Conversations about policing have taken the mainstream stage throughout history, from its not-so-humble beginnings in slave patrols and other racist tropes, to the sociological claims that the role feeds the school-to-prison pipeline, to various inequities in staffing and community presence. To present-day stories like that of U.S. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn who faced off with Trump supporters on Jan. 6 , or Louisiana Sheriff Deputy Clyde Kerr III, who denounced police brutality and racism before taking his own life. The intricacies of being a Black officer in America can be puzzling, troubling and conflicting. NBA Legend turned writer, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar explores some of these ideas in his new essay for Amazon Original Stories, Black Cop’s Kid. "Being a Black cop’s kid made me especially sensitive to injustice" Abdul-Jabbar writes in his essay. Most widely known for his amazing basketball career, Abdul-Jabbar's story starts in New York City, the son of an NYPD officer...
