Is Resisting Arrest A Hate Crime? Pro

HB 953, a new law in Louisiana designed to protect police officers and citizens from discrimination can protect police officers as well as help build bridges between police and people of color.

In 2016, many died needlessly, including the infamous Dallas shooting that killed  five active duty cops in one day.

This new law has the potential to prevent more unfortunate tragedies. The Blue Lives Matter argument has been condemned by many who claim it undermines societal prejudices that minorities face. This new law, however, would not exclude minorities from hate crime protection but rather includes police officers.

It is important in an age when phrases such as, “Fry them(police) like bacon” and “No justice, no peace,” are shouted freely at supposed progressive rallies, that citizens need to understand that police officers need protection too.

The U.S. is more divided than it has ever been, given the controversial administration, but allowing bigotry of any kind will only create more turmoil and chaos. A law like this could help humanize police officers and create a stronger bonds between citizens and those who are meant to protect them, ultimately resulting in a more powerful community.

The United States was built on the foundation of protecting people from prejudice since the first protestants who came across seeking refuge from the Catholic Church. If people decide that it is acceptable to discriminate against one group based on their occupation, it is no better than judging all Muslims or immigrants for the actions of a few, this law isn’t about ignoring discrimination against minorities, it’s about showing police officers the respect everyone including people of color deserve. People have the opportunity now to take the moral high ground and show that they will not be jaded or influenced by other discriminatory policies, I’m not suggesting we forget the mistakes of the past, but legislation like this could mean a brighter future for all.

Creating community starts with understanding your neighbor’s problems, and if the country is going to survive the next four years, people are going to have to learn to understand each other’s problems.

This bill may not be popular with people who feel that police already have too many privileges and that the “Black Lives Matter” movement is still not being heard, but drawing lines in the sand and making police or minority groups socially acceptable targets in the will not improve anyone’s welfare.

The “Black Lives Matter” movement has somewhat fallen into obscurity because many felt attacked by the movement’s divisive undertones. But the same way it is important to stand with those who put their lives on the line for us, it is important to stand with those who want their voices heard in the face of adversity, like minorities and other oppressed groups.

Maybe lumping together police and minorities in a bill like this could  make each side see how the other lives. Tolerance is a trait everyone can strive for, and legislation that targets intolerance should not divide communities but rather bring them together.