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VAL DAY-SANCHEZ

Copyright © 2016 Val Day-Sanchez

All rights reserved.

Protecting and Serving

He awoke and the future day’s events began to appear like a list in his mind. He was on riot duty, he would need to be downtown by 0700. He climbed into the shower, thinking about his next day off. He figured he'd pick up the old man and take him fishing. The nurses said that indulging his old habits did wonders for his progress, they smiled at him like he was a good son for spending time with his father. They didn't seem to understand that he was all he had. His mother had passed away before he ever had a chance of remembering her. Some of his earliest memories were spent in his dad's squad car. Back then, things were easy to understand. There were good guys and there were bad guys. The latter were those that broke the law, repeat offenders, up to no good. His dad was doing a job, one of the hardest jobs but he was doing it well. He never disrespected anyone, no matter how unsightly they were to society. He seemed to have figured out that we were all just human beings doing our best but sometimes our best led us down the wrong path. Now as his son, thirty years later he wasn't so sure if it was possible to serve that way anymore. There was nothing black and white about his job. After he had taken his oath and adopted the blue uniform he began to see how gray it all was. His job was to protect and serve but the attitude of everyone around him had seemed to shift.

Shutting off the water he forced his mind to stop. No good could come from enlisting a philosophical debate before heading into work. This was nor the time nor the place. He toweled off and began to shave. My job is to serve the community, protect them from themselves if need be that's it.

Activist Activate

He sat up in bed, his stunning boyfriend was snoring beside him. He was careful not to wake him, he would never approve of him going to the rally. Gay rights his lover understood but race, that was something that was supposed to be solved. It was no longer the 60’s, blacks could vote, segregation had been removed from the law books, equality had been achieved - on paper. He needed to go to this protest like his grandparents had needed to march on Washington. It was something that he finally felt he had in common with his family. It wasn't something he could explain, not to his upper middle class boyfriend who grew up with liberal parents who had never disowned him for his sexuality. As radical as his boyfriend was, he still saw these things as separate issues, when in fact human rights were everyone's issue, no matter the color of their skin, sexual orientation or socioeconomic status. That’s why he needed to go today because everyone should get the same but this was an argument that he couldn't embark on again. He didn't want to show up at the demonstration angry.

Nearly silently he pulled on his clothes and secured the door behind him.

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Protecting and Serving

At the station he pulled on his riot gear. His fellow officers made light of the situation but the undertow of the severity of what may come was ever present. The headlines of what was happening across the country were not lost on them. They all wanted to be able to go home tonight. They hoped for a peaceful protest.

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Activist Activate

He spotted his friends armed with flower crowns and picket signs. Popular hash tags and reasonable demands etched in paint surrounded them as they merged with the rest of the group. A low chant slowly turned into an anthem that propelled them forward as their walk transformed into a march. The energy that had, just moments before, been excited idealistic college students now felt like a movement,like change was eminent as long as they kept going.

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Protecting and Serving

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Activist Activate

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Protecting and Serving

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Activist Activate

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Protecting and Serving

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Activist Activate

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Protecting and Serving

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Activist Activate

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Protecting and Serving

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Activist Activate

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Protecting and Serving

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Activist Activate

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Protecting and Serving

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Activist Activate

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