Have a conversation with a police officer or a protestor, you might learn you’re not so different

George Floyd died in police custody on Memorial Day after a police officer pinned the 46-year-old to the ground for 8 minutes and 46 seconds by placing his knee on Floyd’s neck. Floyd was not armed and was accused of possibly passing a fake $20 bill.

Nearly two years ago, a Poplar Bluff police officer was shot as law enforcement attempted to serve a warrant for a probation violation. The wounded officer was pulled to safety by another Poplar Bluff police officer after the suspect opened fire on officials.

Not all police officers are like the Minneapolis officer.

A retired St. Louis police captain was killed June 2 during the looting and destruction that followed protests in the area in the wake of a nationwide movement that was certainly not born from Floyd’s death, but has gained momentum in ensuing weeks.

The day before the captain’s death, a group of peaceful protestors gathered in downtown Poplar Bluff to speak out about the systematic racism they believe America must stop denying.

Not all protests lead to violence.

In the weeks since Memorial Day weekend, a holiday that passed relatively quietly here despite worries about COVID-19 and social gatherings, it has felt like our country has demanded we take sides.

No longer united against foreign enemies or common threats, we have turned on each other determined, it seems at times, to destroy ourselves from within.

At a time when the world has never been more uncertain, why can’t we be united in both support of our police officers and support of our friends and neighbors rights to equality and safety?

Because of fear.

We are tearing ourselves apart trying to hold onto a broken system because of fear — fear of a world that is different, fear of change, fear of the unknown, fear of so many things. We’re holding onto things that are not good for us as a nation rather than taking care of the needs of those around us.

Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”

The next time you come across a police officer or a protestor, start a conversation, not an argument. Maybe that can be a step toward mending old wounds instead of inflicting new ones.

— Daily American Republic