What If The Sides In Tyreek Hill Traffic Stop Drama Chose Love?

This is probably going to be a suggestion the sides embroiled in the Tyreek Hill traffic stop saga will dismiss out of hand, but what if everybody could just stop hating on each other and set an example of forgiveness and mercy instead?

What if the folks who seem to be on clearly marked opposing sides as a result of this increasingly viral and now dangerous incident embraced love?

That's definitely not where we're at right now. Not even close.

A Miami-Dade police officer. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Miami-Dade Police Involved In Beef

The Miami-Dade police department is conducting an ongoing internal investigation on the traffic stop a handful of its officers conducted prior to Sunday's game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.

And the [stuff] has hit the proverbial fan since those cops pulled over Hill and they and the player both acted poorly.

So now we've got beef all over the place. And the problem is the strife amplified by the media and social media comes with unintended and perhaps even intended consequences.

And that quite possibly places the greater community in danger.

MANHATTAN, NY - Hundreds of people pack  into Columbus Circle to hear speeches against police violence while one of them holds a painted portrait of George Floyd in front of Trump International Hotel and Tower at Columbus Circle on June 14, 2020. (Photo by Ira L. Black/Corbis via Getty Images)

Things Can Get Worse

It's not that long ago that police dragged a black man out of his car in Minnesota and that incident resulted in violence that turned into a summer of demonstrations and rioting across America.

This Hill incident won't do that, God willing. Hill, unlike George Floyd, is very much alive and well, as his 80-yard touchdown against the Jaguars proved.

But this episode nonetheless is dangerous locally – in Miami-Dade County – in that it effectively pits two large segments of the population against one another. It begs Hispanics and Blacks, and pro-police and anti-police interests to choose sides against one another.

It sets the field, if we're not careful, for something more than words to be exchanged.

Miami skyline. (Pedro Portal/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Miami Can Sure Use Some Love 

So this situation needs someone to start showing love. 

And unconditional love at that – the kind people who have been wronged rarely exhibit.

That's what I'm asking for now. From everyone. 

This situation needs apologies all around. Let's start with that.

What if Hill, who was mistreated by cops, stopped talking about it being a racial issue? What if he stopped ordering his legal counsel to "explore legal remedies?" What if his agent stopped calling for the offending cops to get fired?

What if Hill showed love and instead apologized for being dismissive of authority by keeping the window to his Batmobile rolled up when the cops asked, then ordered him to roll it down?

Apologies Due All Around

And what if all those cops, who probably felt disrespected by a star athlete because he ignored their legitimate orders to roll down his window, stopped telling their lawyers and police union to put out defensive statements?

What if the cops showed love and apologized to Hill and the community for using obvious excessive force in dealing with a citizen they must have known posed no threat to them once they forced him out of his car?

What if these sides that have squared off in the court of public opinion just stop posturing as victims and chose to forgive each other? And love each other?

How would that example play out for them? And for Miami-Dade County? 

They would become heroes. And Florida's largest and most important region would become a shining example to the rest of the country.

Worthwhile Request In Everyone's Interest

Fanciful? Yes.

Likely? No.

But it's worth asking.

You know who hasn't asked? The media at large and social media for sure. 

Those mediums have been busy giving voice to the idea that this disrespect and ensuing brutality is an example of racism when it's more an example of strong wills in opposition.

The idea that perhaps someone should call for reason and understand no one helped de-escalate this situation is a voice crying in the wilderness.

Wide Receiver Tyreek Hill #10 of the Miami Dolphins addresses the media during the post-game press conference after playing the Jacksonville Jaguars at Hard Rock Stadium on September 8, 2024 in Miami Gardens, Florida. Hill was handcuffed and placed facedown on a street by police officers after he was stopped for a traffic violation near Hard Rock Stadium just hours before his team was to open the 2024 football season. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)

Police Owe Hill An Apology

People are mostly ignoring that voice. Because people are mostly not tapped in to love.

The Miami-Dade police department surely isn't. That department preaches respect and integrity as part of its mission statement. 

Where is the integrity of having its director apologize to Hill? We don't need to have that internal investigation completed to know the actions of the officers were an example of poor training and lack of forethought by the department. 

Do the right thing, MDPD: Embrace Hill. Embrace the Dolphins. Love him.

The Dolphins have also shown little love. They've made the situation worse by releasing a statement that does little to promote future police encounters get resolved routinely.

Dolphins Not Helping Stoke Peace

The Dolphins want the police to take "swift and strong actions against the officers who engaged in such despicable behavior."

But where's the part where the Dolphins speak about educating their players and coaches – black, white, and biracial as coach Mike McDaniel is – about proper conduct in the presence of civil authority?

In the state of Florida, there is a legal obligation by every citizen to follow a law enforcement order. Hill received such an order when he was told to keep his window down. He ignored it. 

The Dolphins are Miami-Dade County's most beloved franchise. It would be awesome for the team to set an example of looking inward to find what it can do to improve a bad civic situation, rather than looking outward to demand someone else find solutions. 

It's an uncomfortable approach. But that's how love operates.