The Thin Blue Line flag hangs in the office of Union County Prosecutors
Office Local 250 member Edward Hanewald.
CREATIVE COURAGE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 57
straight lines) and cut out all 50 stars. Even through some mishaps,
such as miscounting the stripes and painting over the entire board,
running out of paint and retracing the “Blue Lives Matter” letters, they
managed to complete a beautiful piece of artwork.
“I’m really surprised (at) how it turned out,” admitted 17-year-old
Lallo. “This is a step in the right direction to show people that the
police who are risking their lives every single day matter, too.”
Hanewald and Lallo are directly making an impact in the 1,500-student high school. Although one anonymous student defaced the project by taping over “Blue” and writing “Black,” the reaction has been
mostly positive, prompting many to offer words of encouragement or
ask questions about the meaning of the Thin Blue Line.
“We had a lot of people say ‘This is awesome’ and that we’re doing
a great job,” stated Lallo. “Not everyone is always going to agree with
you, but that’s okay.”
Both Hanewald and Lallo spent their high school careers in Colts
Neck High School’s ROTC program – ranked the second-best in the
nation – bringing another level of respect to law enforcement.
As the two cadets near their graduation, their futures involve
serving their community and country. Hanewald already enlisted in
the U.S. Marine Corps and will deploy in July, while Lallo is waiting for
his parents to sign off on his papers. The two also share dreams of
becoming law enforcement officers.
“I’ve wanted to be a Marine since I was seven years old,” emphasized Hanewald. “I don’t think it should stop there. If I’m serving my
country overseas, I want to come back, serve the community I live in
and continue to protect the ones I love.”
Lallo reiterated that sentiment.
“I have never felt so much pride than when I put on that (ROTC)
uniform for the first time,” he expressed. “I love that feeling of being
proud in uniform, and standing for something other than myself.”
Their display of unwavering support for law enforcement will leave
school grounds when the Blue Lives Matter flag finds a permanent
home at the NJ State PBA Office.
“It’s good that young kids were willing to do this,” declared Colligan.
“Listen, it’s not easy in high school to do something like that. My kids
come home and talk about debates in the classroom about police violence. To do that in an art class takes some guts.” d
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NEW JERSEY COPS
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