okay
including a microphone not working is
inconsequential everything happens for a
purpose Hey and I told my own officers
you know maybe you don’t turn right
because that’s the way you’re supposed
to go home maybe that’s the way you’re
supposed to go in life now we don’t know
what happens left but we go right
because that’s what we’re supposed to go
October 1st 2016
I found myself very realistically in
that position that morning I had just
worked 16 hours and I was on my way home
much to my chagrin I was saw a car
traveling in front of me he was all over
the road he looked like he’d clearly
just got off work provided his job was
drinking Jim Beam for a living I thought
I had a drunk driver so I found myself
that morning at an intersection now for
me the way home was right but he had his
blinker left so I did what you’re
supposed to do when you’re a police
officer doesn’t matter how tired you are
you do the right thing so in the light
turned green I made a run on Ken I made
so Joe I made a left and just as I was
about to cut the blue lights on that
morning I noticed something through the
back window I saw a hand sticking up in
the air and I could see what he was
doing oh he’s just texting suddenly a
sigh of relief came over me my already
long shift is not about to become a lot
longer
he’s just texting and driving I’ll just
say hey man don’t do that it’s dangerous
and then we’ll be on our way so I cut
the blue lights on and pulled this car
over when I walked up to the window what
I saw would forever change my life
anyway touch me in ways that I didn’t
know we’re possible when I walked up the
window that morning I came face-to-face
with a 18 year old african-american a
kid a teenager he looked at me and he
was terrified he looked at me not
because he was nervous cuz he got pulled
and it really hit me hard at that moment
at that moment I was no longer a police
officer see this is just the outer shell
of who what I do that’s not who I am Who
I am is a father a husband a human being
just like that young man and I said that
I watched him with his hands in the air
surrendering when I asked him nothing
and he said what do you want me to do
officer and it hurt me what I was seeing
and I said I don’t want you to get hurt
so wasn’t a police officer that moment I
was looking into his big brown eyes it
looked just like my five-year-old sons I
said I don’t want you to get hurt and he
said to me you want me to get out of the
car officer and that’s when I realized
he thought I said I don’t want to have
to hurt you I got inside be a good guy
that that hurt me and so what I replied
to him that morning I looked at him and
I said no I don’t want you to get hurt I
don’t want you to text and drive I don’t
want you to get in a car accident I want
your mom to watch her baby boy grow up
and be somebody I want you to do
something in life I just want you to get
hurt that’s the first time he relaxed
that’s the first time he relaxed and
calm down and now after there was no
more police action for me I’d done
enough and we parted ways that wanted it
bothered me remember I said I worked 16
hours it would be hours until I could
fall asleep that morning therapeutically
I posted that encounter on Facebook
because it needed to get out there and
needed to be said and I need to decide I
don’t care who you want to blame this is
not good I went to sleep I woke up six
or eight hours later and discovered it
it I didn’t know you could max out
friend requests all these types of
things ultimately that Facebook post
would be shared 400 million times around
the world but I want to tell you the
most important thing that I saw that
morning and that was when I looked in
that young man’s eyes who was terrified
I saw something that we have all
forgotten I’m calling you all out on it
because we forgot it there’s something
inside all of us called it whatever you
want there’s something inside all of us
that spark that thing that animates us
that brings us to life that is deeper
than what we see outside of each other
it was makes us different from every
other species of this entire planet and
it is the same it’s life and it’s the
ability to have conversations like we’re
having now and so we talk about bridges
most of our bridges that’s how you
breach a gap and you have conflict right
we got to get to the other side well I
want everybody in this audience and
everybody who sees this to know when it
comes to the bridge and getting along
with people and resolving conflict we do
not have to build it it exists we
already have the connection so the
challenge is for all of us all of us I
include myself in this with every one of
you because I want this to be all of us
be willing to cross that bridge have the
courage to cross that bridge and I don’t
mean you have to run across the whole
thing be willing to at least meet people
halfway
and remember that we truly all all share
something and so my challenge to
everyone
courage willingness and look at each
other I don’t care what’s on the outside
of each other look at each other and
look for that spark and I promise you
enough of us do that and we spread that
we can solve a whole lot of problems
thank you everybody y’all have a great day