Hello everyone, I'm Orashio Nicholson and I find myself in a challenging situation. I spent the first 23 years of my life in Jamaica before moving to Long Island, NY after having a son to seek better opportunities for him. I started my career as a seasonal recovery sales associate in a retail store. Over six years, I climbed the corporate ladder and became an Asset Protection Manager overseeing two stores. During my time there, I met my wonderful Hispanic wife with whom I've had three beautiful children. In 2018, I then joined the Army as an infantryman Bradley Driver stationed at Fort Stewart. After serving honorably for three years, an injury—a TFCC tear in my right wrist requiring surgery along with another injury on my left knee—led me back into civilian life. To aid this transition while recovering from these injuries, I pursued a degree majoring Business Administration, which soon became monotonous. Seeking more excitement, I attempted to join the Jesup Police Department. This was one of the happiest days of my life when I got accepted into the Police Department. It felt like a pursuit of happiness moment, similar to what Will Smith experienced in the movie.

I've always aspired to be a police officer because I wanted to contribute positively to people's lives. When the opportunity arose for me to join the force, my enthusiasm led me to sign a contract without fully understanding that I'd have to reimburse the department if I resigned or was terminated before 3 years. During my shift, I took on most of the reports and tried to resolve all the cases that came my way. Although being a traffic officer was never something I particularly enjoyed, I remained impartial whenever conducting traffic stops. I then tried to bring my son to the United States, but faced resistance from leadership in the department, denying my request of leave to get my son. As a result, I had to arrange for him to fly alone on his first airplane trip at the age of 14.

While serving as an officer, I've unfortunately encountered unethical behavior and abuse of power by those in leadership positions. A fellow officer in a leadership position told me that if I ever got into a fight with someone while on shift, he would purposely show up late to the call. At this point in time, I attempted to resign and complete my degree in Business Administration. However, I was persuaded to stay and was offered a position as a School Resource Officer (SRO). This would give me the opportunity to attend school and work with the Police Department, Which I accept. During my time as an SRO at the school, I significantly improved access control and safety while positively impacting many children's lives. Despite excelling in my job responsibilities, I still encountered unfair treatment from leadership.

There were instances when it became challenging for me to take my wife or myself for emergency medical treatment. Moreover, there were complaints about me attending doctor's appointments due largely from injuries sustained during my time in Army service. I faced retaliation after I complained about the actions of a certain leader. After reflecting on these experiences, I made a decision to resign from the police department again. Despite voicing concerns prior resignation to the City Manager, who rationalize behind the unjustifiable actions of the leaders within the department. I was then told by the City Manager to utilize my veterans' benefits to offset fees owed to the city. However, noted discrepancy exists; I'm aware of individuals that was recently terminated within their contractual period that did not face the same financial obligations but instead received payments from the City. Clearly the imbalance presents a bias situation that leaves me feeling uneasy and uncertain of future ramifications.