READ the myDPS from Superintendent Tom Boasberg: Having the Courage to Speak — http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs151/1110617542386/archive/1120382559397.html
“Police officers get up everyday and risk their lives. Sometimes, they even give their lives,” stated Amyre Hollis, a sophomore at Martin Luther King, Jr. Early College.
It was early December. Just a few weeks earlier, news broke about a pair of grand jury decisions to not indict police officers over the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner. These two cases out of Ferguson, Mo., and New York City, respectively, spawned conversations across the country. Several Denver Public Schools (DPS) students took part in demonstrations regarding the matter, and are participating in conversations about the cases in classrooms throughout the city.
While most conversations have been productive, Hollis remembers one in particular that broke her heart.
“We were having a conversation in class one day, and everybody was saying ‘(forget) the police’ or ‘we hate the police.'” she recalled. “I got a little upset and started crying.”
The dean of students at MLK Jr. Early College encouraged Hollis to speak her mind, which she did at an assembly before her entire school.
“They {police officers} get up everyday and risk their lives. They put their lives on the line for someone else. They go out every day and just serve and protect. Including my mom.” she expressed in front of her peers.
Denver police officer Celena Hollis, Amyre’s mom, died in 2012 after she was shot trying to break up a fight during a concert in Denver’s City Park.
Since that time, Amyre Hollis had never shared her mother’s story with her peers.
“She busted her butt. She did a lot of work for me just to have what I need or wanted.” said Hollis.
What Hollis wants now is an understanding of her side of the story — her mom’s story.
“Police officers have feelings. They have families to go home to. They do a lot for you and their families,” said Hollis.
Officer Hollis died protecting others — their lives, their voices. For Amyre Hollis, it’s about honoring that sacrifice.
“She would say ‘Boom! That’s my baby’,” Hollis laughed. “She would just be real proud of me because I actually spoke up.”
To learn more about the Celena Hollis Foundation, visit http://www.celenahollisfoundation.org