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Daniel Avilez

English 1010
Prof. Erin Walton
Consumers Memoir

The Thin Blue Line

Symbolism is important in modern society. Historically, the swastika was a

Tibetan charm for good luck. It was hijacked by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party and is

now universally represents hatred and anti-Semitism. The Blue Lives Matter

movement was created as a means of showing support for Law Enforcement in

response to a changing political landscape that has demonized our police service

personnel. It has created a culture of fear that has imposed an us versus them

mentality. It is for this reason that, as a law enforcement officer, I do not support

this movement.

Blue Lives Matter was created as a response to Black Lives Matter, a

movement that started after Michael Brown was shot by police in Ferguson,

Missouri. Angered by a narrative that depicted Mr. Brown as a harmless, unarmed

African American man that was murdered by a white police officer, the movement

was created. Evidence later exonerated the officer that shot Mr. Brown and showed

that the officer was, in fact, defending himself from a much larger attacker in Mr.

Brown. In response to the anti-law enforcement rhetoric that shifted public opinion

against police, Blue Lives Matter was created. Rallies were held with vitriolic counter

protestors that sometimes ended in violent clashes between factions. The Black

Lives Matter movement was gaining ground, putting Blue Lives Matter on their
heels. After several other controversial shootings of unarmed black males, Blue

Lives Matter was on their heels and desperately needed help.

The Thin Blue Line was created as a symbol to help the marketing campaign

for the pro-law enforcement Blue Lives Matter Campaign. Shirts, stickers, flags and

other merchandise were created to help fund the ailing movement. The most

common depiction of the symbol is a solid black background with a blue line

bisecting the background into two boxes. The idea is that one box represents the

public while the other represents criminals. The blue line are the police officers that

protect the public from the criminals.

To many, this might seem harmless. In my opinion it further supports the us

versus them mentality. For example, there is no color variation between the public

and the criminals we are to protect them from. This was the intent, as we were

being attacked by both groups. One was attacking us with violence while the other

was attacking us with speech. Fueled by the media, both movements created

multiple social media accounts on every platform. As the dialogue became more

aggressive/defensive, the symbols started became more violent. The depictions

included skulls, shields, and weaponry, illustrating a more confrontational approach


to the people speaking against them.

Many people, whether they are pro or anti law enforcement, describe the

current rifts as a war. This mentality is dangerous and irresponsible. We are public

servants. As such, it is our job to protect the citizenry from harm, not fan the flames.

Over the past few years I have encountered a more aggressive, more entitled group
of people than the previous years I have worked in this field. I have been frustrated

as I have been the target of their misplaced anger. I have had prisoners spit in my

face, punch and kick me, and threaten my life. In the face of all the contempt, I

have remained professional and treated people with dignity, though it hasnt always

been easy. But what is the most infuriating, isnt the response from the public, it is

how my friends and coworkers have responded in kind.

It is a fact of the job that we sometimes need to hurt people. It is not

something I take pride in, nor is it our intent to harm them, but an inadvertent

byproduct of responding to a given situation. I accept that as part of my

responsibility because I know it is a response to their actions, not one that I

initiated. However, after a significant incident occurs and during our debriefing

period, the antics of some of the people I work with are downright deplorable. They

will laugh and joke about lacerations that opened on that douchebags head,

congratulate each other on how hard they smashed the person, and mock the

persons antics that lead up to the use of force. The people that we are sworn to

protect are not punching bags designed for our entertainment.

Part of it could be a coping mechanism. People sometimes laugh at things

that are disturbing because it helps mitigate and hide their true emotions. In a

profession that is dominated by so many type A personalities, people are afraid to

show that they are affected by traumatic situations. During one such incident, a

man was brought in to jail in the middle of winter. This man had no shirt or shoes

on, but sweat was beading off his forehead. He was speaking incoherently and

moving erratically. When it came time for him to be searched in to the jail he tried

fighting. He was small, which surprised me with how hard he was fighting. We

decided to search him inside a padded cell for the safety of everyone involved. We
brought him over to the cell and he continued to fight with us until he just stopped

moving. We have medical staff on site, so we brought the nurses over to check on

him. They said we needed to start life saving measures immediately. I started doing

chest compressions and rescue breaths immediately. My supervisor contacted an

ambulance to take the guy to the hospital.

If you havent performed CPR on someone before, know it gets exhausting.

You are supposed to push on their chest between 100-120 times per minute,

stopping every 30 to give 2 rescue breaths. I did compressions for 45 minutes until

the ambulance arrived. People offered to relieve me so I could get a break, but I

insisted on staying in. You get surprised by the amount of force you must use to get

effective chest compressions. I remember being grossed out feeling his ribs

separate from his sternum. 45 minutes is a very long time. I felt like I needed to

stay involved, because I wanted to say definitively that we did everything we could

to save his life. He ended up passing away, which was extremely stressful. After all,

I was then being investigated for homicide because he didnt survive. That is

standard procedure for an in-custody death.

After the scene had been cleared and I had given my statement to the

investigators, peer support and mental health professionals were made available for

those that were involved. Every time someone asked me if I needed anything, I

would respond Im good. It didnt matter what it was they were asking. I just said,

Im good. We all have our own coping mechanisms. In that moment, mine was to

try and suppress what was going on in my head. Others were making jokes. It was

obvious in this instance that they were also mitigating their emotions. I can

reconcile when people do that, because I have been there before. But the idea that

everyone we deal with are assholes is something I refuse to accept.


I have had several family members that have spent time in correctional

facilities, which might give me a unique perspective. Although my family members

have made bad choices, I dont think they are bad people. I take that same

perspective and put it on the people that I deal with on a day to day basis. The Thin

Blue Line is a response to the growing chasm between the protectors of our

neighborhoods, and the people they are assigned to protect. But its a response that

further perpetuates the division, which is why I cannot support it.

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