PAX Centurion - January / March 2016

www.bppa.org PAX CENTURION • January/March 2016 • Page 47 Ferguson all over again!” It was as if nobody understood that Mariel was a cold blooded murderer. Unable to control the crowd, the captain called the conference off early. Within twelve hours there was a full scale riot in the streets, and the gang unit was assigned to riot control for the first night of the “protest”, which amounted to nothing more than screaming, fighting, and looting. This is where my frustration turned to anger, anger that they were protesting the wrong thing. Of all the things wrong with Chicago that they could have protested, they chose to defend a man who killed a cop and a child because the person who killed him wasn’t his race. Meanwhile there would probably be 250 more murders over the next six months that wouldn’t be racially motivated, and certainly not the hands of cops. Meanwhile the memorial for Ben Delgado wasn’t even up for a week before a fifteen-year-old boy would be killed in a drive by at that exact location, with that memorial getting replaced by the next murder victim and on and on ad infinitum. Meanwhile kids can’t go to the local parks to play basketball because the local gangs rule that territory, meaning they have to turn to the streets. Of all the things wrong with this city, those are the injustices worth protesting. Instead, they take the true heroes in law enforcement and vilify them. My riot gear (with my Superman shirt underneath for the last time) couldn’t shield me from the verbal abuse, and being forced to hear the community I vowed to protect and serve was too much to bear. The violence of the riots died down but the protests continued, and with them the verbal abuse. I made a vow to never wear my hero shirts while on duty again because, in my mind, these people didn’t deserve Superman. I realized that I joined the force because I wanted to be like the superheroes that inspired me when I was young, but instead I was turned into a villain by the public. Only then did I realize that my shirts weren’t a good luck charm, but a crutch I used to hide the fact that, deep down, I’m Clark Kent who’s only pretending to be Superman. Knowing that I joined for the wrong reasons, I made a plan to retire at the end of June of that year. But before I could leave there was one more event I had to go through, and this one changed the course of my career for the better. Chicago City Hall likes to host events that serve to build our sense of community, and the police always have to participate somehow. There was one more event that I had to go to before I was set to give my letter of resignation: Junemas in the City. Every June 25 th the city would pair a disadvantaged child with a police officer, and the officer would take them to Toys ‘R’Us for a $50 shopping spree. Normally I enjoy these community building activities but given the month I had I was not looking forward to the event at all. However, thinking that this would be the last thing I would probably ever do with Chicago PD, I was going to at least try to make the best of it. I was matched with a nine-year-old black boy from Fuller Park, the very same neighborhood where my world started to crumble. The boy, Ty Marlowe, could not have been happier to be there, and even with the anti-police sentiment that was plaguing our city he didn’t seem to have any issue with spending an afternoon with a cop. He loved looking at all the different toys they had, especially theAvengers LEGO set (clearly a man after my own heart). I noticed something strange, however. As much as he loved everything he was looking at, he wasn’t putting anything in the cart. When we got to the video game aisle he told me why he wasn’t buying anything. He told me that he accidentally snapped his brother’s copy of Halo 4 and wanted to use the money from the spree to replace the game. That this little boy would give up his shopping spree to make things right with his brother was easily the most selfless act I heard in recent memory, and for it to come from someone so young just made it more heartwarming. I told him that he didn’t have to worry about the game, I would pay for it out of my own pocket so he could still he get what he wanted. I’ve never seen a smile as wide as the one on Ty’s face when I told him that, and for the rest of the spree he was beaming. As happy as I thought he was earlier, it was that happiness squared when we went back to the LEGO aisle to pick out theAvengers set he really wanted. The total cost was $100, $60 out of my pocket for the game and $40 from his spree money. He wanted to give me the extra $10 to say “thank you,” but I let him keep it. Right before we parted ways he gave me the biggest hug and said “Thank you, you’re the best cop ever.” It took all the strength I could muster to not cry right then and there, but even then I lost it when I got to my cruiser. I became a police officer because I wanted to be a hero like the kind I would read about in my comic books, and I always thought that I would perform a grand act of heroism to earn the right to call myself a hero. I had just spent the last month being told that I’m a villain because of what I do for a living, but by doing this small act for this child I became his hero. I am to him what Superman was to me when I was his age, and that’s all I ever wanted. And you know what? That kid is my new hero, because he inspired me. I made the decision right then and there that I had to stay on the police force and remain with the gang unit. But from this one experience I learned that the worth of a hero isn’t measured by the actions he performs, but by the way he inspires those around him to live their life to the best of their ability. With this in mind, I created “Chicago Saves,” a program which aims to get kids off the streets by inspiring them through art. In the long term, this program will not only lead to a new generation of leaders for Chicago, but we will build a stronger connection between the police and the public so the backlash from the May 19 th incident wouldn’t be a problem again. The program has been going strong for five years now, with sessions every Tuesday and Friday, and while I no longer wear my superhero shirts while on duty, I make it a point to wear the shirts to every meeting. By the way, remember how I said that a cop carried a badge, a gun, and a piece of their identity?Well now that I stopped wearing my shirts I carry something else. A rubber bracelet with the “Chicago Saves” motto: Even Clark Kent can be Superman. Nowadays I just wear the shirts because they look cool, and do I really need another reason? Attention To all members of the Boston Police Relief Association – Active Duty or Retired If you need to change your beneficiary or you are not sure of who your beneficiary is you can contact the relief office at 617-364- 9565. If you leave a message your call will be returned and if necessary the paperwork will be sent out to you. Thank you. William F. Carroll, Clerk, Boston Police Relief Association