I almost didn’t write this one.
On Tuesday, Chicago police Sergeant Timothy Martin was found unresponsive at the Albany Park District station on North Pulaski. He was 49. He’d been on the job since December 2000, so almost 26 years. Police are calling it an apparent suicide, though the medical examiner hasn’t made a final call yet.
Those who know me know where I stand on policing in this country. I think it’s broken. Beyond repair, honestly. That hasn’t changed, and I’m not going to pretend otherwise just to make this post go down easier.
But that’s not what this is about.
What got me was the comments. I made the mistake of scrolling through a few Facebook posts about his death, and some of what I read was just… ugly. Mean. Hateful. There were comments I couldn’t even finish.
And yes, I get the anger. I have plenty of my own. But a man died, and people were turning it into a punchline. That’s where I check out.
Take the uniform out of it for a second. A man was hurting so badly that he ended his own life. Somebody lost a son. Somebody lost a coworker, a friend, a neighbor. That’s sad no matter where you stand on policing.
I keep thinking about how hard it is for people to say “I’m not okay” out loud, especially people who are supposed to look strong all the time. I don’t have a fix for that. I just know that if we only feel for people we already agree with, that’s not really compassion.
To quote the great Forrest Gump, that’s all I have to say about that.
If you’re struggling, or you’re worried about someone you love, you don’t have to carry it alone. You can call, text, or chat with 988 any time, day or night.
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