‘Back the Blue March’ Slated for Tomorrow Morning in Shreveport

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I can't imagine that police officers feel on a daily basis, much less in the climate our country is experiencing at this point. I don't ever wonder if the Good Lord is calling me home today just because I'm out doing my job.

Most of us have no idea what an officer, deputy, trooper or marshall's work life entails, and to be honest, most of us really don't need to know. Quoting Jack Nicholson from the blockbuster, "A Few Good Men," "You can't handle the truth." Am I being callous or showing apathy? No, I'm just realistic. We have no idea of the near death experiences they have from simple traffic stops to domestic abuse calls. We're not aware of the times they go home and cry because of the children they just had to place in the care of the state because Mom and Dad were arrested for making meth in the family tub. Much less the children they discover who've been terribly abused. We don't know, and we really don't want to know.

We just know that we rest easy at night because these men and women have dedicated their lives to protecting their community. And for that, we are eternally grateful. And tomorrow, we'll have the opportunity to show our gratitude with the "Back The Blue March" scheduled to begin at 8:45 am at the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium.

We'll gather in the parking lot, obviously wearing our masks and practicing social distancing to keep everyone safe, and then around 9:00 am the walk will begin down Texas Street for approximately two and a half blocks down to the patrol desk of the headquarters of the Shreveport Police Department.

"Back The Blue March" host Debra Livings Kelly, says “I can’t think of a more challenging job because they’re not just police officers. These men & women are police officers, social workers, referees, and some have even saved lives using their Belt Trauma Kits, so they’re medical first responders”

Kelly, Shreveport Police Chaplain, goes on to say, “My goal is to bring the community together and show them that the men and women is the Shreveport Police Department, and the surrounding areas, for the most part, are good, kind, caring, compassionate men & women who put on the badge, the uniform and the gun belt with the ultimate goal being to come home to their families. They get ready for work, get in their patrol car and say ‘nothing’s gonna hurt you tonight ~ not on my watch!”

She adds, “I want to recreate a culture that we had years ago when I was a kid. We had “Officer Friendly” in our schools ~ kinda like today’s School Resource Officers. These offices were positive role models that we, as children, could go to whenever we were in trouble, if we had problems with bullies on the playground, if we had trouble at home. I’d love to see the days return where children, and the public in general, can wave at police officers, smile and tip their hats.”