Halloween and Cop Cars

I posted about this already... but wanted to write a little more before I move onto my next topic. I wrote below about how the perceptions people grow up with of the police. I had an interesting opportunity to teach the lesson in a unique way, and have since engaged folks in some dialog around my point. So I thought I would share...

The weekend of Halloween I was working with an weekend immersion class from Saint Mary's College. The group of students would live in our neighborhood for the weekend, staying with families from La Casa de Amistad. It was designed for them to learn about immigration and the role of an urban parish in immigration.

Friday night was halloween, and the students volunteer at a local Catholic parish halloween event. They got to paint face, prepare food and hand out candy. At dinner afterwards as we reflected on the evening I asked them... did any of them see any little boys dressed as cops? Or firemen? Then asked, if any them maybe had little brothers who might of dressed up like that growing up... and of course they did.

Without me baiting the conversation much, one of the young women guessed it was because of the view the neighborhood kids would have of the police. Exactly, and we talked how that impacts how people react when they interact with the police, their feelings towards law enforce make a big difference in their willingness to call police when needed.

Later I presented this thought to a group of staff from the Notre Dame Center for Social Concerns. I don't have answers, or an idea on what to do with then information but I might of peeked from interest in research around the topic.

So tonight, when I saw one of Cruz's cop cars on the coffee table... got me thinking again and that I needed to write this down. Sometimes we don't think of the small subtle ways that inequality is created in this country. How maybe someone's immigration status might make them fear the police so much they won't call when they need them. Or how the high African American incarceration rates create a how class of people that fear the police.

Some food for thought on a Sunday night... and a question... what are you doing to help make things better?