[Guardian]

As a former member of the military, and someone who swore to support and defend the Constitution, I also support the protests.

I've been vocal, if not here in my personal life, about militarized police and police brutality for over a decade. While deployed, as a teenager you have to keep your calm and not shoot the wrong person in a warzone. I saw teenage men make those decisions day in and day out, and usually made the right one. I never understood why police, who are not in a warzone, continue to abuse their power and make the wrong choices day after day.