Page 54 - ABILITY Magazine -Cedric Yarbrough Issue

Marin Hinkle (L) drenched with concern in a scene witb Micah and Yarbrough as the duo don their “I told you so” faces, on the set of “Speechless”
But I remember at the time we were doing the show, the police had a great time because they found it the most realistic depiction of police life. It’s not like CSI, where, “Oh, there’s a pube. Perfect! I know exactly who this is!”
Yarbrough: No, I’m not aware of any, but that kind of program would be very interesting. I can’t speak for the police because I never had that training. And I’m glad I didn’t, because it’s a whole other thing. My job was to be funny, to be satirical.
(laughter)
Martirosyan: That’d be tough.
It’s not that. It’s the day-to-day funniness that actually happens, when somebody calls the cops on themselves or some of the weirdness that may happen. I would love to get to a point where people do trust the police and the police trust the citizens, and there is a harmo- nious way of living. It’s rough out there. I’ve seen it. I’ve been part of it. I’m hoping for the best.
Yarbrough: Yeah. It’s a hard job. A lot of those deci- sions have to be split-second decisions. You’re put in a hard position. But it’s also a job people choose to do, so if this is what they want, they have to also know they need training in these things.
Martirosyan: I was curious, when you were talking about working with charities and building awareness around police and community interaction, did they ever simulate interactions between people with disabilities and the police? With mental illness and deafness— conditions that aren’t immediately visible—result in bad scenarios.
Cooper: Definitely a hard job, but they want to go into it, like you said. It’s like being a doctor and saying, “I don’t like blood.”
Yarbrough: Yeah. That’s part of the job!
abc.go.com/shows/speechless
54 ABILITY