My first interaction with police I was 7 years old. They hurt me, they harassed me and cuffed me for playing hide n seek. They didn’t believe I belonged there. So I was treated as a threat - at 7. Their conduct was beyond the pale, inexcusable and abusive. It took me decades to process that. Throughout my life I’d have several more interactions with civil servants entrusted with keeping the peace that were anything but peaceful. The policing of my presence whenever it made certain people feel uncomfortable with my proximity to their space or their property. The interweaving of police brutality and harassment based on the lie that I didn’t belong somewhere or wasn’t deserving of something were common themes in my life as a child and into adulthood. I’ve spent years in therapy healing these traumas and injustices fueled by indoctrination, fear and age old intersubjective fictive myths based on a false sense of supremacy. While in therapy, I asked the universe for an opportunity to heal fully, holistically and in a way that felt good to me and then - I got a call from Law & Order to come play a detective on the most iconic police show of all time. One I grew up watching. One I had always admired for its ability to keep its finger on the pulse of current themes in society while being careful not to preach to the society it’s reflecting. I’m learning so much more about policing vs crime fighting, anti-crime vs solving crimes and my own healing in that process. Our police consultant on the show was a NY Homicide Detective for over 30 years and in our first conversation he said something that’s stuck with me and continues to inform my character. “When you’re a homicide detective, you work for God.” I look forward to bringing that truth to life in the coming seasons. If that’s not a chance to heal out loud, I don’t know what is. Thanks for the opportunity @wolfentertainment and @nbc This ain’t your Dad’s #LawAndOrder