a police officer, Arroyo supports our law enforcement. But that doesn’t blind him from the injustices faced by people of color, because he himself is a person of color. In the end, we find out that there is much more common ground than what is portrayed in the national media. We need to build eachother up and help one another, not constantly be at odds and refuse to work together.
