Category: Police

  • Before You Call the Police On Your Neighbor

    Before You Call the Police On Your Neighbor

    Yesterday someone called the police on me because they were apparently concerned for my dog, Journey, who was in the backyard laying in the snow. Giving the person the benefit of the doubt, I imagine that they feel like they were doing something of a kindness toward Journey. The officers who did the welfare check…

  • Questioning Injustice

    Roderick Walker’s Lyft driver was pulled over and yet, according to reports, he was beaten and had a knee pressed on his neck when asked for his ID. Some people will ask the question, “Why didn’t he just give his ID?” The answer is that he had the right to ask and refuse since he…

  • What We Can Learn From George Floyd’s Death

    What We Can Learn From George Floyd’s Death

    When we realize how much we’ve been failing each other as we have in the wake of the death of George Floyd, we tend to try to close our hearts. We lock ourselves away from the pain by getting into old patterns of thinking. But as Winston Churchill said when he borrowed from George Santayana,…

  • Surrounded! – How Do You Respond Under Threat?

    Surrounded! – How Do You Respond Under Threat?

    In a world where we are constantly reminded of the dangers that surround us, who among us has not imagined what we would do if we found ourselves in a dangerous or perhaps life-threatening situation? It seems like everyday we hear some story of innocent victims of unspeakable crimes. And whether it is a shooting…

  • Escaping the Prison Industrial Mindset

    Escaping the Prison Industrial Mindset

    Tonight I realized that I feel safer in cars that look like I can afford them. That is a sad awareness that I need to work on more deeply. How I realized this was that I had to rent a car. I had a coupon that enabled me to get a compact for the same…

  • When the Pain is Too Much, I Write

    When the Pain is Too Much, I Write

    I write when I cannot take the pain anymore–the pain of trying to contain myself for the comfort of others. I have lived my entire life with pain. I learned early on that it cannot be avoided. In my experience, it is inevitable in this life. Suffering however, is optional. Suffering comes when you do…