1. My Experience With Abuse of Power
By: Lexy Zemke

2. Let’s start off by saying abuse of power doesn’t have to be in the justice system, or even within the government. It can be within the family.

3. To me, family is everything
To me, family is everything. You respect your elders, listen to your parents, and get along with your siblings. You love each other no matter what.

5. But before I get into my story, there are few things you should know about my dad:
He’s a marine.
He’s gone to war twice.
There’s nothing he cares about more than protecting his family.

6. He was a strong and dedicated marine.

7. This is the IED that blew up the Amtrak my dad was in while he was on a run with his team.

8. After that incident in Iraq, he had to be put into therapy and hospitalization…since then, all he truly cares about is our safety…even if he goes about it in a harsh and commanding way.

9. So, my dad explored the idea of finding a good program to get my sister and I involved in to learn self defense. He found Linxx academy, where he tried out the class for himself first. Needless to say, he loved it.

10. As I watched him learn different techniques for fighting against someone, I realized that I really didn’t want to take that class…but he had other plans for me.

11. So for a year, my life consisted of going to school during the day, and taking Thai boxing classes on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. It was all very overwhelming and super stressful.

12. When I voiced my concerns about not wanting to take that class, he told me, “Lexy, it’s for your own good that you take this class. You need to know how to fight. Even if you don’t want to do it, you have to.”

13. I learned what anxiety was and understood what it was like to have panic attacks…but he insisted it was for my own good…no matter how much I hated it.

14. I felt so conflicted…he said I was so good at it and he was so proud of me! It felt good to make him proud, but at what cost?

15. I disliked the sport, resented him for making me suffer through it, and hated that I was excited to make him proud even though my mental health was suffering.

16. I wanted him to understand.
I understood the logic behind being in that class. It’s smart to know how to defend yourself in today’s world. But I wanted a choice. To want to be in that class, instead of being forced to fight.
I wanted him to understand.

17. Even though his intentions were kind hearted, his execution of it and the problems I had with my mental health thereafter drove a rift in our relationship.

18. Anger Resentment Confusion Fear
At the end of the year, all I felt towards him was:
Anger
Resentment
Confusion
Fear

19. After I reflected back on why I was so angry and hurt, I realized that he abused his power over me to make me do something I wasn’t comfortable or happy with. My happiness wasn’t his priority.

20. The only reason I didn’t refuse is because we are family, and I respected and loved him enough to follow through with his orders, no matter how detrimental they were to me. Making sure my family stays happy and unified was more important than rebelling against my dad.

21. But this topic doesn’t just apply to my situation; it applies to the Black Lives Matter movement and many others. This confusion and fear leads to violence and rebellion. Abuse of power leads to chaos.