Fabienne Fleurantin/Staff Writer
Those who protect society are now feared by society. With the death of many African Americans like Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, Trayvon Martin and so many others alike, the barrier between order and chaos has essentially disappeared.
“There’s a strange condition doing the rounds in America called astynomiaphobia. It’s the fear of getting arrested by the police for no reason at all. Often referred to as policophobia, symptoms include anxiety, shaking, loss of self-control and panic upon meeting the police,” wrote Alexander Reynolds, author and journalist for the Huffington Post.
“In the past, this condition used to afflict African-American males only. Now it’s widespread. Black and white, rich and poor, male and female, young and old, many Americans now suffer from an irrational fear and dislike of the police,” said Reynolds.
These recurring incidents of police violence have incited the idea that officers in the United States cannot be trusted. When peaceful protesters are arrested for fighting against injustice, it only reinforces this idea.
Protesters like Ieshia Evans, a nurse from Brooklyn, New York who stood serenely outside of the Baton Rouge Police Department, was arrested during a protest against the killing of Alton Sterling, as mentioned on theintercept.com. Tear gas was thrown into the crowd, people were slammed to the ground to get handcuffed, and some were even assaulted with a baton. This is an unsettling image to a seething reality.
This is a reality that I don’t want to face. I don’t want to feel uneasy when I drive my vehicle, fearing I will be pulled over and racially profiled based on the color of my skin. I would like to go shopping in a department store without feeling watched until I exit. I don’t want to feel like I can’t say what I want, or go where I want without my intent being called into question.
This is not to say all officers are bad, nor to assert they can’t be trusted. This is simply a mindset that has taken a life of its own among many Americans and it has spread like wildfire.
With police officers and civilians, there seems to be, on both sides, a “us vs. them” mentality. Officers work for a community, but do they really understand it? It’s important to invest the time and effort to engage with those who make up the neighborhood they are patrolling, just as the FIU Police Department does with the Panther community.
On the same token, do civilians understand the risks those in blue have to take on a daily basis?
Both parties stand from a distance, afraid of stereotypes instead of confronting them, which only leads to more road blocks. We can’t move forward if both sides refuse to recognize one another as individuals trying to do the best they can.
I will not deny the experiences of those who have encountered difficulties with police officers or denigrate all officers when there are some biases held on both sides of the spectrum. Every person’s experience and truth is their own. However, if we continue to build on these stereotypes instead of challenging them to starting a conversation about it, we will never make any progress.
DISCLAIMER:
The opinions presented within this page do not represent the views of FIU Student Media Editorial Board. These views are separate from editorials and reflect individual perspectives of contributing writers and/or members of the University community.
Image retrieved from Flickr.