The Role of First Responders and Public Servants—and the Reality
First responders are law enforcement—aka police—along with EMTs and firefighters. They play a vital role in protecting communities and saving lives during emergencies. Police are often the first on the scene, providing assistance and coordinating the broader response.
From the crooked politicians we happen to vote into office to those responsible for our daily protection and public safety—law enforcement—we’ve seen the shortcomings from those meant to protect us. With law enforcement we’ve witnessed police brutality, the beatings, mental health calls gone wrong, and traffic stops that turn deadly.
A few years after the LA police riots in ’92, Michael Jackson released a song titled “They Don’t Care About Us” in 1995. And during the height of the BLM movement in 2020, the response was “Blue Lives Matter”—a phrase that, in effect, meant “screw ours.” But now I don’t believe that ever only applied to us. In action, they’re saying “screw yours” too.
Failure at Uvalde and in the Hill Country
Think about Uvalde. Police arrived within minutes at Robb Elementary—but waited 77 before confronting the shooter. That delay cost 19 children and two teachers their lives.
They ignored active shooter procedures and kept parents and the public in the dark.
Or take the recent floods in the Hill Country—those girls at Camp Mystic, Kerrville, and others in surrounding areas like Sandy Creek. Residents watched homes get swept away while no EMS, no sheriff, no fire department arrived for over a day. “Nobody came,” one woman cried at a special hearing on July 31.
There’s a Pattern
These weren’t Black people. These were children and non-minorities alike. And there’s a pattern in all these instances: that these officials, sworn to protect, are consistently choosing their own comfort and safety over the publics. That also applies to the public servants enabling such behavior—the ones who stand behind podiums making excuses instead of taking accountability and pushing for real change.
Now, some will say, “Not all…” or “That’s not how it goes…” Sure, not everyone is bad. I love Olivia Benson in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. But the point I’m making here is: we need to hold people accountable—unbiasedly.
We’ve got a system where “protection” is inconsistent at best and harmful at worst. First responders face real challenges—burnout, underfunding, staffing shortages. But those don’t explain why Black people are over policed and under-protected, why kids died in a school shooting while police waited outside, or why flood victims had to save each other. That should be out of the goodness of our hearts. Good in discernment, integrity, and justice.
The Message Seems Clear
We see these same patterns outside of these tragedies—with Donald Trump and the Project 2025 takeover, Texas’ mid-decade redistricting to gain seats for elections, etc. We must hold such people accountable by bringing our vote to the polls, during midterms, special elections, for the propositions, and beyond.
Whether it’s a cop with a knee on your neck, no one there to help while the water rises, or gunshots echoing through a classroom, the message seems clear:
They don’t care about us. Good night and good luck.
