The Royster Chronicle

  “Acknowledging the suffering of others positions your heart to never petrify.” Dr. BLR   If you’ve ever just sat with your thoughts, you’d be surprised by what you’d come up with. I just gave my students an assignment on the First and Second Amendments in light of the recent shooting in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As I sat back and thought about what they would say, my mind took me back to 1999. I was a detective in the Central Security Unit of the New Jersey State Police when the world was shocked by the events at the New York City Police Department. While searching for a rape suspect, four plainclothes detectives accosted an unarmed 23-year-old Guinean student, Amadou Diallo, standing in front of his building. The detectives believed Diallo fit the description, drove up to him, and demanded that he show his hands. For an unknown reason, Diallo ran into his building, and when asked to show his hands, he reached into his pocket to retrieve his wallet. At that moment, the de...

  “When human rights for some become debatable, we’ve lost as a civil society.” Dr. BLR   A month or so ago, I had a conversation with my niece about the state of this country. She has a little daughter and was concerned about specific books about Black Americans and other non-white groups being pulled from the shelves in libraries and bookstores. As a collector of several books on Black history, I assured her I had plenty to pass on to my children. She then asked me if I had a copy of the U.S. Constitution, which has seven articles and 27 amendments. I was baffled by why she asked me this question, because this is not something I thought she would be concerned with, given her age. As this was a FaceTime call, I told her to hold on while I retrieved my school bag. I went to my office, grabbed my bag, and returned. I then pulled out a pocket-sized copy of the Constitution that I keep with me.  Over the years, I’ve become more attuned to the ins and outs of politics. While ...

  "How much longer must we wait until your conscience bothers you before you start to change?" Dr. BLR   Several years ago, a colleague and I accompanied about 30 students on an overseas trip to Germany, Amsterdam, and Brussels. It was a great experience for all of us as we visited several police departments, courthouses, museums, and  Prinsengracht 263 in Amsterdam.  You may ask yourself who lived at that address in Amsterdam. That was the first thing I thought when the tour guide led us there and said it was where Anne Frank wrote her famous diary. If you don’t know who she is, you will need to do a Google search or read a book to find out, because this isn’t what this essay is about. As many of you may know, the city of Minnesota has been inundated with a few thousand ICE agents, who are allegedly looking to arrest and deport undocumented immigrants. If this were the case, there would be no need for me to share my thoughts, but this is the furthest thing from the ...

  “Your arrogance makes you think that everyone sees the American dream the way you do.” Dr. BLR   As the United States is about to embark on a monumental celebration, I had to ask myself whether I wanted to partake. There is no doubt this country is a wonderful place to live, particularly if you can afford the rising prices. That said, this country also has a history that often gives me pause.  My entry into this country began in 1964, when I technically didn’t have all the rights afforded to white Americans. My freedom from this discrimination began eleven days after my birth on July 2. To add insult to injury, if I had been of voting age, I still wouldn’t have been able to vote without discrimination until August 1965. Looking at it from a numbers game, minorities have only been legally free from discrimination for approximately 62 years. Let me park that for a moment. According to Nikole Hannah-Jones, author of the 1619 Project,  slavery is the foundation of...

  "Let your life depict your evolution as you present yourself to the world." Dr. BLR     It’s not every day you revisit your past and feel good about what you’ve discovered. I was feeling nostalgic about my military days while looking at an old photo of me, selected as a squad leader in my platoon. I searched the internet for a site where military personnel could reconnect. I found a Facebook group linked to Fort Dix Army Base, where I completed basic training in 1981. I posted a picture of my battalion, C-2-5, in the chat group and asked if anyone there was with me. It was a long shot, but I tried.    Six months later, I received a response from someone claiming to have been there and to have trained with me. Of course, I was skeptical and didn’t reply until he sent a black-and-white copy of my photo from the graduation book. I was astonished to see the photo for the first time and shocked to see myself at seventeen. I didn’t know what to say or think, bu...

  “Your bold effort to challenge the established rules around controversy will force people to confront the consequences of your decision.” Dr.BLR     The day has come for us to address not the elephant in the room, but the Tyrannosaurus in the room that no one wants to acknowledge. To what am I referring? It is the performance of police officers in society. Many have placed their lives on the line every day. Protecting and serving the country's citizens is their calling. In return, they sought an opportunity to earn a good living and the prospects of a decent retirement with medical benefits. To get their just due, they needed to be honest and professional. However, somewhere along the way, they lost focus and began to believe they were greater than the sum total of society. They forgot that they are public servants, paid by taxpayers to serve them. Why did this happen?   It happened because many of them forgot where they came from and how far the profession ha...

