In our own backyards...

An African American Harvard professor was arrested in his own home this week. President Obama responded that Boston Police Department may have acted stupidly. I work in a county jail and hear lots of stories about the police “acting stupidly.” Considering that my source are inmates in jail, most of these stories are usually taken with a grain of salt. I may cut down on the salt after this morning when I had a first hand experience of a police officer “acting stupidly.”

My husband was on his way out of the parking lot in front of our apartment when he saw a car turning into the lot heading right at him. He stopped and blew his horn, but he was not able to prevent being hit-- head-on into his left front bumper. The police were called, arrived and assessed the situation. Meanwhile, my husband had been leaning on the hood of his car, copying the other driver’s information into his notepad.

“Stop writing, you don’t need to write that down.”

"I was just writing the insurance information.” The officer stepped closer.

"You’re not getting it!"

"I wanted it to report this to my insurance company."”

"Well, you’re not getting it here!"

She forbade. Yes, my husband was forbidden from writing the other driver's information. Can police do that? What is going on? Why are police so antagonistic? The stories work, aside, here it is not an issue of race . This is about about uniform vs. civilian. Civilian, not citizens.

I am concerned because I have noticed other examples that support this. Remember when couples would fight and a neighbor would call the police? Well, arguments between family members aren't referred to or categorized as domestic violence that much any more--now they are called "terrorist threats." So rates of domestic violence has gone down but incidents of terroristic threats just keep going up. Police departments get statistical support join to battle the "war on terror". The cost is too high. We loose a sense community and, ironically, a feeling of safety. When our local law enforcers start to look and act more like soldiers and view us as the enemy-- it's scary.

We can't be fighting for freedom in other countries if it blinds us to what is going on in our own back yards.