Jay Hernandez

Jay Hernandez Instagram – Growing up in LA there was a point in my adolescence where I understood the cops to be my enemy. Many made it clear I was theirs. I’ve “fit the description” on numerous occasions & can say with confidence that being held at gunpoint is not fun. Back then, no one I knew called the cops. For anything. Things could only go from bad to worse if you did. I’ve had officers look me in the eye & make me understand the disgust they had for me. Not necessarily me as an individual, but the collective “me.” People who looked like me & grew up where I did. I wasn’t raised in the worst part of LA, nor was it the best. We had our share of gangs, drugs, violence like many neighborhoods. But as I got older, I learned more. I read more. I realized that the way some cops had predetermined my guilt, I had done the same to them, assuming they were all bad. That’s clearly not the case. Most cops are hard working men & women who’re doing the best they can to support their families & I respect that. The burden of racism is placed on black, brown & poor communities with institutional backing .When we don’t help those least fortunate among us we sometimes force Cops to confront social ills (poverty, mental health, substance abuse issues) with a punitive hand.
In California It costs on average $80,000 per year, per prisoner with almost 130,000 people in prison. That money Could be INVESTED in an individuals future & not their punishment. Shouting “Law & Order” sounds good, it’s something we theoretically can all get behind but the reality is that very phrase has historically been used as a political weapon against people of color. Stronger psych evals, how we train & hire police MUST change & when dangerous individuals are identified we can’t let them hide behind a badge or a union & soil the uniform for everyone else. I stand in solidarity with my black brothers & sisters. I want better for us. All of us. | Posted on 02/Jun/2020 02:00:47