Will We Have Change Soon?

During the past year there has been a lot of controversial arguments in regards with the law enforcement and African American people. The controversies that have been going on have been filled with doubt, fear, hate and racism. As a society we believe have been taught that the law enforcement talking specifically about police officers that the police officers are here to serve the community. Many of us live with the expectation that the police officers have devoted themselves to protect and serve us the “regular” people from society from any danger, threat or problem we may face at some point in our lifetime. Most of the time we seek to them for protection as the have been trained and have knowledge and capacities that we do not have knowledge of. As they have committed to protect and serve the community. As I grew up in the city of Los Angeles the city where I was born and raised my family friends and I faced many problems and issues growing up in the city. One of the biggest famous city in California. Many people think that living in a big city like Los Angeles is like living the best life ever. They think about the best weather, adventures the fun times and the nightlife that the city of Los Angeles is able to provide one with. Being an Angelino and someone who lives in the inner part of the city at times growing up was a bit difficult to me because I faced and witness at times where people committed crimes against others. Having the law enforcement respond to these type of crimes made me feel safe. It brought a sense of peace to me because when I was a child I would see them as heroes trying to keep us safe and protected from the villains. But, what happens when the law enforcement is put with all these controversies and negativity not from one but from many citizens around the country. At times your beliefs of what you taught you knew get affected. It seems as if what you thought existed for a moment it vanished away. Because the people you looked up to are now in serious controversial issues. When this happens and when it has been known publically and what through the media informs that there is one specific race that it is being targeted it makes you think of what is going on. You stop and think that some forces that the law enforcement uses are needed to protect themselves as well but until what extent should the measures of forces be used? Cases that involve children are usually more difficult for society to take in. For example the case of Tamir Rice, in this case it involved a shooting of two officers against a twelve-year-old boy. As it was announced in the media and by many online sources this was a case where a boy had a toy gun and apparently was pointing this gun to people so two officers responded to the dispatch call the person who had called had informed the dispatcher that the gun the boy had was probably fake. With this information in mind upon the officers arrival and without the officers knowing that the gun Rice had in his hand was fake Rice attempted to reach into his pocket. He did not have much success because within a couple of second’s officer Loehmann opened fire towards Rice. Rice was pronounced deceased the next day. From my point of view I do not know what to think or feel. It saddens me to know that a boy’s life was terminated at a very young age. Did the officer do the right thing? I personally do not know. Was there use of excessive force maybe. Maybe there could have tried to use another method to stop Rice from trying to do what he did. At the same time this is very controversial and I believe it puts many people in a thinking state of mind because the police officers are doing their job. They responded as usual to a dispatch call. Upon their arrival they felt threatened and did what they have been trained to do when find themselves in a situation like this. I think to myself what if the gun Rice was holding was not a replica what if it was a real gun it could have been an officer that died in the line of duty. I am not an expert in these type of situations but sometimes I wonder that the officer could have acted with less force toward the minor because of his age, height, and weight this was a twelve year old boy which from my point of view did not have much physical power against an adult. At the end of the end of the day everyone is trying to go back to their family and sometimes this means doing what feels right it might or might not have been the best decision that was taken but I will never know only the ones presented in the situation know what it was to be in a situation like the one presented on November 22,2014. I truly hope one day everything gets clear and that the controversial issues between the law enforcement and the citizens will go away. Everyone deserves the right to feel protected and served by the authority whom took the oath to do so. Hand on hand the world we live in will become a better place for everyone.