A video that pleads for compassion towards police while claiming that there has been a rise in "Blue Racism" against law enforcement personnel has drawn controversy to the Sergeants Benevolent Association.
"The average person doesn’t see those things that make me human. They don’t even label me based on being African American, Latino, Asian, Caucasian, and so on. They tend to see an even broader stereotype through an even more racist lens. When they look at me, they see blue," the SBA production's narrator opens up the 3:45-second clip by stating.
Images of aggressive protesters transition to the face of Dallas police shooter Micah Xavier Johnson, a photograph of slain officer Miosotis Familia, and video of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Al Sharpton play on as the words from an essay written by John Pappas after the murder of two officers in Brooklyn are read. It all culminates with a message condemning the Nazi's and white supremacists responsible for the violence in Charlottesville, VA the weekend before last, and remembering officers Matthew Baxter and Sgt. Richard "Sam" Howard, who lost their lives in the recent shooting of six officers in Kissimmee.
While the message is a heartfelt one that can resonate with police officers, their families and supporters of law enforcement, many contend that it trivializes actual racism by comparing the skin that an individual is born in, lives life in, and cannot remove, to a uniform. At one point, the visual goes so far as to cite a passage from Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech, however it edits the phrasing "judged by the color of their skin" to read "judged by their color," so as to allow King's message to be better co-opted.
Source: vox.com
