I put on the news this morning and saw yet another story with protestors bashing police. The interview was being done in the middle of what looked like a war zone - the surrounding businesses had been looted and several lit on fire.
After the two recent announcements that there would be no indictments against two officers involved in the deaths of civilians, there's been a lot of outrage. There's been a massive amount of anti-police sentiment.
And while were trying to "raise awareness" by looting and burning down buildings last night, my family was being protected by some of the finest in Manchester, Connecticut.
We were at our office wrapping up after a holiday party with a bunch of colleagues. It was just my wife and I along with our 10-week-old. As we were getting ready to leave, we heard what sounded like a pipe being slammed against walls. There was a ton of screaming from the hallway - things like "you're going to die tonight" and "let's go, you want a piece of this? I'll kill you".
As you can imagine, we dead-bolted the door and called the cops.
Dispatch stayed on with us for over an hour as the entire department safely cleared out the rest of the building and handled the situation. They brought K-9 units and what appeared to be an entire SWAT force to clear the facility.
When they felt it was safe enough, they pulled us out of the office and surrounded us with officers like a human shield. They rushed us out of the building and kept us safe and surrounded until the threat was handled.
While in parts of the country last night buildings burned and bottles were thrown at police, my wife, baby and I were being surrounded by officers to protect us.
Yes, they had big guns. And I'm damn glad they did.
Every single man and woman on the scene last night should go home to family and friends at the end of their shift. And yet I have no doubt in my mind that any one of them would have taken a bullet to protect the complete strangers they were bringing to safety.
Are there bad cops out there? Yes. Are there bad black people? Yes. Are there bad white people? Yes.
Are all of the people in those categories bad people? No. Of course not.
Last night we met mothers. Fathers. Sons. Daughters. They were doing their job and they were helping people.
They weren't blocking streets so that people desperate to make a living to support their families couldn't get to work.
They weren't torching the buildings of the very businesses that employed them.
They were putting their lives on the line - as they do every single day.
The response of the Manchester Police Department was like nothing I've ever seen. They were some of the most amazing men and women I've ever encountered. And those are the same people that are in YOUR towns ready to take a bullet to protect YOUR family if necessary.
And so in the middle of this lynch mob mentality sweeping America right now, I figured it was about time that someone stopped in the middle of the madness and paid tribute...even in this smallest of ways...to every man and woman that serves and protects. God bless you guys.
Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below. But understand that comments bashing the men and women who serve and protect will not be responded to or supported here - so try not to be "that guy".
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