"New York’s finest, America’s bravest." The slogan on the T-shirt, advertised via e-mail, was the genesis of this column.
They’ll sell a lot of those, I found myself thinking.
On the shirt’s chest was emblazoned "NY" in red, white and blue; PD and FD were on either side, with the slogan top and bottom.
If I hadn’t already been acutely aware of it, the shirt was the clincher. We’ve been rocked, all right. There’s been a real cultural shift since Sept. 11.
How do you feel about authority figures these days?
The police? Military? The FBI and CIA?
Was it only a year ago Bruce Springsteen caused a stir with his song "American Skin (41 Shots)"? Its lyrics refer to the death of Amadou Diallo, a black West African immigrant, who was shot 41 times by four white New York City police officers. (Last year, I’d have called them cops.)
Springsteen recently performed a somber new song, "My City of Ruins," on "America: A Tribute to Heroes." The broadcast raised funds for families of terror victims, hundreds of whom were police and firefighters.
Firefighters have always been heroes. That’s easy.
My little brother’s early aspiration was the same "I wanna be" everyone’s brother had in the early 1960s — a fireman. I thought being a cowboy was better, but girls back then weren’t encouraged along any such lines. My brother was the one my mom took to deliver homemade cookies to the fire station.
Police?
Hero would not have been the first word coming to mind a year ago. Dread, maybe. I’ve felt it — haven’t you? —at the sight of a blue light in the rear-view mirror.
A darker image of law enforcement has, of course, plumbed psyches far deeper than any traffic-stop fears. A few names, a few places, you know what I mean:
Chicago 1968. Rodney King. Mark Fuhrman. WTO in Seattle. Aaron Roberts. Cracked heads, and worse.
"I think it’s overblown by the media," Everett Police Chief Jim Scharf said about the way isolated police incidents shape public perception. "In our community, people have always reached out to support us."
Respect that’s always been there is amplified by current events. It’s overt. Police agencies around Snohomish County now hear thanks and praise.
Chief Colleen Wilson of the Monroe Police Department stopped on her way home to mail something and a clerk said, "How are you doing? We appreciate what you do."
"I was standing there in my uniform, and a complete stranger behind me in line said, ‘I need to hug you.’ I’ve never experienced anything like it," she said.
"I think there was always an underlying feeling that people did respect us," Scharf said. "But people now reach out and say ‘Thank you.’ We’re getting more calls, more letters."
Scharf agreed there’s a regard for institutions that people of my generation and younger have rarely seen.
"Following Sept. 11, patriotism obviously went up to a degree we haven’t seen for a long time — people my parents’ age say since World War II," the Everett chief said.
Scharf, 54, served in Vietnam. He was drafted, by the way. He traces the wariness of authority to the 1960s and a mix of cultural changes, parenting issues and an unpopular war.
"A lot of people my age lost focus as to what it was to be an American. They saw the Vietnam War as a futile effort, and it was in many respects."
His parents, Scharf said, lived through the Depression and World War II.
"For them to see young people, their sons and daughters, react against their government, I know it was disheartening," he said.
Since Sept. 11, Scharf and his 25-year-old son have talked a lot about "what it is to be an American citizen," about voting, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
"The freedoms we have come at a price over generations," he said. "I think that’s been lost on a lot of young people. It’s tragic that it took this loss of life for people to understand it."
As for U.S. military actions in Afghanistan, he said, "I’m proud of the way we’re approaching this conflict. The approach now is for a purpose."
Here at home, people in authority notice the change.
Wilson, who said she’s been called everything from a "pig" to a "pistol-packing bitch," wants to thank her community for all the cards, flowers and cookies received since Sept. 11.
Schoolchildren, she said, changed the words of "God Bless America" to "God Bless Our Policemen." (The rewrite included, "from Seattle … to Monroe, wet with rain.")
"There’s a very different tone," Wilson said. "It’s about community as well as patriotism. There’s an awareness that we can’t do it by ourselves, and that’s a positive change."
Snohomish Police Chief Rob Sofie, too, has seen an outpouring of thanks.
"We have actually seen on the street a lot more respect," Sofie said. "They just want to say thank you, you guys have rough jobs. I’m not sure whether it’s short-lived or not, but it really feels good.
"On the other hand, there’s a lot of stress out there," Sofie said. "Calls for service are up. Demand is up. There’s a lot more tension."
So while law enforcement agencies bask in thanks, they are faced with a heightened need for security.
"We have to be as highly visible and pro-active as we can possibly be," Sofie said. "We want to send a calming message to our community."
Thanks, thanks for that.
It took the Persian Gulf War, "The Greatest Generation" and "Saving Private Ryan" to remind Americans of the sacrifices made by people in the military.
It took hell on earth for us to appreciate our men and women in uniform.
"My hope is, it stays," Scharf said.
Contact Julie Muhlstein via e-mail at muhlsteinjulie@heraldnet.com, write to her at The Herald, P.O. Box 930, Everett, WA 98206, or call 425-339-3460.
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