Paralympic Star, Pastor, Mental Health Advocate 'Back The Blue'

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Megan Parker wiped a tear from her eye as she gazed into the comfort of her Blue Lives Matter flag. It stood resolute, baking under the Annapolis sun. To her, the flag is more than a piece of cloth; it is a symbol of hope.

Police saved her friend's life. For Parker, the flag shows her endless gratitude for their work.

The black and white banner is a grayscale rendition of the American flag. The one pop of color on the pennant is a lone blue stripe down the middle that touts her support of the pro-police, Blue Lives Matter movement.

Racial tensions have flared since the death of George Floyd on May 25. Floyd, a Black man, died while a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck. Protesters around the country have united under the Black Lives Matter movement to demand police reform and justice for the victims of officer brutality.

Supporters of Blue Lives Matter condemn those “bad apples” while also championing the police. They “Back the Blue” to show support for the officers they say are integral to their communities.

The Anne Arundel County Republican Party hosted a rally in front of the State House Thursday afternoon, applauding police officers. Del. Sid Saab (R-33) served as the master of ceremonies.

Fellow Anne Arundel County Dels. Seth Howard (R-30B), Nicholaus Kipke (R-31B), Brian Chisholm (R-31B) and Michael Malone (R-33) were all present, but they did not speak. About 100 people attended the gathering.

The event came three days after an Odenton man filed a use-of-force lawsuit against the Anne Arundel County Police Department. Police Chief Timothy Altomare announced his retirement the next day. Altomare and other police chiefs attended the rally, defending law enforcement.

While three officers are wrapped up in the suit, including one suspended corporal, these counter protesters have different experiences with police. For Parker, that experience turned out to be life-saving.

Mental Health Advocate

The night before Floyd’s death rocked the policing world, Parker had to call 911. One of her friends was trying to self-harm, she said.

Parker had helped her friend battle mental health troubles for years, but this night was far more gut-wrenching. As her friend ran around the house trying to find anything she could use as a weapon, Parker knew she needed backup.

This wasn’t the first time that Parker’s friend had tried to hurt herself. Two years prior, she cut her arms and needed medical attention. Police responded to soothe Parker’s friend and take her to the hospital.

This year, the friend's mental health was in a more critical state, and she was threatening to take her own life. By chance, the same police officer pulled up to her friend’s home, hoping to save her once again.

“Corporal [Mark] Robshaw, I will never forget him,” Parker said of the Calvert County police officer. “He remembered her from the last time she cut herself.”

Robshaw calmly asked the friend if she knew who he was. He encouraged her to come to the hospital with him to get help, Parker said. The friend eased and agreed to seek emergency mental health treatment.

After a few quiet moments, Parker’s friend ran downstairs to the kitchen, snatching a knife from the sink. Before the friend could turn the blade to her skin, an assisting officer disarmed and handcuffed her to keep her safe.

“I couldn’t have saved her alone that night,” Parker said. “ They helped me save her.”

Parker’s friend is still alive. That’s why Parker, a white woman from Huntingtown, flies her Blue Lives Matter flag.

She stood firm, toting the pro-police emblem as she sat on the brick steps of the House of Delegates Office Building. Many drivers cheered her on with honks and fist bumps as they passed. A few shot her looks of disgust.

The noisiest dissenter, a young Black woman, shouted “Blue Lives aren’t real!” from the passenger seat of a car driving by. She returned a few minutes later, this time yelling “Stop being racist!”

Parker replied with a roaring “Back the Blue!”

“There is nothing racist about protecting your community,” Parker said, still teary from telling her friend’s story. “For me, it really hits because it happened the day before everything with George Floyd.”

Floyd died three months ago, and protesters are still outraged. Some have urged legislators to “defund the police.” Most of these activists understand the heavy workload officers face. They also realize that police are often dispatched to scenes where they may not be the most appropriate personnel to respond.

