Policing the Bridge | Tim Mcmillan | TEDxSavannah

nothing in your life about working now okay including a microphone not working is inconsequential everything happens for a purpose Hey and I told my own officers you know maybe you don't turn right because that's the way you're supposed to go home maybe that's the way you're supposed to go in life now we don't know what happens left but we go right because that's what we're supposed to go October 1st 2016 I found myself very realistically in that position that morning I had just worked 16 hours and I was on my way home much to my chagrin I was saw a car traveling in front of me he was all over the road he looked like he'd clearly just got off work provided his job was drinking Jim Beam for a living I thought I had a drunk driver so I found myself that morning at an intersection now for me the way home was right but he had his blinker left so I did what you're supposed to do when you're a police officer doesn't matter how tired you are you do the right thing so in the light turned green I made a run on Ken I made a left so Joe I made a left and just as I was about to cut the blue lights on that morning I noticed something through the back window I saw a hand sticking up in the air and I could see what he was doing oh he's just texting suddenly a sigh of relief came over me my already long shift is not about to become a lot longer he's just texting and driving I'll just say hey man don't do that it's dangerous and then we'll be on our way so I cut the blue lights on and pulled this car over when I walked up to the window what I saw would forever change my life anyway touch me in ways that I didn't know we're possible when I walked up the window that morning I came face-to-face with a 18 year old african-american a kid a teenager he looked at me and he was terrified he looked at me not because he was nervous cuz he got pulled over I've been nervous I get pulled over he was scared he was scared for his life and it really hit me hard at that moment at that moment I was no longer a police officer see this is just the outer shell of who what I do that's not who I am Who I am is a father a husband a human being just like that young man and I said that I watched him with his hands in the air surrendering when I asked him nothing and he said what do you want me to do officer and it hurt me what I was seeing and I said I don't want you to get hurt so wasn't a police officer that moment I was looking into his big brown eyes it looked just like my five-year-old sons I said I don't want you to get hurt and he said to me you want me to get out of the car officer and that's when I realized he thought I said I don't want to have to hurt you I got inside be a good guy that that hurt me and so what I replied to him that morning I looked at him and I said no I don't want you to get hurt I don't want you to text and drive I don't want you to get in a car accident I want your mom to watch her baby boy grow up and be somebody I want you to do something in life I just want you to get hurt that's the first time he relaxed that's the first time he relaxed and calm down and now after there was no more police action for me I'd done enough and we parted ways that wanted it bothered me remember I said I worked 16 hours it would be hours until I could fall asleep that morning therapeutically I posted that encounter on Facebook because it needed to get out there and needed to be said and I need to decide I don't care who you want to blame this is not good I went to sleep I woke up six or eight hours later and discovered it had been shared 20,000 times it I didn't know you could max out friend requests all these types of things ultimately that Facebook post would be shared 400 million times around the world but I want to tell you the most important thing that I saw that morning and that was when I looked in that young man's eyes who was terrified I saw something that we have all forgotten I'm calling you all out on it because we forgot it there's something inside all of us called it whatever you want there's something inside all of us that spark that thing that animates us that brings us to life that is deeper than what we see outside of each other it was makes us different from every other species of this entire planet and it is the same it's life and it's the ability to have conversations like we're having now and so we talk about bridges most of our bridges that's how you breach a gap and you have conflict right we got to get to the other side well I want everybody in this audience and everybody who sees this to know when it comes to the bridge and getting along with people and resolving conflict we do not have to build it it exists we already have the connection so the challenge is for all of us all of us I include myself in this with every one of you because I want this to be all of us be willing to cross that bridge have the courage to cross that bridge and I don't mean you have to run across the whole thing be willing to at least meet people halfway and remember that we truly all all share something and so my challenge to everyone courage willingness and look at each other I don't care what's on the outside of each other look at each other and look for that spark and I promise you enough of us do that and we spread that we can solve a whole lot of problems except for a microphone malfunction thank you everybody y'all have a great day you

Channel: TEDx Talks

Views: 79,694

Keywords: TEDxTalks, English, United States, Social Science, Activism, Big problems, Criminal justice, Race

Id: lz7fva4OQzo

Length: 8min 33sec (513 seconds)

Published: Thu May 25 2017