16-year-old Steven Rahor knew what he wanted to do right away.
It was the beginning of his junior year and he was sitting in his social studies class when the teacher gave out an assignment. The teacher told the students that they needed to find a partner and create a video, set to music, with images that addressed a socially significant issue of the day.
In the fall of 2016 the issues of the day centered around cops—and not in a good way. Police brutality, police violence, police racism—the idea that police are the enemy—this was the agenda-driven daily discourse. Ferguson was a year old. Riots in major cities seemed routine. Black Lives Matter was given a platform by politicians. Videos of police officers using force were everywhere, purporting to show widespread malicious intent.
This didn’t sit well with young Steven. He knew better.
See, Steven’s father is a court officer, a captain in the greater New York City area. And the captain’s son wanted to pay tribute to his father’s profession through the social studies assignment. He saw the day-to-day of his father’s work. He loved listening to his father’s stories and know his father’s colleagues. He knew they were good, hard-working people doing a difficult job.
So, he sought out a partner he knew would share his opinion. His friend, Julia Cafero, is the daughter of a correction’s officer. Together they went to work.
They picked out the music, a 2012 song by Imagine Dragons called Bleeding Out. According to Wikipedia: “Most agree that the song is about people giving all they have for another. They are willing to do everything in their power to protect this person and that includes ‘bleeding out for [them].’”
This description seemed a perfect fit for what they were trying to say about the men and women who risk their lives while wearing the uniform every day.
“We wanted to humanize the cops,” Steven told me.
So, they went to work. I could describe it in detail, but instead, stop and watch it here.
Fantastic! Right?
That’s what Steven and Julia’s teacher thought after it was shown in class along with all of the other partner’s projects.
Steven told me that he recalls the teacher telling him something along these lines: “While I don’t agree with all of the content, the video and presentation was very good.” The students received 95/100 for their effort.
An assembly was going to commence several weeks after the classroom presentation last spring and only a select group of the projects would be shown. The teacher told Steven that “it would be a great one to show” and assured him it would be included.
Steven was given a special pass so he could attend the assembly but when he saw the assembly program “Bleeding Out,” as they dubbed it, was not included as one of the videos.
So he went to his teacher.
“I got no clear answer to why my video wasn’t included,” Steven says. “My teacher told me it may have been ‘time issues.’ He then told me that a committee I never heard of made the final decision.”
I asked Steven if he ever went to the committee.
“I have no idea who was on the committee, when it met, or when and why it made the decision.”
The video eventually was highlighted in an article on Law Enforcement Today and Steven’s father put it up on his Facebook page. Not surprisingly, it exploded. People everywhere loved it—well, everywhere apparently but at Steven’s high school.
Steven told me that he had no negative comments from any students about his project. His friends all loved it.
However, when he sat through the assembly, he noticed something about those that were chose.
“I felt like I was watching the same video over and over again. They were all very one sided: anti-Trump and anti-police, and they supported Black Lives Matter and illegal immigration. There was no balance at all.”
Steven isn’t sure who pulled their video and he doesn’t really care. He’s just glad others like it especially police officers.
Today Steven is about to turn 18. He wants to be an educator. He also wants to encourage a diversity of opinions.
The same social studies teacher who assigned the project didn’t seem to share Steven’s view about true diversity. The young man told me that he generally liked his teacher but there was no ambiguity about his political stance. “He wore all black the day after the election and told class that the day was like a funeral for America and one of the worst days of his life.”
A police organization wants to put Steven’s video in their Hall of Fame but can’t unless the musical group, Imagine Dragons, gives permission. So far they haven’t.
Captain George Rahor explained to me that they have no interest in some sort of monetary gain with the video. They just want to show it to honor the police profession.
“I’ve emailed several times, called and even sent regular mail but, nothing,” says Capt. Rahor.
I’ll say what the captain won’t. It could be that Imagine Dragons finds it distasteful to be seen as a group that honors the men and women of law enforcement.
But maybe I’m wrong.
It does, however, seem as though anyone who in any way openly supports the police will have some negative blowback later on. As I’ve written numerous times, our profession does have its bad members. But statistically, it’s low and probably comparable to any other profession I imagine: TV anchors, politicians, professional comedians, actors, producers, and teachers.
Conclusion
Law enforcement officers risk their lives daily for strangers. They arrest without incident more than 95% of the time. They refrain from using force much more than resorting to it. But we are demonized, just as criminals are portrayed as victims.
Steven is finding out in his young life that reality is often trumped by agenda.
So why don’t you let Steven and Julia know that you, at least, appreciate their efforts. Let them know they aren’t alone, and that their high school teachers and administrators, with their myopic views of the world, aren’t representative of our future.
What a wise and courageous young man, and the same with his partner. I am so sorry that an evil agenda got in the way of truth. Thankfully there are people who know the truth when they see it and will stand up for it. Great job Steven and Julia!! Without the police, there would be utter chaos in the world.
