Yes, it is tragic and, unfortunately, not surprising that “Cops nationwide react with violence towards protesters” (June 3), given our recent and long-term history, further provoked by incendiary messages sent out by a president apparently focused on creating a national emergency. That’s how Adolf Hitler gained absolute power. Maybe Donald Trump is a student of history after all.
But I’ve seen something else in the past week. Perhaps it was present before, but I didn’t know about it. Locally and nationally, police officers took a knee to signal their understanding of and support for the protests. A white Baltimore policeman, Lt. Peter Heron, stepped forward to read the names of victims of police brutality; a group of police officers from across the country posted a video in which each, in uniform, acknowledged that George Floyd’s death was a murder; and nationwide, police officers stood side by side, arm-in-arm with protesters, in one case holding a sign proclaiming, “We are one race... The human race.”
Given the enormity and history of government sanctioned brutality against African-Americans, these are tiny spots of light against a large, bleak backdrop. So I understand why your editorial gave short shrift to Lieutenant Heron. But I’d never seen this before, a nationwide shift, small as it may be, to police officers acknowledging that their colleagues must be held accountable.
We are still enraged at what has been going on for too long. But let us pray that these tiny points of lights can grow and ultimately shift the spotlight to increased understanding and solidarity that could alter the course of history going forward.
Susan Sachs Fleishman, Baltimore
Add your voice: Respond to this piece or other Sun content by submitting your own letter.