“Don’t be upset when your children choose a different path than what you planned for them, because at some point, you also had to find your way.” Dr. BLR   At some point in a parent’s life, they will be asked a difficult question by their child. I didn’t know when one of my kids would ask, but I’d hoped it would be in their teens. When it was my turn to try to answer my kid’s question, I was going to answer as truthfully as possible. Unfortunately, my son caught me off guard one time and straight up asked me, “Dad, what’s a hoe?”  I looked at him with utter amazement because he caught me off guard. I tried to remain stoic and not let any expression give him the impression he had asked a “bad” question. I had two responses I thought would put the question to bed. The first was, “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Go ask your mom.” The second was, “Son, from what I’ve been told, it’s a woman or a man who has had many partners.” So there. That should have been enough, but ...

“When human rights for some become debatable, we’ve lost as a civil society.” Dr. BLR   In the ever-changing news cycle, if you blink, you will most definitely miss important information. Well, that is, unless you can get the omnipotent leader of the free world off the goddamn television. Over the past five days, most news media around the world have focused on the shooting death of Renee Nicole Good in Minnesota by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent. Rightfully so. A few GoFundMe pages have been set up for her family, and they have allegedly raised more than $1 million. Rightfully so.  There has been so much said about how wonderful Renee Nicole Good was to her family and community. The pictures posted on social media show the extent of the media attention and the concern people have. Now, if I were to ask you who Keith Porter, Jr. was, would you be able to tell me? Probably not.  On New Year’s Eve, Keith Porter Jr., a resident of the Northridge sect...

  “Never let yourself fall prey to the need to stay relevant on a social media platform, as viewers may not be very receptive.” Dr. BLR    When I had my two kids, I was an older father. Some would say I was old enough to be their grandfather. However, I didn’t care because I wanted to share my bundles of joy with my family, friends, and students. So, what did I do? I posted many of their silliest photos on Facebook and, eventually, on Instagram after I learned to set up an account. I was happy, and my kids became rock stars among those who viewed my posts. I guess this is what a retired state trooper can do with no repercussions.  For the hundreds of my former students who have gone on to become law enforcement officers, the safety of posting family pictures, vacation photos, and videos of their antics is no longer guaranteed. If you haven’t been keeping up with media coverage, the days when citizens loved the police are over. Yes, a significant number of Americans s...

                                                                                  “The day a police officer considers themselves only 'Blue' is when they've become lost.” Dr. BLR I always like to give people the benefit of the doubt until I can gather most, if not all, of the facts. The picture above is something I observed on Facebook in a law enforcement-only forum (LEO). It was posted a day after the ICE shooting of a white lesbian woman, later identified as Renee Nicole Good, a mother of three, age 37, and a Minnesota resident. From the video evidence, it appeared that several ICE agents were barking orders at Good and attempting to enter her vehicle. One officer, later identified as Jonathan Ross, standing in front of Good’s vehicle, stepped to the side and was possibly grazed as ...

    "In rejecting diplomacy, wartime leaders make murderers of sycophants." Dr. BLR   I am a firm believer that if you have never served or had someone in your family serve in the military, then by all means, you should never be put in a position where you have to decide whether others will have to fight in a war. Moreover, if you have dodged military service because of your elite status, then shut the fuck up. I know these are harsh words, but I don’t care. Life is precious, and anyone telling our young people to place their lives on the line should at least have some skin in the game.  By now, you should know who I’m referring to, right? You’re right, it’s President Trump. I recall many of his campaign speeches in which he called for “No more endless wars.” While I didn’t know what to make of his promises, I thought he really meant this one. Boy, was I wrong. Since returning to the office, according to data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project,...

  “A democracy can never survive if pawns don’t protect other pawns.” Dr. BLR   The old saying goes that politics are a strange bedfellow, that’s unless you don’t lie down with the same dogs. The world had to endure the lunacy of the Biden/Trump and then Harris/Trump shenanigans for the latter part of 2024. The result is still heartbreaking for at least half of the voting public, but I won’t go back in history.  A canvass of politicians from around the country will showcase geriatrics at all levels of government. As someone in favor of term limits for all these grifters, it’s refreshing when a young person comes along to challenge the established dead wood. No pun intended. Well, maybe. Zohran Mamdani, say that a few times! A young local New York City politician told himself he was tired as hell and wasn’t going to take it anymore. Okay, I don’t think he said that, but you get my drift. He decided to take on disgraced former New York Governor Mario Cuomo, whom he kicked a...

“There is no community when the individual is only in it for themselves.” Dr. BLR As someone who recently entered a new decade and looks forward to a few more, I've found that growing older has opened my eyes to life's realities and the people within it. Maybe I should’ve paid better attention, but I am a slow learner. Keeping my eyes open helps me give the best advice when asked. I have nothing to gain from what I say, only that those who ask for my advice think about it.  From the outset, I’ll admit I’m not disheartened when people put their best interests first. This is human behavior and should be expected. However, it’s been my experience that many people really don’t give a fuck. What am I referring to?  This has been a challenging year for many families who have lost someone, mine included. I find some platitudes of sympathy empty. Oftentimes, you’ll hear “I’m sorry for your loss” or “Just call me if you need anything.” I get it. We all have busy lives, but if you were ...