Policing in the USA has roots in part in how the Irish-Americans earned their whiteness, by being mean to other groups that have a harder time joining the club.[0]
In the same way that female drill instructors can be misogynist, Black police officers can do harm to people of color, acting out the will of those who make calls about “suspicious people” in their neighborhood.
I used to be more naive about this, calling 911 to report infractions that felt unsafe (a car driving on the bikeway, for example, when in hindsight they had probably taken a wrong turn), and now this is not my first reaction, understanding that my call might lead to murder.
As a child I thought police officers were unarmed civil servants to help give directions. Now they tend not to live in the neighborhoods they work in, are less approachable (in vehicles), and are militarized thanks to our military-industrial-political complex (thanks, President Eisenhower, for speaking out). I want local, well-educated (emotionally and cognitively), well-paid, unarmed civil servants who act as community resources for health and safety.
Prioritizing early childhood education and the health of all citizens (not relegating subsets to living near pollution) feels like a better way forward. We may have to give up some luxuries on the way. What will you change so that we might all be healthier?
[0] https://www.worldcat.org/title/how-the-irish-became-white/