matters

Your

LiFe

My name is Joe, and I work as a police officer at a large police agency in Northern California.  Recently, there has been national awareness and discussion on the issue of police/community relations, especially with communities of color.  As the discussion has percolated through social media, especially Twitter, hashtags and short, bombastic slogans have eroded thoughtful discussion and respect for the views of others.  I have spoken with people on many different sides of the issue, and have thought about it myself as well.  

One flashpoint that I see is the growing discord between groups using hashtags with #[insert group here]LivesMatter.  There are legitimate expressions from many people using these hashtags, and also some insensitive, angry, or even violent expressions from others.  This polarization seems to drive us back into our own camps with like-minded people and away from the goals of protest, publicity, and transparency: to express to others our perspectives and beliefs, so that they can hear our stories and perhaps gain understanding and trust.  

In response to the polarization, I thought of #yourlifematters.  This isn't supposed to be an affirming statement, though it certainly can be.  Instead, it's meant to hopefully foster an attitude amongst people seeking to engage in discussion about these issues; the attitude that the life (and opinions, and feelings, etc) of the person in front of you matters.  When we can say to each other that, "Your life matters." we can start breaking down the rhetoric and discussing issues civilly.