1. Running head: THE BLUE WALL OF SILENCE 1
The blue wall of silence
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2. Running head: THE BLUE WALL OF SILENCE 2
The blue wall of silence
Mike Cox had mixed reactions after he was beaten by his fellow colleagues at the police
department. He felt that it was a terrible mistake and he did not picture it becoming a federal
case. Nevertheless, he was optimistic when it came to justice. He believed that although officers
were protective when it came to their colleagues, the end result would be fair trial for the people
who had beaten him up. Mike was confident that the people who had done this would own up to
their actions – each coming forward to offer an apology. What continued to bother Mike was his
family’s reaction. (Lehr, 2009)
He did not expect his family to come to terms with what had happened. Nine days after
his assault, he started receiving weird telephone calls. These came right after a story had been
published in the newspaper – linking Mike to the capture of four murder suspects. Soon, the
police department came out to state that there was no complaint filed yet and that there were no
assumptions of any wrongdoing yet. The calls became persistent, with the screaming and
swearing increasing, but instead of throwing Mike off balance, the calls helped him build his
focus. Over time, Mike grew cautious of his surrounding – especially his home. He would sleep
– but not soundly. This came after Mike had the taken the matter seriously and filed a case with a
grand jury. He started being treated as an outcast by his other officers – especially those close to
the people who had been involved in the violent act. The more the humiliation continued to
disturb Mike, the more he got aggressive in the pursuit of justice – going after individual officers
with lawsuits. As he continued pursuing justice, he came face to face a form of fear that proved
to be a challenge. In his pursuit of justice, he started contemplating about the harm he was
bringing to the police department and the outcomes of the justice process. For a moment, this
seemed too much for him to bear. (Lehr, 2009)

3. Running head: THE BLUE WALL OF SILENCE 3
Reference
Lehr, D. (2009). The fence: a police cover-up along Boston’s racial divide. New York: Harper
Publishers.