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Public Safety Narrative
Ever since I was a kid, I could imagine myself doing some sort of public safety career. I
distinctly remember the day of one of my first career fairs while I was in elementary school. The
teacher had told us at the beginning of that week that the Friday of the school would be having a
career fair where nurses, firefighters, and others would come to our school and talk about what
they do. At the time I didn’t care, I was happier about the fact she mentioned it would most
likely take up ½ of the day and we would be out of class. There were a few things I enjoyed in
elementary school: field trips, recess, nap time, and getting out of class. But the closer it came to
Friday, the more my friends and the class talked about it. And finally, the day before, the teacher
let a few people raise their hands and called on others asking what they wanted to be when they
grew up. Some of my classmates shot their hand up instantly and were able to answer with no
hesitation. “I want to be an army soldier like my dad!” or “I want to be a doctor”. When the
teacher called on me, I genuinely didn’t have an answer. “What do you want to be Tatiana?” she
asked. I looked at her and shrugged. “Well you’ll get a chance to find out tomorrow.” she replied
enthusiastically. I guess I would. The day of was amazing. They brought a firetruck, police car
with a K-9, some huge truck with a crane-type object that lifts people super high into the air, and
more. There were a few boring moments that everyone had to sit through but overall, the
presentations were so cool. But the best 2 were when the officer and the firefighter did their
presentations. They not only talked about what they did every day, but also showed the gear they
wore and used, and told crazy stories about different experiences they went through. They even
let me and couple of my friends sit in the vehicles and put on the gear. I came home smiling and
talking up storm about how great my day was and how I finally knew what field I would be
going into.
But the older I grew, the more I began to see the complicated relationship between the
black community and public safety/enforcement. It’s not that I didn’t know there were some bad
cops and people, it’s just that I over time realized how old, widespread, hidden, and deep the
racism and discrimination was across the nation. How the criminal justice system was made to
work against blacks instead of for them. I remember seeing the news about boys like Trayvon
Martin and Michael Brown. I can picture myself in the moment when they announced on the
news the officer wouldn’t be indicted for Michael Brown’s death. I can remember the frustration
and shock I felt in response that moment. And I can replay seeing the community response where
the Ferguson exploded in anger and there were riots, looting and fires across the city. One of my
goals became to bridge that gap of distrust and hate between law enforcement and blacks by
showing that you could be, support, and connect with both sides. That it didn’t have to be an
either/or. And funny enough, a couple movies within the last few years have really put this in the
spotlight. Movies with black officer or detective leads like 21 Bridges, Just Mercy,
BlacKkKlansman, and one of my favorites, Black and Blue, really explore what it means to be
black and in public safety and how people that you work with and people of your same race may
view you.
Recently, within the last year, my goal has become even more important since racial
injustice in the United States has come to the forefront of the news, politics, businesses, and
people across the nation. When I first saw the video of how George Floyd was handled, it was
absolutely gut-wrenching. And its videos like that, which have aired on the news and YouTube,
which show how police treat blacks across the nation. It isn’t just in the south, it’s in California,
New York, Florida, and places you would least expect it. And it’s even more heartbreaking to
think of those cases and police reports where there is no bodycam or video proof and an
individual is mistreated or even killed.