Real Life Real Faith Men of Faith September Issue | Page 9

WHO PROTECTS US FROM YOU… CLOSING THE COMMUNICATION GAP BETWEEN LAW ENFORCEMENT AND THE COMMUNITY LEROY MCKENZIE JR. BALTIMORE, MARYLAND; It is 2016 and the sound that keeps ringing in my ear is the song from Hip Hop Icon KRS-ONE…WHO PROTECTS US FROM YOU? The lyrics go something like this: “You were put here to protect us, but who protects us from you?” The song addressed, back in 1989, the issue that law enforcement and the Community were having with each other. Here we are, some almost 27 years later, and there still seems to be this gap in communication between the community and law enforcement. I cannot even begin to describe the many stories that I have seen on the evening news in regards to an officer shooting an unarmed black man or woman. There have even been attacks made on our police officers, who have sworn to protect and serve the community. I am here to give some plausible solutions/steps that can be taken in order for us to begin to close the communication gap and get our society heading in the right direction when it comes to the treatment of the community and law enforcement. The First change that needs to be made is the mindset of the community and law enforcement. There is this misperception on law enforcement side that all individuals in our communities are criminals and must be treated with disrespect and dehumanization. Because of their fear or lack of understanding there is this misperception of those within the black community. Yes, there is a criminal element within our community but at the same time there is a criminal element within every community. This perception and stereotype must be broken and the only way that it will be broken is if the communication gap is closed. We must begin to talk to one another instead of at one another. The more law enforcement spends time working and talking with the community the easier it is for that stereotype to be broken down. On the other side of that coin the community needs to be more engaging of law enforcement too. I know that there has been years of misconduct, mistreatment and harassment of those in our communities but it cannot be stopped until we do our part in breaking down those barriers that keep us from progressing as a community and including the law enforcement in that progress. We as the citizens have to be willing to talk to the police just as we are telling them to talk to us. Yes, that means if we see things going on we have to be willing to step up and say something and make sure that the criminal element in