“Power is no blessing in itself, except when it is used to protect the innocent.”
--Jonathan Swift--
How much is your life worth? Are all lives worth the same? Are the lives of people of color worth less than the lives of white people? If you ask those questions to law enforcement officials and their supporters, they might answer, “I don’t know” or “I don’t care.” That may be a harsh characterization of the police, but what else can explain the daily, weekly and monthly killings of innocent and unarmed Black and Latino people in this country at the hands of law enforcement?
Justice, integrity and service. That’s the motto of the United States Marshalls and in every police department in this country there is a similar slogan describing their commitment to the community. Law enforcement officers have a very difficult job and often it’s a thankless profession. Anyone who says that police officers have an easy job has not spent time on the street or in crime-laden areas of any metropolitan city. It is not a stretch to say that law enforcement may be the toughest and scariest public service job.
However, law enforcement officers are supposed to be trained professionals. Amateur or “toy cops” need not apply. Being a professional means that you adhere to certain standards of conduct, honor and ethics at all times.
In other words, the power associated with law enforcement means officers have a higher responsibility to serve than the neighborhood watch group or boy scouts. No other government official has direct and immediate access to deprive citizens of their civil liberties like law enforcement. Police officers are permitted, and are often expected, to use deadly force in certain situations. However, make no mistake, there is a difference between reasonably using deadly force and police brutality. This difference is often debated when the victim is Black, of African heritage or Latino.
We all know about the stories of Amadou Diallo, Oscar Grant and Sean Bell, but what about other disturbing stories? Who knew being in college was a prime location for being killed ; or, being autistic; or being an elderly man at your own cookout ; or being a woman sitting in your car ; or, God forbid (no pun intended) being in church. To be fair, I did find two stories of unarmed white men being killed by the police. One of them was intoxicated and pointed a water hose at the officers before they opened fire and the other was butt-naked in his car when an undercover officer approached him without announcing he was a police officer and a fight broke out between the two men resulting in the victim’s death. There are several people who believe police officers are justified in using deadly force regardless of race because victims are often criminals or exhibit criminal behavior. Okay, maybe it wasn’t fair to quote this guy as an intelligent source on this subject, but he publicly states what a lot of people privately think. Given the danger of such misguided attitudes, it is important to add some factual context to the use of deadly force by law enforcement.
Although Blacks represent approximately 13% of the U.S. population, in several areas of the country they represent 60% to 85% of police shootings. On average, Blacks are more than six times as likely as Whites to be shot by the police, and in large cities are killed at least three times more often than Whites. Latinos are about twice as likely as Whites, but only half as likely as Blacks, to be shot and killed by the police. There is not enough data on other historically underrepresented populations (Asians, Native Americans, Arab-Americans, etc.) but Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch believe these groups are still disproportionately targeted by police relative to their overall representation in this country. For more statistics and analysis, please see Cynthia Lee’s University of California at Hastings Law Review article entitled, “BUT I THOUGHT HE HAD A GUN”, Race and Police Use of Deadly Force.
Since many unarmed black and brown men are losing their lives on a weekly basis, we have to question whether just being Black and Latino makes you the common enemy of law enforcement. A better question given the incidences of unwarranted deadly force may be whether law enforcement is the common enemy of Black and Latino people. I argue that police officers are not upholding their oath as trained professionals to “protect and serve” and if they happen to uphold that oath, they are doing so in a discriminatorily deadly manner. If that’s not the case, why don’t we hear about unarmed white males being gunned down by the police at an alarmingly rate?
In one of the most egregious and unexplainable examples of racially biased policing leading to death, even being a cop couldn’t save a black man from being on the wrong end of a police officer’s gun. Cornel Young, Jr. was a three-year member of the Providence Police Department (PPD) and his father, Major Cornel Young, was the highest-ranking black officer in the PPD. Two white officers were called to address a disturbance near a restaurant where Cornel Young, Jr. was eating. The two white officers started chasing a suspect (Aldrin Diaz) on foot and Officer Young came out of the restaurant with his firearm to assist his fellow officers. Well, one of the white officers turned to Officer Young and told him to drop his weapon. It is not clear whether Officer Young identified himself as a member of the PPD or why the other officers didn’t recognize one of their own; however, what was clear was that when Officer Young didn’t realize the white officer was talking to him, he was fatally shot by the white officer. If a policeman who is the son of the highest-ranking black officer in the same department can’t escape being profiled and killed by his “brothers,” there is little to no hope for the everyday black citizen.
It’s important to note that Black and Latino officers kill other unarmed and innocent people of color. Racist and discriminatory views about people of color are often internalized by the very members of those communities, but that in no way should be used a reason to justify the killing of innocent people by any police officer regardless of race. What’s clear to me is that no amount of communication, prestige, power or status will prevent a Black or Latino person from being on the wrong on the end of a police officer’s bias and gun. It’s so bad that even innocent black children are getting shot and killed by the police. When is the last time you heard of a white child being killed or even shot accidently by the police? Yep, last time I checked I couldn’t remember when or if that ever happened either. Unarmed Black and Latino people are getting shot down by the police so often that it’s like the police have melanin-seeking guns and bullets!
Before reading this post and some of the referenced articles, you may have sympathized with some of the stories; however, now you should realize that this post and the imbedded articles could have easily been your story on any given night. All it takes is one instance of miscommunication, a biased police officer and a gun. So what can we do to change all of this? I have five recommendations. Many of them are not new, but several seldom practiced requirements within the law enforcement community.
2. Hire more officers from the communities they serve, this includes recruiting and retaining more female officers.
3. Equip officers with non-lethal options and encourage them to utilize those before exercising deadly force options.
4. Require community service projects for all officers (either while on or off duty).
5. Promptly and appropriately address complaints of police misconduct.
These recommendations will not guarantee the police will not kill more unarmed and innocent people of color. As long as there is racism, bias and a culture of fear, innocent people of color will die at the hands of the police. My goal is to reduce the number of people of color dying and develop a better relationship between law enforcement and communities of color. Implementing the recommendations above may save your life or the life of someone you know.
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