everyday heroes: civic engagement

Civic engagement.

I just finished watching the press conference in which Donald Trump introduced Mike Pence as his running mate for President in 2016. In full disclosure: neither of these men are my everyday hero. In fact, I think I may have had an aneurysm listening to what they had to say. One thing in particular that Mike Pence had to say struck me. He spoke poorly of the "intellectual elite in a distant capital" and  spoke highly of people taking care of themselves and self-reliance. I have no issues with self-reliance; I understand and agree that we are ultimately responsible for ourselves. No, my issue is with the idea that there is some cabal in Washington, D.C. who do things to us without our consent.

Our government is one " ...of the people, by the people, and for the people" (thank you, Abraham Lincoln). We are fortunate to live in a democracy. We are fortunate to live in a country where we can exchange ideas --even disagreeable ones --freely. We are fortunate to live in a country where people have chances. This is not to say that there aren't problems within government as it currently functions --because there are, and they are big ones.

One of these problems: policing as practiced by some (not all) members of the law enforcement community. There have been protests calling for accountability. This is important in a democracy --practices need to be reviewed periodically to determine whether they are fair and just for all. Where issues arise is that place where "we, the people" (thank you, drafters of the US Constitution) turns into us versus The "Intellectual Elite in a Distant Capital" or The Cops or The Blacks or any other group. Essentially, any time the situation turns into us versus them in a democracy, we've got problems.

Dallas Police Chief David Brown is a unique man with a unique approach. He said, in response to protests about policing, "We're hiring. Get off that protest line and put an application in. And we'll put you in your neighborhood, and we will help you resolve some of the problems you're protesting about." In effect, he was saying that if you have a problem with the way things are done, get involved. It shouldn't seem like a radical solution to get involved in a democracy. It should be common sense. 

Democracy only works when people get involved. It is difficult. It takes time. It takes sustained effort. We live in a world of reality, and reality is messy. Chief Brown has been actively trying to make this real, messy world a better place for over 30 years as a police officer. He has lost his own son, as well as several fellow officers, in the process. Yet he keeps doing it because what he is striving for is a noble cause. Governor Pence, thankfully, seems to have taken Chief Brown's advice; he has been engaged civically, first as a US Representative (in Washington D.C., no less) and later as Governor of Indiana, since 2000. There is a place for everybody in a government of, for and by the people. I think Chief David Brown would encourage you to get involved in whatever way makes sense for you. We're hiring.