The Voice of Southwest Louisiana

editor’s
By Brenda Hill
Protect the
people…
Serve the
people…
As I drove eastward in the left
lane on McNeese St., from
Kroger’s a few days ago, I saw
in my rearview mirror a funeral
procession coming towards
me in the right lane. I stopped
in honor of the deceased &
bereaved. Two sheriff cars
pulled up on my left to direct
traffic and to proceed towards
the right on Common St, but
one officer makes two jestures
with his hand for me to
move over. My grandchildren
were buckled in the back in
their car seats and the three
year old shouts, “They are going
to kill us Honey! They are
going to kill us!” I turned to
look at him and became very
disturbed when I saw his face
filled with fear.
My personality developed
in the sixties during a serious
time of unrest & racial
tension. John F. Kennedy,
Martin Luther King, Jr., &
Bobby Kennedy were all
assassinated and ‘Blacks’ were
sprayed with water hoses
while being attacked by dogs.
As a young child of 4 years
old and upward, I witnessed
each of these events at home
on our black & white television.
These visions of men in
leadership with authority and
different colored individuals
being handled in a disrespectful
way impacted me
deeply as a young child.
In the little town of Cameron,
LA., my teacher, Miss
Allen, had a large cardboard
poster of an animated white
Police Officer in blue uniform
displayed on our wall in the
classroom. On a daily basis we
repeated after her, “The man
in blue is a friend to you.” At
home my mom demonstrated
how ‘the man in blue is
a friend to you’ when police
officers came to purchase
seafood from my dad’s business
and we would go shop in
their neighborhoods for our
household goods.
Seeing that fear on my grand
man’s face prompted me to
speak with his mom about
taking a field trip down to the
police station. In our home,
we still teach that ‘the man
in blue is a friend to you,’ and
he is placed in authority by
God to protect and serve our
communities. (Romans Chp.
13) So I went to visit Chief of
Police, Don Dixon of the Lake
Charles Police Department.
He was very welcoming and
listened to my concerns. He
immediately invited me to
bring Caleb to visit the station
the next day. I spoke to Caleb
about his visit and he seemed
happy to go. He asked me
many questions. We arrived
the next day, Caleb began
to walk slowly and observed
everything with wide eyes,
caution and apprehension.
We entered Chief Dixon’s
office where he and Deputy
Chief Shawn Caldwell were
present. I reached to shake
their hands so that Caleb
would feel invited and safe.
Chief Dixon shook Caleb’s
hand and so did Chief Deputy
Caldwell. Caleb was hesitant
and cautious. Chief Dixon
spoke very friendly to Caleb,
just as a grandfather would
speak to a grandson. He offered
Caleb treats, made him
a Junior Deputy, and gave
him a coin to remind him to
obey rules and show respect
for authority. He even gave
him a business card just in
case he needed to call and
speak to him directly about
his concerns. Caleb remained
cautious and guarded. Other
officers greeted Caleb at
the station with hugs, high
fives and the fist to fist bump.
He even met Cajun L’Bear, a
stuffed bear that hangs out
in Chief Dixon’s office. The
men in blue were friends to
Caleb. Caleb remained very
close to my side throughout
the entire visit and continued
to respond with caution and
apprehension. When we got
back to the car, I asked Caleb
what did he feel about his
trip. He said, “I didn’t know
how to talk to them and tell
them my little sister hit me. I
didn’t want her to go to jail.”
Please have open dialoque
with our little ones. They see.
They feel. I am committed in
my belief that what is put in
the heart of a child is far more
powerful than what society
puts on the back of a child.
August 2016 WWW.THEVOICEOFSOUTHWESTLA.COM Volume 4 • Number 1