I haven’t awarded a BOM in a while. A long while, to be more accurate. While there have been many of them, I haven’t had the heart to suck it up and find humor in any of them. The BOMs depress me on good days and sicken me to the point of tears vomit on others. September’s BOM goes to (drumroll…) surprisingly, an otherwise sweet man. It’s frustrating to admit that because then I also have to admit that there are people out there who are just, what? Clueless? That they’re bigoted? Clueless on the fact that prejudice has become so commonplace in their lives that even I am moved to explain it away? Because he’s my friend?
Then I’m faced with an internal debate questioning whether I should accept it and explain it away because he is my friend (I should know that he doesn’t mean any harm) OR rather that I should not have had to deal with such derogatory prejudices in the first place because of the mere fact that I am his friend (the presumption that he should know better). Just because one doesn’t “mean any harm” doesn’t mean that no harm is given. Yes, it’s America. We are allowed the freedom of expression. However our freedom of expression is limited to when that expression borders spills onto other territories…and for the purposes of this blog, that territory being mainly, uhm…mine.
That said, Mr. BOM-September, your opinion spilled onto my territory! You don’t remember the conversation? Here it is.
BOM: Ask him, when there is a report of Micronesian people rioting, does GPD have to prepare differently?
Me: What do you mean, ‘Differently’?
BOM: Yunno, because it’s Micronesians. Do they prepare for, like, machetes and rocks and drunk people? Ask him.
*Him being Eric, a Guam Police Department officer. Of course I just gave him a dirty look and refused to even gratify him with an answer. After all, knowing he’s Chamorro, I don’t ask stupid questions like, “So this Red Ball coming up this weekend, do Chamorro people come in Zori even though it’s a Black Tie event?”
Mr. BOM-September, please claim your award.
Deb, although I am NOT a police officer, I am married to one, work with one, and am surronded by many day in and day out. I can honestly say, that from what I see, police officers respond to riots all the same regardless of race, sex, creed or color. A riot is a riot. Their lives and the lives of other people may be in danger. Ther arrive at all scenes, not just riots, expecting the unexpected and prepared to take on whatever turmoil may arise. It is unfair for Mr. BOM to state that officers gear up differently. If officer’s responded they way Mr. BOM stated, there would be alot of injured officers, because when the have responded to fights in bars owned or patroned by Micronesians, they wouldn’t have been prepared for the guns and knives that we found at the scene. Or they wouldn’t have been prepared for the machetes and rocks at the bars owned or patroned by the chamoru’s or filipinos. I guess what I’m trying to say is this — An officer will respond to any situation with the utmost extreme caution, hoping for the best planning for the worst – and be ready to protect any person who is or may be in danger.
Comment by Lena — September 14, 2007 @ 6:52 pm