Cooperation or Condemnation
Human beings are not infallible, and anyone is capable of erring or misjudging a situation, often due to unforeseen or undisclosed information.
Recently, a friend shared two incidents with me. In one, they called the police after witnessing what appeared to be an assault in a parking lot, only to learn later that the individual involved was autistic and the woman he attacked was his mother. In another instance, officers used stringent tactics to apprehend a man who did not comply with orders to turn around on private property, later discovering he was born deaf.
I experienced a similar situation myself while traveling. I was detained at airport security, missed my flight, and had my belongings thoroughly searched, and I was searched head to toe and everywhere possible, over a small three-inch pair of pelican embroidery scissors. While it was a most humiliating experience, being treated as a criminal at my expense, I had to recognize that these actions were taken in the interest of public safety.
Additionally, it recently made national news when a license plate reader error led to an innocent women being locked up for 30 days.
There have also been a plethora of reports of law enforcement personnel grossly misusing surveillance Flock tools and technology. But I want say here that there are a lot of good and truly sincere law enforcement personnel who have risked their own lives to save the lives of other people.
However, isolated mistakes or instances of misconduct, do not justify labeling an entire profession. For the most part, our law enforcement officers at the local, state, and federal levels are vital to our safety and wellbeing. There are far more individuals in these professions acting with good intentions than corrupt ones.
I can’t imagine how difficult it is for many of these professionals to go out there in the streets every day and protect us, while knowing that they put their lives at risk for us.
The Fairhaven Neighborhood News last week (10/8/26 issue) characterized our federal law enforcement officers as terrorists* Broadly condemning an entire group of professionals is unjust, especially given their role in protecting our community from genuine threats.
It is not just immigrants that have been at the hands of error. Every day innocent citizens have been wrongly accused, some having even spent many years in prison over a crime they didn’t commit.
However, could you imagine if we had no law enforcement whatsoever in our world? .
Also I truly believe in helping people, and I hope this helps.
In my view, political strategies that amplify conflict rather than foster cooperation are detrimental. While I fully support assisting those in need, I believe aid should be paired with self-reliance. Additionally, adherence to the legal process is essential, and to include immigration. Many immigrants, that I know, have taken the proper legal steps to immigrate, and I believe everyone entering the country should be expected to follow those same established laws.
Michelle Costen, Fairhaven
*Editor’s note: This is a gross misinterpretation of the editor’s letter in the 10/8/26 issue. I encourage you to read it yourself
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