Black police officers are facing new challenges in the current atmosphere around policing, especially in the wake of George Floyd’s murder and the many demonstrations against police brutality that have taken place over the last 18 months.

In addition to heckling from activists on the streets, some of whom call them traitors, Black officers experience internal racism within the police department — which has always existed but has surfaced in new ways since last year’s protests began.

Today, Officer Michael Silva talks to L.A. Times reporter Kevin Rector about why he joined the Los Angeles Police Department, what he’s experienced and where he thinks we can go from here.

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2019 analysis: LAPD searches Blacks and Latinos more. But they’re less likely to have contraband than whites