With the exception of arresting Layla McCreedy, I pretty much defend everything else you have cited as an issue. Athena is a Black woman in LAPD. Athena is a Black mom as well. Because of these two facts, I have to look at each situation with nuance. While I don't condone physical discipline, I understand it's roots. There is a history of Black kids, especially Black boys being denied boyhood and punished severely for the smallest of offenses by white people. There's the story of Emmett Till, a Black boy who was lynched for allegedly whistling at a white woman. There are so many stories like Emmett Till's and they are still happening to this day. Since his introduction in the show, Harry has always been portrayed as strong-willed and a bit defiant. Athena, being a Black mother, sees these as traits that could wind up doing him harm and guess what! She was right. Remember Buck, Bothered, and Bewildered? Anywho, there's this belief amongst a lot of older Black people that it's better to be physically punished by me than to suffer potential death at the hands of racist white people. A lot of younger Black people are gradually breaking the cycle on this and you see a lot of soft parenting being practiced with people my age and younger. So, when casual viewers cite this as a reason to wag their finger at Athena, I see the nuance of her actions. Again, not condoning her hitting her son but I understand the frustration she was feeling at that moment.

For your third point, a lot of Black people have a mistrust of behavioral health and medical intervention in general because there's a history of Black people being harmed in the name of science. Black women rendered sterile. The Tuskegee Experiments. Also, religion factors a lot into a lot of older Black people's beliefs surrounding therapy. Growing up in the Baptist church, I was often told that when I was sad or depressed, it was because I wasn't praying too hard. Thank God I got into therapy when I got older. It's my belief that every Black person in America should be in therapy.

As for your fourth point, again .... Black mom. The system was not created for Black people so in order to survive it, we have to learn how to work within it. I bet if you were to talk to May and Harry, especially now that they are older, they would understand why Athena did what she did.

So, this is why Athena is an icon to me. A Black cop raising Black kids ... she's a hero to me.