So the one common thing I got from all the police officers was that they didn’t think I was acting at all, the authenticity and the reality with which I portrayed the part was really uncanny for them. They know people like that or they themselves are like that on duty.

Through the police I could see human beings for truly what they are.

I had to understand the history of police inadequacy to these harms and then learn that, well, the police weren't created to respond to these harms in

But despite this selfless service—of these two officers and countless others like them across the country—in some American communities, people view the police not as allies, but as antagonists, and think of them not with respect or gratitude, but with suspicion and distrust.

It was already one of the hazards of being police that you became suspicious of the everyday. You didn’t have to spend much time on the job before realising that professional criminals are comparatively rare and that crime is something committed by ordinary people.

You know, before when (the police went) to work, they used to be like, 'I'm gonna kick somebody's ass today and so I hope I can catch somebody in a bad situation or breaking the law, because I'm gonna beat someone's ass in a big way, I think that attitude has changed.

They were murderers and they still are, but policemen are like dogs on a leash.… The police function under political direction. They go after whoever they are sent after, and that's where the problem comes in.… Black people were moving out of their traditional position in America. Nobody knew what to do about it. The white politicians were confused, the blacks were confused.… the police were told to go out, stop those civil-rights marches … and they went out and did that. When you talk to police now who participated in that, you find out that they were in the same position we were in — just trying to find the right formula.

The police is on some different shit. I know you noticed it here. I want you to know it's like that everywhere. The police is on some different shit. Now, I know it's some cops in here. We do not mean y'all. Y'all are doing a great job. We appreciate it. Just doing your job, keeping us safe out there, and thank you so much. It's the ones outside we talking about. They on some different shit. The police used to be serve and protect. Used to be you are presumed innocent until you are proven guilty. Police is on some different shit. They done figured out they can kill your ass today and come up with a story for the news tomorrow. They done figured that shit out, and they done got so good, they can show us the truth, and we can see the truth with our own eyes, and then they can lie to us at the same time and confuse us about the truth we just saw with our own eyes. Okay, the first time we all saw it was at the Boston Marathon bombing. Everybody was looking for the fake-ass, bullshit-ass terrorists. He had a four-day head start. He could have been anywhere. But we knew he was in the boat 'cause they told us he was in the boat from a helicopter. "That's him in the boat right there. That's him in the boat." Drew a picture around him. "That's him laying down at the bottom of the boat. That's..." Then they said, "The police are here. We going to back up, let the police go in and begin negotiations." And all we heard was... then they cut to commercial. By the time they came back, that motherfucker had 20 holes in his chest, a tunnel in his throat. The next day, they say, "He was in a gunfight... but he didn't have a gun." Ask a nigga, that is not a gunfight. That's a drive-by right there. That's... that's an execution you got caught in. Second time we saw it... second time we saw it was in LA when they was looking for the ex-black cop, Christopher Dorner. That was some scary shit. They wanted that nigga bad. Let me just tell you I was in LA at the time, and let me just say you do not want to be a nigga when they are looking for niggas. That was some scary shit. I didn't realize how much of my time I spent being black till I had to try to drive white for two days. I'm all up on the steering wheel. Them motherfuckers wanted that nigga bad! They shot up two Hispanic women in a pickup truck delivering newspapers at 4:30 in the morning looking for a nigga. Wait a minute. That is too early and too late for niggas. We not fixing to be nowhere at 4:30 in the morning, not even if we supposed to be. But we knew he was in the cabin 'cause they told us he was in the cabin. "He's in the cabin. The police have him completely surrounded. There's nowhere for him to go. We're going to back up, let the police go in and begin negotiations." And all we saw was, "Get that motherfucker!" Then they said, "It looks like he committed suicide." They just barbecued this nigga on national TV. I know the police is on some different shit. You don't have to tell me. I found out the hard way.

When the police first came to me, I made some misrepresentations, having been asked if she had lied by Caroline Haughey KC, prosecuting.

I’m not against the police; I'm just afraid of them.

And I know that there are cops who think of themselves as good cops but, even if unconsciously, see a black man in a T-shirt and jeans as more threatening than a white man dressed the same way.

The police are often the least likely people to be able to solve problems, to think in nuanced ways about emotional pain and its projections, and as a result are not the people we need help from if we are interested in creating peace.

Anyone who perceives my message as anti-police is completely mistaken. I have so much admiration and respect for officers and the families of officers who sacrifice themselves to keep us safe. But let's be clear: I am against police brutality and injustice. Those are two separate things.

The trouble with cops is not that they're dumb or crooked or tough, but that they think just being a cop gives them a little something that they didn't have before. Maybe it did once, but not anymore. They're topped by too many smart minds.