It’s a hard pill to swallow when you are used for bad, Trying to go against the grain but you get why people are mad. The boys in blue represent a larger system that doesn’t care, One that doesn’t see the love in a community stare.
If I’m honest, it struck a nerve, The hypocrisies in “protect and serve.” If that was what policing is really about, Then why do we home-invade someone’s house? Why is it we don’t give everyone the same grace, When we make decisions to arrest and tase? Breonna Taylor’s life, it mattered to me, A police badge doesn’t bring peace.
The reason I don’t believe in reform claims anymore, Is because I was at an agency that had reform galore! And us being a “progressive agency” was news to me, Because there’s nothing progressive about the harm I’ve seen.
When we got to work with boots laced right, I saw some can’t wait to arrest and want to fight. If you got into the job for the action, Or don’t see the distraction, Then you become a hazard and should leave, And really shouldn’t be patrolling the streets.
What “protect and serve” should actually be, Is compassionately serving the community. But a system built on evil that preys on people’s downfalls, Will never rise to meet the justice calls.
As a cop, I tried hard to uplift, do what was right, But I was still used as a tool to dim my community’s light. Officers are honestly pawns in all of this too, We are human beings, we don’t bleed blue.
From the depression, trauma, and suicide rates, I saw some officers’ lives ruined, and it’s not okay.
But through collective love, healing, and direct action, There is hope to build movements that gain traction. To build new structures truly focused on safety, Where all people can truly live free.
And whatever we do, I know it can’t be minimal, Fighting against this system I call the criminal.
Motivated by a commitment to serve the community that raised her, Alyshia Dyer completed police academy training in 2011 and served as a police officer at the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office. She then realized that true public safety requires leadership that cares and the courage to change bad policing practices. Her experience responding to 911 calls for service, and seeing tragic deaths of young people she mentored due to gun violence motivated her to do more. She completed advanced degrees from the University of Michigan’s Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and School of Social Work, then gained administrative experience at the City of Detroit Civil Rights Department. She has worked for MOSES as a lead Health Justice Organizer where she fought for voting rights and helped organize around securing reproductive freedoms in Michigan. Currently working as a therapist, Alyshia’s decision to run for Sheriff reflects her passion for public service and understanding of the legal system’s impact on Washtenaw County residents.
