The bravery of America’s police force is unparalleled.
Every day, these men and women put on their blue uniforms and put their lives on the line to maintain order.
Yet many on the left now would see them disrespected and treated as if they were sub-human.
While some officers have given in to protesters demands, and in some cases even joined the protests, there are still many brave police officers who won’t give in to the demands of the mob.
In the following clip, you can see a police officer bravely defy a group of shouting protesters as they demand that he kneel:
What a display of courage at a time when police officers are facing violence in this country.
It’s a wonder the protesters didn’t start throwing bricks or rocks at the officer.
Check out some of the latest news on violence against police officers:
The New York Post shares a similar story of a black Georgia state trooper who told a crowd of protesters he only kneels for God:
A black Georgia state trooper — confronted by protesters over why he wasn’t kneeling in solidarity with them at a weekend rally — said there’s only one person he takes a knee for.
“God,” Officer O’Neal Saddler said in an exchange caught on video.
The Black Lives Matter marchers were at a rally in Hartwell, northeast of Athens, on Sunday when they challenged the cop, who responded that he had postponed vacation to help try to keep the peace amid protests sparked by the police-brutality death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
“If I didn’t have any respect, I wouldn’t [be here],” Saddler told the protesters.
“I was supposed to be out of town this weekend with my wife. I took off today, this weekend, but I’m out here to make sure y’all are safe.
“Don’t go there with respect, OK?” the state trooper added. “I have much respect, but I only kneel for one person.”
When someone said, “And that’s God,” the officer nodded and responded, “God.”
Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died May 25 at the hands of a white cop, who kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes while three other officers stood by — a shocking incident caught on video that has sparked global outrage.
Sadler wrote on his Facebook page May 30, “People calling and texting about comments bout law enforcement last night. Let me be very clear. Protesting for right is always great and welcome.
“But looting and acting a fool if you think that’s justice please delete me even if we are close kin. I have a beautiful family and enough close friends to keep on in life.
As if the police didn’t have enough on their plates!
Now they have to deal with heckling protesters and rioters.
Meanwhile, the lunatics over at Buzzfeed shared their outrage at the sight of police officers that DO choose to kneel in solidarity with protesters:
On Tuesday, in downtown Manhattan, I watched a tense moment unfold between New Yorkers who’d taken to the streets in protest of police brutality and a large group of NYPD officers. Maybe about 20 to 30 protesters, outnumbered, were pushed up against the police line, chanting the names of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. A looser web of onlookers, reporters, and photojournalists pooled around them, ready to bear witness to whatever happened next. “Remember who you are when you take off your uniform!” someone in the crowd yelled at the black officers in the line. The protesters were trying to engage the officers on a more personal level, encouraging them to stand down and march beside them. When both sides of the line started raising their voices, organizers encouraged white allies to push to the front, and to use their bodies as shields from any potential police violence. In the middle of the fray, one black man who had been pleading with the police to understand his point of view offered a hug.
Seemingly out of nowhere, dozens of cameras started flashing and a large news video camera was hoisted over the heads in the crowd. Members of the media were quick to document what’s become an often-viral hallmark of the past decade of police brutality protests: imagery of white police officers embracing the black people they’ve been deployed to police.
It makes sense why these sorts of photos tend to take off during times of social upheaval and unrest. Against a backdrop of chaotic and often partisan coverage of huge, complicated movements, a simple, seemingly personal demonstration of warring factions temporarily setting aside their own agendas to recognize each other’s humanity can act like a balm. Celebrities and other prominent public figures might share these photos to advocate for peace, or “solidarity,” as Hugh Jackman did today on Twitter. Social media users aggregate the photos to call for “less finger pointing and more of THIS!” with hashtags like #LoveOneAnother.
As the protests against police killings of black people continue to unfurl in staggering numbers across the country — and around the world — seemingly well-meaning white allies uncomfortable with the violent imagery of cops clashing with protesters are instead clogging their feeds with counterprogramming: photos of police officers kneeling with protesters or giving them hugs. If only everyone could just stop the “finger pointing,” put aside their differences, and recognize that we are all part of one race — the human race! — then perhaps, the thinking goes, we wouldn’t all be embroiled in yet another national uprising against state-sanctioned violence and bloodshed.
But in the age of social media, viral photos and videos are quickly stripped of their context. One video of NYPD officers kneeling with cheering protesters on Sunday, which spread across Twitter and got picked up by local news, was filmed before the officers charged into that same peaceful and cheering crowd. “They beat the living shit out of us one hour after this,” tweeted one protester who was present during those protests. In different cities around the country, police officers have knelt with protesters one moment, then maced, teargassed, and arrested them en masse in the next. According to the journalist Touré, one activist during demonstrations in Brooklyn on Sunday arranged for a photo op in which he and police leadership knelt together — which angered people in the crowd who consider these sorts of gestures hollow PR attempts that overlook the institutional problem of excessive policing. “Maybe 15 minutes after cops and leadership were kneeling together and literally holding hands,” Touré tweeted, “the cops were in attack mode.”
This just goes to show that these people will not be satisfied until they don't see a single blue uniform on the streets.
Join the conversation!
Please share your thoughts about this article below. We value your opinions, and would love to see you add to the discussion!