The Blue Religion

I’ve always been interested in The Blue Religion. In Los Angeles, or where I live, it’s impossible to go a day without seeing an LAPD squad car or hearing its sirens. It’s rare  to go a night with out hearing el moscarron, helicopter, or seeing it beam its light down onto the streets in search of its prey. My relationship with the LAPD, or police and general has always been a very strange one.  Although it was ages ago, I remember the Rodney King riots and the orange glow that emanated from Downtown Los Angeles.  I remember seeing the video on the news and wondering as a child why the police, people who I was supposed to respect and admire, could beat up a person so mercilessly. At the time, I didn’t understand that Rodney King was actually running from the cops and had outstanding warrants on him, but he still didn’t deserve the beating. Los Angeles county is massive, and it’s known for having too little cops for just a wide area. They sometimes arrive hours late or never at all. And there are always the jokes that when a White person calls they get there in a second, but when a Latino calls they never show up, jokes that have an ounce of truth to them.  I remember being at a Quince and all of a sudden two cop cars rolled up, cops got out, and yelled at us to shut down our celebration, even when my uncle had done everything the city required to have a party. Or when a family friend was stopped by the police for riding in a new car and being asked if he stole it, when he had finally bought himself a new car. Or the night when the cops banged on our front door and asked us if we were selling drugs, but they had the wrong address. They then made my mom open the gate, that they jumped to get in, so that they could leave. But with all these things, there is respect that I have for them. At NU, I took a class about Local Justice and how the biggest part of a police job is personal discretion. These men and women are given weapons and a badge that practically lets them do anything, but they are trusted with the idea that they won’t use violence unless absolutely necessary. They put themselves in danger every day and night, and there’s always a chance that they might not return. Officers killed in simple patrol stops, or yelled at because they have to uphold the law.

I’ve always been interested in what compels someone to become a police officer. Wether it’s a calling, or just out of necessity. Hopefully, I can find a way to either interview an Evanston police officer or a Chicago Police Officer, and hopefully get a glimpse of The Blue Religion