Cops And Robbers

Like any person who starts a new job, Peter brought to his chosen profession all of the zest of someone who is gonna change things for the better. He had picked the police department, not because of the overwhelming riches that being a cop awards you. And, certainly, not for the comfort level of a safe job. No, Peter, like most who go into law enforcement, was staking his life on trying to help people. And, he has. From the small things of solving a family dispute, to putting his life on line to deliver safety to his area. He has a tough road to hoe. Peter walks the mean streets of the West Side of Chicago...... We have all heard the stories about the new Old West that is now playing out in blood in this particular area of Chicago. It has always been dangerous, with its drug dealing and armed robbery history. Human life seems to be of precious little value to the ruthless gangs and amateur thugs that prey on the decent people of this area. Every weekend, especially, during summertime, there will be random shootings and other violent acts, such as rape, being committed. The community, predominantly black and Hispanic, are on the downside of economic fortune. With poor people, in many instances, comes crime. Many commit acts against the law simply to survive. You can have a moral debate about someone committing a crime to feed his or her family. I'm sure I would if my back was against the wall......But, the majority of crime committed in this area is by the animals who do not care who is hurt and how they get your hard earned money. Generations now have been raised to believe that society is to be trampled on and you do to them before they do it to you. And, there is the deep seated hatred directed towards the police. The police are The Enemy. They are viewed as a bunch of [ mostly] white racist bullies who pick on all ethnic groups that are not Caucasian. That is the view many cops have told me, along with many people I have known who have lived in that area in town and, fortunately, survived it. When there is a robbery or murder or sexual assault, or any other violent act, the police will arrive and be treated with outright hate because they are the larger problem, as perceived by the community. So, very little cooperation will be coming forth to solve the problem. The overwhelming feeling in neighborhoods is tell the police nothing........ Well, that is nothing new. All ethnic groups and neighborhoods have had the code of ''omerta'', or, silence, to live by. We will take care of our own, the prevailing opinion is.Tell The Enemy to go fuck themselves. It is a sad state of affairs in this world when the criminals have more respect than the heroes trying to do good. The most popular movie in this culture is ''Scarface''. It is watched over and over and its meanings driven into the violent culture as almost a religion. Never mind that the point of the movie is that the main character is a vicious thug who gets what he deserves. The movie was made as a cautionary tale of what not to do and how not to live your life. But, that meaning is bypassed by those who preach violence and hate. They see the glamour and sparkling cars and beautiful women and reams of cash being spurt out. They miss the point and accept the excess. This same misguided way of thinking has always been in the vile and hideous music called rap and hip-hop. If you can stomach listening to this drivel, check out the words of overwhelming hate that come forth at the listener. Lack of regard for human life--- women are ''bitches'', the police must be shot, etc. And, this garbage is the soundtrack behind the violence playing out in the streets.......... This way of thinking does apply to todays gunslinger roaming the streets. Todays brute murders children, does drive-by shootings at people sitting peacefully outside enjoying the nice weather, and, preys on any female to do sexual assault. The bastards control the decent people there, who want nothing more than to live their lives as best as they can without the madness going on around them intruding. The bastards pull children into their version of street gangs and ''initiate'' the child into the ways of the wild. For many children, they either join the gang or are murdered on the spot. This is called sending a message. I would think most kids have no choice and submit. Before long, they are pedaling drugs, which segues into robbery and, finally, finds a home in the sick world of murder. How many times have we seen a child on the news arrested for a violent act? A mere baby of ten or eleven? And, when they show the child, all traces of being a kid are gone. What is left in the eyes is the mind that has trained to become a monster. With that kind of training, who can ever bring stability to this region? Certainly, not The Enemy in blue...... The policeman, Peter, feels the pain and outrage in this area. Especially, the pain. He sees it the faces of the older people who live there. The brave who have seen terror come into their lives. They once fought the struggle for racial independence from prejudice. They marched and in many cases were beaten and some killed for the American and human right to be treated equal. Now, they tell Peter [ these folks are not afraid to talk to the police because they know that most officers are good, kind people who want to help] that all of the struggles in the past seem a wasted effort. They marched in Selma, Alabama, and in the streets of Chicago for what? So, that a gangbanger can drive by in an SUV blasting gangster music and create mayhem. They are at a loss on what to do. In private, these very wise older people come out and tell the police to kick the ass of the drooping drawer wearing gang members. ''Beat the shit out of them'', said one elderly man, tired of the struggle. Peter and his partners silently wished that they could. The old man was right. Two weeks after this comment, the elderly man was found dead in his home. He was the victim of a robbery. The talk on the street was that the kids who killed him knew he had nothing valuable in his home. They just murdered him for the joy of it. Peter and his fellow officers had a pretty good idea who did the killing but had no proof. The neighborhood also knew who did the deed. But, they weren't talking. Certainly, not to The Enemy...... And, then there are the kids. Little kids who give high-fives to the police officers. Kids too young to understand the war zone they are living in. Kids who want to play ball in the park and run around in the hot summer with the fire hydrant spraying the water to keep cool. Kids who are in the blessed bubble, even for a short time, of thinking that everybody is good and the world is not a danger. These are kids who are all pure kindness and love........ Recently, Peter was walking down the street patrolling his beat when he came across a young boy he knew from the neighborhood. The boy was walking with his father. The boy raised his hand to give Peter a high-five, as he had many times in the past. But, the father grabbed his son's hand before he could do it. He sternly lectured the boy that they should ''never be nice to a fuckin cop''.........