DEC 2020 Blues Vol 36 No. 12 - 36TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

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36 years and counting Twelve months ago, we began a journey. A journey that actually began 36 years ago this month. When we made the decision to resurrect the BLUES, we had no idea we were about to enter the twilight zone. Creating a digital version of the oldest private police newspaper in Texas was daunting, yet exciting at the same time. We knew what to do and how to do it. What I personally didn’t expect, was the flood of emotions of reliving 35 years of policing in Texas. Not only my experiences, but those of all my brothers and sisters in Blue. Anybody in law enforcement will tell you they compartmentalize their worst experiences in order to have any semblance of a normal life. But when you dredge up all those memories and begin to put them in words for the world to see, all those bottled up feelings come back with a vengeance. And in the midst of these PTSD flashbacks, the world suddenly changed course and life as we know it changed as well. March 7, 2020 was THE day that I was first informed of what a Coronavirus was. And that something called COVID was about to impact my life and millions of people on earth. As of December 1, 2020, over 14.2 million Americans have contracted the virus and over 276,000 have died. In the world, 65.4 million have contracted COVID and 1.51 Million have died. As we went to press, 158 police officers have lost their lives to the pandemic. Over 35 people I know personally have died. Thinking back to last New Years Eve, at the stroke of midnight, I toasted to the beginning of a new year that I thought was about to be something incredible and life changing. I was referring to bringing the BLUES back to life. Not a pandemic that would kill my friends. Not a war against police that result in 270 police officers losing their lives. 2020 was life changing alright, but certainly not like I envisioned it to be. And in the midst of this horrible battle, millions of Americans rallied together to support their president in ways never seen before. The re-election of Trump seemed like a slam dunk. But that too faded into an unbelievable defeat. Despite claims of voter fraud and a rigged election, Biden will take office January 20, 2021 and the fate of future Trump trains remains unknown. What do the thousands, no millions of pro-Trump, pro-police people do now? Trump lit a fire in the hearts of Americans never seen before. He made people proud of their country and more importantly proud and supportive of their police. This movement must continue. The BLUES is hell bent on re-directing this massive Trump Train into a BACKthe-BLUE movement the likes of which we have never seen before. The only way to survive four years of Biden’s bullshit is to show him and his cronies that the majority of Americans support law and order. We will stand with and protect our police to the bitter end. We are unwavering in our commitment and unstoppable in numbers. You will not burn down our cities, nor will you hurt our brothers and sisters in blue. We will fight you and we will be victorious. As the year comes to a close, I feel like we are all on a beach at sunset, after a hurricane. There may be total destruction behind us, but the beautiful sun setting on crystal clear water says I’m the future and it’s better. Like so many times before, God has reset humanity. We are so wrapped up in what we think we NEED to do to live, we let life slip by without ever knowing it. If nothing else, 2020 taught us how to live life differently when needed. Taught us to appreciate the smaller things in life and realize how fragile it is. Showed us we need to spend time with our parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters, as their time here is shorter than we think. And for that matter, time is short for all of us. We have to make each day count, live each day as if it were our last and do our best to leave this world a little bit better than we found it. And as the sun slowly sets on 2020, all we really know about 2021 is that sun will rise again. And when it does, we need to rally around our brothers and sisters in Blue and show them once and for all we have their backs and we will not stand for more innocent lives to be lost. Each of us needs to watch each others back, both on duty and off. If you see a fellow officer out on traffic or making contact with a subject, take a minute to make sure they are OK. And let’s take time to do what we can for those officers that are sick with COVID. I know we can’t visit them in person, but do what ever you can, and make sure they know we are all praying for them. And let’s also not forget our brothers and sisters that have retired. Just because they no longer wear a badge and uniform, doesn’t mean they aren’t still a part of the BLUE family. These men and women dedicated their lives to making sure you and your family had a safe environment to grow up in. We owe them a huge debt of gratitude for their service. In the first quarter of 2021, the BLUES is going to organize the largest BLUE reunion in the history of Houston. A chance for first responders who have served in the Greater Houston area in the past 50 years, to come together and celebrate our history together. If you would like to assist with the planning of this monumental event, send us a quick email to: bluespdmag@gmail. com. Also watch our social media pages for more information on this incredible event. As we close the books on 2020, the entire staff at the BLUES would like to wish you and your family the happiest of Holidays. A Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and a Happy New Year. May God Bless our entire BLUE family. HAPPY HOLIDAYS 6 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 7