Those calling to defund the police point to mental health emergencies and homelessness complaints as situations where other professionals may be more helpful. To ease police workload and create more sensitive treatment, some advocates are urging legislators to defer a sliver of police money to social services.

The Anne Arundel County police department has a budget of about $162 million for the 2021 fiscal year, which started on July 1. That is an increase of around $5 million from the year prior.

The county has not yet publicly published the full 2021 budget on its website. Only Pittman’s budget proposal presentation and general overview are currently available.

Pastor

The Black Lives Matter movement perplexes many of those Backing the Blue on Thursday. One preacher from Edgewater says the few bad police officers shouldn’t sour the country’s taste of all cops.

“You’re always going to have the one percenters,” said Jim Boothby, a pastor at Bowie’s New Hope Family Church. “You’re always going to have people breaking the rules.”

That’s why Boothby isn’t too worried about the lawsuit against Anne Arundel County police. He believes the officers should be held accountable, but he is more concerned about the destruction caused by some protesters.

Boothby pointed to the rioting around the nation and the toppling of a Cristopher Columbus statue in Baltimore. These actions show that many protesters don’t truly care about peace and equity for Black Americans, Boothby says.

More people should focus on the gun violence that damages Black communities, according to Boothby, a white man. He says police can help fight that crime, which is why Boothby believes more Black people should support the police.

“Grandma can’t go down and get a gallon of milk from the street corner without getting shot,” Boothby said. “Where is the concern for these people? The silence is deafening.”

Boothby said white people have a responsibility to love their Black friends harder right now, noting that he is reading the biography of former slave Frederick Douglass. The protests on both sides continue, nonetheless.

Boothby worries that the activism will eventually descend into widespread violence. He fears that protesters will start “intimidating city council members at 7 a.m. on their own front lawns.”

“This is insanity, not unlike the French Revolution,” Boothby said.

Paralympic Star

PierAngelo Beltrami, a Paralympic athlete and Italian immigrant, sees parallels between America’s Black Lives Matter coalition and Italy’s communist movement in the 1960s. That scares him.

“That opened my eyes,” Beltrami said of Italy’s communist scare. “Those Marxists are serious people. They want revolution.”

Beltrami moved to New York City in 1973. Four years earlier, a motorcycle accident and surgical mistake claimed his right leg when he was 19. The injury never stopped Beltrami, however, as he went on to win two Paralympic medals for Team USA.

His athletic journey started in 1988 when a coworker told him that he dreamt that Beltrami competed in the Olympics. That same year, Beltrami won a bronze medal in the 70 km cycling race at the Paralympics in Seoul, South Korea. Four years later, Beltrami traded that bronze for silver in the same event at the 1992 Paralympic Games in Madrid, Spain.

The next year, Baltrami moved to Hagerstown, where he lived for a decade. Now, Beltrami, 70, enjoys his retirement in Winchester, West Virginia. He hiked out to Annapolis just to Back the Blue.

“I think we need all the bodies we can get,” Beltrami said. “ The police are under attack. We need to push back.”

Like most other protesters, Beltrami is frustrated with the “bad apples.” He hopes police will add training to prevent and find officers abusing their power. Similarly, Boothby wants the courts to hold officers accountable for their oversteps.

Parker thinks cops should have more mental health resources to teach them how to cope with job-related stress. This may help officers before their behavior becomes a problem, she says.

No matter their preference for handling “bad apples,” each protester just wants Marylanders to support their law enforcement.

They know their opinion isn’t the most popular, but as long as Parker’s flag flaps in the breeze, calls to “Back the Blue” will fill the air.

“You don’t have to agree, but you have the freedom to speak it,” Parker said. “I think we’ve gotten to a tipping point where we can’t be silent.”

EDITOR’S NOTE: Patch withheld the name of Parker’s friend because she is still recovering from the incident. It is common journalism practice to protect the identities of people battling mental health challenges unless they specifically ask reporters to share their name. Marylanders seeking mental health help can call 211 and press 1. If their life is at risk, somebody should call 911.

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