Please share the video with all you know so these two people are recognized.
Steven and Julia did a fantastic job. It is a shame that their teacher preferred to push his liberal beliefs over HIS JOB, of properly educating students.
Thanks. Please share with all you know so this young man is recognized.
Wow! Just wow! Well done, Steven and Julia.
Steven and Julia, you did an excellent job on this assignment. The fact that the educators and review committee did not agree with the content and pushed their own politics is unfortunate, but I believe now it will be seen by many and not just police officers, but the public as well since I know officers will share with their friends, not just cop friends either, and there will be a snow ball effect. It is unfortunate that our profession does have its bad apples, just like other professions, but others cannot remember we are human too.
Jim I commend you on bringing this story to our attention so that we can have faith in our younger generation and so we can let them know we appreciate them.
All of you keep passing this one on.
Lt.
I am curious how you justify your stance of widow of Mr. Shaver. A man executed , murdered really, by 5 Mesa police officers
People who are doing most of the bleeding are victims of police crime, not the police officers themselves.
I urge you, and others, to listen to entire Shaver incident. Easily found in its entirety on YT. There were 5 officers on this response. The shooter was not alone. He was not even one shouting incoherent instructions. That was done his supervisor,a 20 year veteran sergeant. The sgt was incoherent, cruel, angry, and incompetent to the frigging core. Try the following;
-Laydown on carpeted floor face down, arms and legs out.
-Cross your legs, left over right, and lock your hands behind you head. Continue to face down. Do not look up or to the sides.
-Now keeping legs crossed, hands locked behind head, face down, crawl forward. You’ll find that it is next to impossible.
-Now lock hands, splay them to the sideas, as front leaning rest. Keep legs crossed. While keeping legs crossed, and head down, push up with arms to assume standing on your knees. LEGS CROSSED! Do not uncross your legs. Make a tinyest error and you will be shot.
The instructions given by the response team leader , to the victim(then suspect) were incoherent, and intended to achieve a situation where shooting was , in his mind, ‘justifiable’. This is murder, plain and simple. This is modern LEO! These are your ‘brothers’ doing this. This incident was not just a tragedy, it was murder, carried by gang thuggish ‘bad’ cops
Brailsford, the shooter , was indicted on murder2, but was found not guilty. A gross, perverse , miscarriage of justice , based ona singular fact that the perps were on-duty police officers.
The Mesa PD Sgt. Langley, who shouted commands, and is as culpable for murder of Mr. Shaver as former ofc. Brailsford. What happened to him. He was the man in charge. It was his responsibility. Three months after the murder of Shaver, former sgt. Langley retired promptly. Te emptied his bank account, liquidated his property, and promptly left the country for Philippines. Likely as a hedge, should he be indicted in the future, and definitely to protect himself from civil liability. An LEO of twenty some years, and his incompetence and ultimate cowardice, on full display. “Tried by twelve rather then carried by six” meme, is lip service. When time comes for twelve part, they run away. This is the state of American municipal LEO, today.
Shaver shoot, is why we need to disband municipal police forces, as presently constituted, and re-constitute the force , that is guided by Law, US Constitution, and common frigging sense. Right now, the American LEO is too dangerous to patrol. LEO profession today is a threat to life , liberty, and property of U.S. Citizens and legal residents. The profession is an enemy, even if its members deny it, if only to themselves.
Yesterday Wichita Police shot and killed an innocent man, a victim of a SWATing prank. Two days ago, police in Florida accidentally shot and killed a 6 year old boy, as they were shooting at an unarmed female suspect (who told them she was armed). They shot at her, with rounds going into trailer park home and hitting the kid. This week a Chicago Police Oversight board determined that CPD officer was unjustified in his shooting of a suspect with a bat, and a bystander. He shot at suspect with bystander directly behind suspect. So mantra of cops risking their lives in defense of others, does not quite ring true. So we can rage at cowardice (moral and physical) and incompetence of cops, to no end. So instead I am imploring LE community , lest they find themselves as actual targets of citizen’s rage, thus ; “HOLD YOUR FUCKING FIRE!!!”
Here you go Lt.
More videos to share about selfless sacrifice, and risking their lives for strangers. Enjoy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=8&v=ZFP7Frl-lNo
I have told this many times to many people, This profession of yours is staffed by cowards, and ‘lifer’s.
Though you don’t value my opinion, as I am not one of you, the cowardice exhibited by LEO, can be attributed to two overused words in LE training.
What are those two words. “Officer Safety”. Everything about officer safety. Officer safety first! How about duty first?
The UCMJ analogue of former Dept. Scott Peterson , is ‘Cowardice before the enemy”, and ‘Derelection Of Duty’, ‘Abandonment Of Post’, conduct unbecoming. Had this happened in combat, that Soldier, Airman, Sailor, and Marine, would looking at dishonorable discharge, life behind bars, and possibly capital punishment. Instead this POS deputy is allowed to retire, after a long and productive career.