If you ask a little kid what they want to be when they grow up, the answers you’ll get will likely include a firefighter, a teacher, and a police officer. The thing is that not every of us is lucky enough to get the job we’ve always dreamed of. But for some, like 17-year-old Markel Davis, the dream is about to become a reality.
Markel is a senior at Upper Arlington High School in Columbus, Ohio and is part of the Public Safety program through Columbus City Schools. This is a unique opportunity for this young man to get to know what the world of police officers really looks like.
With all the protests that are taking place all over the country, Markel believes it is now most important than ever for the police to show people that they are there to serve them.
This mixed race teen is helping the Columbus police officers he hopes to be working alongside one day by cooking for them. He and his mom Jessica Davis spend the summer days buying groceries and grilling hot dogs, hamburgers, and bratwursts. Once the meals are ready, they deliver them with buns and water on the side.
This is Markel Davis. He’s a 17-year-old, mixed race rising senior at @ua_highschool and @ColsCitySchools Downtown H.S. in the Public Safety program.
This week, Markel is grilling a hot meal for 100 @ColumbusPolice officers every day, because he feels it’s the right thing to do. pic.twitter.com/gUJJdiLGeh
— Geoff Redick (@GeoffWSYX6) June 5, 2020
During these hard times for the officers from all over the country and the protests against police brutality, Markel wants to make sure that he is by their side because he’s convinced not every officer is bad as they are portrayed. “I feel like they are feeling that nobody out here is supporting them and I don’t want them to think that. I want them to know that I am here for them,” he said speaking to WBNS-10TV.
His mother added, “We have a lot of friends in law enforcement and one of our friends had posted something saying they didn’t have food down there and they are working endless hours.” It was enough for these mother and son to get busy around preparing 100 meals each day.
He says he understands the protesters, but also feels for the police who are doing their best to avoid things from escalating.
“I feel like there is something that needs to be done about what happened (to George Floyd). I believe that was wrong and we should be protesting,” he said, according to Local 12. “But I don’t think that just because some police officers did something wrong, that every police officer is wrong.”
Many people are praising Markel for what he does, but there are also those who criticize him for helping the men and women in uniform amid the national unrest.
His mother said “I just believe in letting your kids follow their dreams and be what they want to be. There’s going to be upset people because of what Markel’s doing. He said he wanted to do what was right and stand up for what he believes in. So I’m proud of him.”
“I would just like (people to know) not everyone out there is bad. It might seem like there’s a lot of bad people, but there’s also a lot of good people out there. And I just want to do the right thing…this is what feels right to me,” Markel says.
The officers who are receiving Markel’s food are thankful for what he does for them.