Kevin Fauntleroy

04/23/2015
Professor Connie Douglas
UWRT 1102-029
The Time to Stand Up
As I wake up, I get ready for another beautiful day. I shower, brush my teeth, put on
deodorant, get dressed, and begin my day. Today would be perfect, if it wasnt for the issues
going on in this world. In my area we have many problems with our officers and them being the
ones who antagonize. Its not an easy life for me because Im a target for whatever reason. Many
of them fight us, and the ones that dont just sit back and take a blind eye to the matter. But I
want to know why they do that. I want to know why it would be seen as an ok thing to do to
assault the innocent and not feel any remorse. It must be ok because I dont see any government
officials talking about the issue and how they are going to work to fix it. All I hear about on the
news is Young black teen found dead or Innocent man injured by police and that should not be
the first thing I hear when the television is turned on or when I am walking down the street and
theres a riot going on or people marching for the justice of another police brutality victim. Its
all a nightmare but the problem is we arent sleep; we are wide awake and living this matter day
by day. I leave the house, get in my car and I head to work.
I turn on the radio to hear about some man getting choked to death and he told the
officers he couldnt breathe but they didnt pay him any attention. My stomach begins to knot at
the thought that if I was in his shoes, I would be dead. It makes me fear even coming out of my
house because I know that now, at any time, I could be attacked because of one look or sound

that may not be approved by the man that wears all black and drives the car with lights that beam
black and blue. But I know, I dont have any type of run in with the law in any type of way so I
know that I will be fine. That is what I used to think before that day.
One day, I was leaving work and an officer approaches me and begins to question about my
whereabouts and if I had to do with a recent disturbance in the area. I politely told him no and
proceeded to walk away. He grabs me and tells me that He didnt tell me I was dismissed and
then his attitude changes. I asked him to let me go and proceeded to pull my arm away when I
feel him lift me by my legs and drop me onto the ground. I tried to yell for help but no one was
near at that time because it was the time where people would be at home with their families.
Unfortunately, I couldnt be with mine that evening because I was being hit repeatedly in the face
by the officer and I knew that the moment I lifted my hand to defend myself, I could be dead.
After the beating subsided after about 10 minutes, I was arrested, placed in his police car and
taken to the station. When I arrived, I immediately blurted my case that I was attacked by this
officer and I was falsely accused of something. They search me in the system and they realize I
am not the guy that they were trying to get so they let me go and escort me out of the station. I sit
there in awe of what just occurred in my life in the matter of 2 hours. I was falsely accused,
attacked, and then let go without an apology or an explanation. I could only imagine if I was the
guy they were looking for. Would they have attacked him too or would he even have a chance? I
needed to know. I filed a charge against the officer and went to court to have this man
reprehended for his actions and he was acquitted.
This is what I mean by these police nowadays are an issue. Because of their own
ignorance, arrogance, and self-righteousness, another citizen slain who didnt have to be and
would not have been for what he had done. And because of the failure to realize and perceive a

situation as it is, the government has let another man kill and not have any consequence. My
community does not have faith in the police anymore, especially my African American brothers
and sisters. To be honest, I am not surprised either. It seems like we are the target because in
many urban areas it is always the passing of black teen or the hospitalization of a middle aged
man and I need to know why. Theres a disconnect somewhere in the system. There are too many
voices that can speak on the issue and change what is going on. We have the voices of society,
the government, and the law of the land (written voice). We also have the voice of the mass
media. We have some many factors and uses at the touch of our fingertips, so we need to use
them. Let us all stand up to use them and fight back against these pigs because these officers that
are beating and slaying the innocent or the wrongfully accused, are not officers; theyre animals.
To be completely truthful, I feel that officers are here for the greater good of man but they
just have some bad ones amongst the good ones, so they all get clustered together. People see on
television, on newspaper stands, and now in social media about how cops have killed an innocent
teen, thrown racial slurs at someone, or shot a man for no reason. Yes, we have a right to be upset
with what is happening in our country but we dont know the whole truth. We are only shown
what the media has portrayed to us and the parts that they think are the most important and when
it comes to an issue like this, all parts and evidence of a story are important. Like with our fallen
child, Mike Brown, at first the media said that the cop had shot the boy in plain view while he
had his hands up. The officer went to court and was not guilty and acquitted. The city of
Ferguson, Missouri outraged by the decision, citizens began to loot, have protests that led to
riots, commit arson, and assault police officers. Months later, it comes out that only a part of the
story was told. The officer had shot the boy after continuously being charged and trying to shoot
him in non-vital areas but that did not stop the boy, so he had to aim for the head.

Because of all that I have recently stated, I stand here to say that we must fight for our
safety as rightful citizens of America. If officers need better pay and better training to feel more
knowledgeable and handling of their jobs, I will gladly petition for them and advise the police
payers to. If they need more recognition for the job and the long hours they work, I will gladly
give them that and advise others too. We live in a beautiful and free country and we should feel
as though we do. So what I say to you fellow citizens is record and report those instances of
police brutality, peacefully state your opinion because of the amendment and do not feel like you
must walk around in fear or doubt. We must root out that evil and bring out the good again. I am
a victim of police brutality but I know that not all policemen are like the one that I encountered
on that day. In order for us to move forward with the men and women who protect and serve, we
must support them and not see them as enemies. So with that I say stand up and be allies with all
that are here to benefit you.