-THE TAKE-

I watched the full Tyreek Hill traffic stop video.

A lot of ya'll already know what I'm gonna say:

At what point do you take accountability for your own actions as an adult man? I don't know why so many people think that their out of order behavior is supposed to magically get orderly behavior in return...

I always talk about having a good upbringing, and how important fathers are for raising boys into men! It's so important to teach your children how to behave properly. You don't have to cower to police, but basic decorum and respect should be expected! We live in this backwards, emotional logic land where what I'm talking about is considered too uptight or "extreme" or whatever labels people want to use. But, I'm just talking about common sense. The whole thing could have and would have been avoided if he approached the situation with some sense. He was the one speeding! So when you get pulled, there's no need to be defiant or difficult. All of that is a part of having integrity. Face what you did and deal with it maturely. BUT, because you couldn't do that, now you're out here crying racism and police brutality looking foolish. And a lot of people out here crying and whining with you. It's ridiculous.

We need to teach our boys how to grow up to be Men - not just physically maturing, but mentally, spiritually, psychologically, and emotionally maturing. It's hard to get there when the people responsible for raising them act like children themselves!!!

Seriously people, snap out of it. What if the old values still hold true? Treat people with respect and get respect in return (for the most part). Let instances where that isn't true be the exception. But stop pretending that the exception is the norm. We have to get back to raising our children properly. Teaching them respect for authority is not weak. It's not "selling out." It's not you bowing down to "the man." It's called being a functional adult who understands that every interaction isn't a battlefield you have to win.

And here's the part nobody wants to sit with — Hill is a grown man with resources most people will never touch in their lifetime. Lawyers on speed dial. A platform bigger than most local news stations. If anybody had the tools to handle that stop the smart way, it was him. He didn't need to make a point on the side of the road. He needed to comply, get his ticket, and let the paperwork do the talking. Instead he turned a routine stop into a spectacle, and now the spectacle is what people remember, not whatever grievance he thought he was proving.

That's the trap with the "race first" reaction. It feels like defiance in the moment. It plays like strength on camera. But it costs you the actual argument. Because now instead of talking about how officers should de-escalate, we're all talking about whether Tyreek Hill can follow basic instructions. He handed people a reason to dismiss him, and they took it.

I'm not saying bad policing doesn't exist. It does. I'm saying you don't get to skip your own part in the story just because the other side has a history of playing dirty too. Two things can be true — an officer can be wrong, and you can still be the reason it escalated. Pick your battles. Pick them smart. Pick them in a way that actually moves things forward instead of just moving your name through another 48 hours of headlines.

Raise your sons to know the difference between standing on principle and just standing on pride. One builds something. The other just burns for a news cycle and leaves you back where you started — except now with a story people use as the example of what not to do.

-THE CLOSE-

That's the minute. You paused, you looked closer — that's the whole point. If this made you think, do two things: forward it to one person who needs to slow down too, and if somebody sent you here, get on the list so you don't miss the next one. See clearly. Think deeply. Respond wisely. — WAYTAMINUTE