Anna-police

Anna-police

Meg Zink, Co-Editor

On the weekend of April 25th, NDP sent down a delegation to Annapolis to participate in the YMCA Youth and Government program. Out of all the amazing opportunities that the program has to offer, one of them is participation in the press corps. While in Annapolis, the press discovered a “United For Blue” rally that had gathered in front of the statehouse. The MD Youth and Government press was able to get an interview with the representatives of the organization before any of the official press did. The interview was conducted by Will Sogge and Greg Zapas from Dulaney High School and was then published in “The Crab Chronicles,” a publication produced and edited by three NDP girls, Margaux Haiber, Nicoletta Minutella, and Meg Zink. Here is the republished article from “The Crab Chronicles”.

“Police Force is Feeling Blue”

By Will Sogge and Greg Zapas

On Sunday afternoon, a public rally for our nation’s law enforcement officers was held in the Thurgood Marshall Plaza by a volunteer organization called “United for Blue.”

“United for Blue is an organization that is trying to bring awareness and support for our police officers in the communities that they serve in,” co-organizer Bobbie Padgett said. The plaza was swarmed with a sea of blue shirts showing support for our nation’s police officers.

The rally contained many speakers, one of which was Sue Nickerson, a mother of a police officer who died while on duty.

“My son was murdered in 2001. He was shot and killed along with his back up partner. It was supposedly for a loud noise complaint,” Nickerson said.

Nickerson is a leader in a group called “Concerns of Police Survivors” which deals with police officers lost in the line of duty. “As soon as there is a death or an injury, we’re called from anywhere in the state of Maryland to go and support the family,” she said.

Another prominent speaker at the event was legislative member of the Maryland House of Delegates and former Marine, David Vogt.

“So many people have a negative opinion of our law enforcement officers because of what is on the news. We never praise them for the good things they do,” Del. Vogt said. “This rally is thanking them for their service.”

Del. Vogt was not planning on speaking at the United for Blue rally, but was instead simply walking by when it was being set up. While speaking in front of the crowd, he explained that he had planned on eating lunch with his friend on Saturday, but he was glad he coincidentally rescheduled to Sunday and was able to walk by the rally.

The United for Blue organization is small and has only had three public rallies so far, Padgett said. “It’s small, but it’s growing,” she explained.

The organization, though young, already has ways for the public to get involved in supporting our law enforcement.

“We’re asking students in schools and churches to write a little thank you letter that we can distribute to the police officers during police week, which is next month in Washington, DC,” Padgett said.

Towards the end of the rally, the crowd and the other members of the United for Blue organization were silent for a moment of prayer.

“You just pray. You pray a lot,” Nickerson said when explaining the best way to cope with the loss of police officers in the line of duty.

The rally held on Sunday afternoon was actually not planned as a response to the recent Baltimore riots, but in fact, was planned months in advance. “It was intriguing and very unfortunate timing that the Baltimore riot happened, but this was a planned event that they were going to be here for anyway,” Del. Vogt said.

(This article was originally printed on April 20th in the 3rd edition of the MD Youth and Government “Crab Chronicles”)