Black Lives Matter; Systematic Change is Needed

In solidarity we stand with you. To our Black American friends, please know that we stand with you. We believe that systematic change is much needed to address the issues that you have suffered for so long. Inspired by Barrack Obama’s article on the Medium, that to sustain our efforts in the Black Lives Matter movement, we need to have politics and protests. In the objective that systematic change is needed, ‘…we need to look at the whole system including all its components and the relationships between them’. 

Silviyana is a business with the mission of ‘inspiring and tracing the creation of eco and good products, and elevating the good consumer in all of us’. To support the Black Lives Matter movement, we are taking away time to research and share facts and takeaways that may inspire you to be part of this much needed systematic change in our community. 

So let us digest this a bit more.

According to Wikipedia, the historical number of killings by law enforcement officers in the United States is as follows:

Here is a comparison of historical number of killings by law enforcement officers by other developed countries like Canada, United Kingdom and Australia:

Nas Daily just produced a video titled “It’s Too Easy To Be A Cop”. I love Nas Daily. I personally look up to him and his team for inspiration.

Some specific facts about the hiring process of police officers in California. The hiring of police officers differ from state to state, and county to county. 

In San Francisco, California, here is the process (source: Law Enforcement Edu) :

1. Meet the General Qualifications to Become a San Francisco Police Officer (includes: being a US citizen or resident alien | High school diploma minimum | 21 years old at the time of hire | Valid driver’s license | No felony convictions | no misdemeanor convictions 
2. Pass Written and Physical Ability Test 
3. Pass an Oral Examination/Interview 
4. Pass a background investigation and Polygraph, Medical and Psychological Examinations 
5. Complete San Francisco Police Officer Training (17 weeks) 

In San Jose, California, here is the process: 

1. Meet the Minimum Requirements for San Jose Police Recruit Candidacy (includes: minimum years of 20.5 | US citizen or resident alien | driver’s license | High school diploma minimum *there’s some confusing information on the website on this 
2. Pass a Physical Agility Test and Written Examination
3. Pass the Background Enquiry Test (education, livelihood, immigration, relationships are examples of topics discussed) 
4. Complete San Jose Police Training Officer (6 months/24 weeks) 

Note the differences:

1. Police Training varies by county 
2. Approach to psychological and background examinations varies by county

Some thoughts to ponder about:

1. In your mind, what are important characteristics of a good police officer?
2. What aspects are needed to change the hiring process of police officers in your county to make sure that we have empathetic police officers with a good moral code? 

May this inspire you to continue efforts towards systematic change that is much needed in our aching world,