Are We Ok? Aidan Quintero
July 18, 2021
Aidan Quintero
Aidan Quintero
The job of a police officer has always been to protect and serve all people equally. Recently, following the two major deaths of George Floyd and Daniel Prude at the hands of police officers, the wellness of the police and their role in society has been questioned. Thoughts of defunding, rioting, and reform have become widespread, and people are beginning to ask: “Are we okay?”
To answer that we need to look into one of the most recent and popular cases of discord between the police and society, that being Daniel Prude’s death. According to the released camera footage of the incident, Daniel was killed by the actions of several policemen during a distress call from his brother. A spit bag was placed over his head as he was pinned to the ground, and ultimately killed by asphyxiation. His death was declared a homicide.
Such an unsettling scene would make most people believe that we are not okay as a country, and that police are to be hated for their crimes. However, this way of thinking is due to a lack of information. How I described the Daniel Prude incident is the majority of the information the public received. However, this is far from the whole story.
What really happened isn’t quite as simple as “the police killed Mr. Prude;” it’s far more complex. The police responding to the call acted according to protocol. This occurred during the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic, when the world lacked information on the virus. Daniel Prude claimed to be infected with Covid-19 after police arrived, and started spitting at the officers when restrained. Placing a spit bag on the man’s head whilst restraining him was exactly what the police needed to do. However, just because they acted properly, does this mean nothing should be done?
Absolutely not. In fact, things are already being done. In an article by Adria R. Walker, “Daniel’s Law,” a bill created by Rochester activists, will “create state and regional mental health response councils to develop responses to crisis situations.” What this aims to do is help society be more able to handle mental health crises, avoiding more cases similar to Daniel Prude’s. As of now, Daniel’s law has had massive success, being signed by New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and put into action, showing a massive step in the right direction.
Since the death of Mr. Prude, positive change has been present on a much smaller scale as well. In Irondequoit, the police department has released a plan for the future of policing in the town. The plan vows to focus on “rebuilding the trust and confidence of the community.” This, without a doubt, shows promise for the future of society under the Irondequoit police department, and we need to understand that this is what “okay” looks like. Positive change is happening as we go through our daily lives, and the future of peace between citizens and police is arriving sooner than we think.
To say that things are not okay would be rejecting all of the progress that is currently being made towards a better policing world. It would mean staying stuck in the past, rather than looking to the future. The world is more open to change than it ever has been in human history, and if there ever was a chance to prove it, it would be what is happening right now. Policing tends to be a sensitive topic among most people, especially those who have had experiences with poor police in the past. However, it’s necessary that we see and realize the steps that are being taken to fight injustice, so that we can stay out of the notion that we are “not okay.” We are evolving every day, and learning from past mistakes, making the world a better place.
This is what it means to be okay.
As first published in the Democrat and Chronicle and USA Today Network.