Violence

Julie Allen-5/28/21

Violence

Let’s talk about it.

As a #policewife I have been terrified to talk about social justice, Black Lives Matter, and equity for all humans.

Silence is not doing anyone any good. It is not doing social justice movements any good, and it is not doing law enforcement families any good. No one benefits from our silence. So… let’s talk about it.

Law enforcement systems are inherently racist. The medical field is racist. The schooling system is racist. The housing system is racist. All of the systems in our country were designed years ago to benefit white people, specifically white men. They were put in place to exclude people in marginalized bodies - women, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, overweight people, people with disabilities, etc. It is honestly that simple. People in marginalized bodies have had to work that much harder to gain the same opportunities that are readily available to white people. The individual people are not necessarily racist, but the systems as a whole are. Our country has undoubtedly come a long way, but we have a long way to go. The systems were founded on racist ideologies. Systems not individual people.

The breakdown in communication between law enforcement families and the social justice movements is in the violence towards officers and their families, and this is NOT what 99% of people involved in these movements stand for. The problem is our law enforcement life partners have been experiencing hate, assault, and threats of violence towards their families for a long time. We see our partners come home after being told their wives and children are going to be r*ped then k*lled. We see our partners come home after having fireworks thrown at them. We see our partners come home after finding a d*ad pig head outside of the precinct. We see all of this, which is the reason so many law enforcement families are struggling with the social justice movements.

In order for us all to move forward and heal these systemic injustices, we need to come together. We need to heal together. We need to dismantle our racist, sexist, fatphobic, transphobic society and start over. I do not know how that looks, but I do know that we all have a lot of work to do, including myself.

Let’s keep talking about it. Let’s not leave the room when it gets uncomfortable. Let’s continuously educate ourselves. Let’s listen to one another and work towards restoration and an inclusive future.

True beauty of the power of a woman

One step at a time, loves. One small change at a time. It will all add up to a big difference.

Photography by Sierra_selene_

The systems in our society are broken. Shifting away from trying to fix them and towards creating new ones.
Feminine, bold, powerful, gentle, compassionate energies. Uniting under a shared humanity. The time is now to create something new and beautiful.

Article credit : Julie Allen. CEO, Mary Rose NW Boutique. Founder, Mary Rose Foundation. Author and Eating Disorder Awareness Activist