I probably don't need to tell anyone reading this what has been going on in the United States as of late. There have been two very high profile police involved shootings resulting in the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. Soon after, one of the deadliest days in law enforcement history resulted in the deaths of five Dallas police officers and the wounding of 10 others. All of these deaths are tragic on both sides. In the aftermath, political pundits have weighed in, as well as experts, and a horde of Monday morning quarterbacks who will offer their "opinions" on what should have been done even without the benefit of all the facts and information coming out. This particular blog is not about those events as they are well-debated in the public arena. This blog is also not about issues facing people of color in America in general. This blog is about something that does keep popping up after events such as these, and it centers on how people of color should behave when interacting with law enforcement. One such topic in particular is known as "the talk" that we as people of color need to have in order to stay alive during such interactions with law enforcement.
Okay, I'm a law enforcement officer who is also a person a color. I remember getting "the talk" from my parents, but I do recall it was a matter of respect that I was to give to those in authority. So my talk also included how to interact with teachers and neighbors and anyone who would fit the role of being a person in authority. I did not believe this talk to be some inherent conversation that was unique to people of my racial background. As I have gotten older, I noticed that many of my fellow Black Americans stress on the importance of "the talk" which can include things like saying, "Yes sir/ma'am," keeping your hands visible, don't make sudden movements, comply with the officer's instructions, be careful of whom you hang out with, etc. One of the narratives that seems to parallel this conversation is that White Americans either don't have this conversation, or that they don't worry about the conversation because they know that law enforcement will give them a pass on confrontational behavior.
Somehow, this notion does not seem to make any sense. As I stated before, I am a law enforcement officer. I interact with Whites, Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, Middle Easterners, etc. everyday, and the vast majority of ALL of these people show me respect for my authority, follow my instructions, are non-confrontational, and do all of the things we as Black folk say we should do during "the talk," and I give them the same respect in return. But how can that be? This would mean that either Whites, Hispanics, Asians, and Middle Easterners are born with an innate knowledge of how they should interact with police, or, they also have the same talk.
When I speak to civilians and police officers alike from different racial backgrounds, ALL of them readily admit they had "the talk." What's more, the talk is the same. Surely, White Americans don't really NEED the talk, right? After all, they are not killed by the police as much as Black Americans, so they have nothing to worry about. However, the statistics don't support that notion as Whites and Hispanics take the lion's share of the number of people who are killed by police (both justifiable & unjustifiable, both armed and unarmed); just look at the Department of Justice and FBI statistics over the past decade. The issue is not that other races don't have "the talk." The issue is when the talk is had and in what context it is placed. The vast majority of Black Americans have uneventful interactions with the police every single day. They are not killed, they have no use of force used against them, and they go on about their lives. The same holds true for Whites, Hispanics, Asians, Middle Easterners, etc. So you have to ask yourself, what is different in the behavior by the people of all racial backgrounds who DO have problems? Usually, it's the people who didn't get "the talk" or chose not to follow the advice of "the talk." It's not a racial issue where one race owns the proprietary rights on "the talk" and the other races just don't understand. Yes, there are outlier cases where absolutely horrible decisions were made by the law enforcement officer, and in those cases, the officer's actions will be condemned by those in the field, and contrary to popular belief, they face criminal consequences. But these conversations by celebrities talking about "the talk" and how it's somehow different for Black folk is a false narrative. The difference is the context and the willingness of the person to follow advice. Here is Bryant Gumbel's take on the matter:
In the posted videos featuring Don Lemon and Bryan Gumbel, I certainly understand what they are talking about. I respect both of these men immensely, and I also understand the context of what they saying. I was not born a police officer and I grew up as just another Black man, and I have been stopped by the police. When I am off-duty, other officers in other jurisdictions do not know I am an officer, so I am subject to the same treatment as any other person of color unless I choose to reveal my profession. In all of my interactions throughout my entire life, I have never feared interactions with police, both prior to my profession and during my time as a police officer. This is where the context comes in in "the talk." Showing respect and acting professionally resulted in the officer treating me the same. I also found that when dealing with other persons of authority, I was treated the same in return. YES, there is racism in America! YES, there will be people who are prejudiced and will treat you poorly because of the color of your skin. YES, there are police officers who have ulterior, biased motives. NO, you should not throw out the purpose of "the talk" to try and make a point, REGARDLESS OF YOUR RACE!!!! In the end, no one will care, and all the world will say is, "if only he had," or "why didn't he just?"
Just as side note, the respect for authority is not a superiority complex, it's perception complex. Think about this for a second. People whom you meet for the first time who address you as "sir/ma'am" and are non-confrontational are far likely to lower your stress and suspicion than those who are the complete opposite. The same holds true for police officers. Perhaps anyone who thinks otherwise needs to review Chris Rock's "How Not To Get Your Ass Kicked By the Police." It's satirical, I know, but there is some element of truth in comedy! The biggest thing I can suggest to people is talk to one another, and not just people of your own racial background or likemindedness. You'll be amazed how similar we all are!
No comments:
Post a Comment