Just last week, I spoke to about 40 kids at the city’s Cops and Kids Summer Camp — young, open-hearted kids. If you know my story, you know how unlikely that moment might seem.
I told them the truth, just like one of my mentors once told me to tell my son as he grew up: my truth, the officer’s mistakes, my own mistakes. One girl said she used to be afraid of police but now sees there are good ones. That stuck with me.
These kids weren’t just talking about swimming or seeing police cruisers at camp; they were talking about trust. About seeing people, not just uniforms. Being there felt full circle. It brought back memories. Because before I became someone invited to speak at events like this, before I had a son of my own, I was someone else entirely.
In 2012, my life was irrevocably altered when I was shot five times by a Pittsburgh police officer during a traffic stop in which I was mistaken for another man. I was left paralyzed…