http://blog.timesunion.com/hoffmanfiles/alllivesmatter-obviously/11513/
#AllLivesMatter…obviously.
By Rob Hoffman on July 14, 2016 at 6:18 AM
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I’m finding the news more and more upsetting these days. Perhaps it’s age creeping up on me, or perhaps it’s the insatiable coverage of it on cable news and social media. Whatever the reason, I was truly troubled by what would appear to have been two completely unnecessary deaths of African-American males at the hands of the police in Louisiana and Minnesota. At first glance, the officers involved in both instances seemed incompetent at best, and at worst, perhaps even racist.
However, before I could digest this information, I awoke Friday morning to the news of the murder of five Dallas police officers in cold blood by a sniper seeking to avenge what he perceived to have been the racially motivated killings of African-Americans by predominantly white police officers throughout the country. (As if his murderous actions would somehow rectify the situation.)
I usually save my pontificating for my blog, but I could see the direction the conversation was going on Facebook, and it wasn’t going in a productive direction in my humble opinion. Therefore, I wrote this…
It’s already coming out that one of the suspects in the Dallas shooting wanted to kill white people. If you think that this individual represents or speaks for all people of color, then you are as ignorant as those who say that all cops are racist. You can’t impugn an entire race any more than you can an entire profession.
One of the most polarizing groups in modern American history, #BlackLivesMatter. (You Tube)
Most people agreed with my little speech on Facebook, however some, while agreeing with the sentiment, viewed it a little differently. They seemed to feel that most of the fault lay at the feet of President Obama, as well as people of color. Some have claimed that racial tensions are much worse since Obama became president.
Now to be fair, very few people said this, but there is most definitely a disconnect at work in our society in the way we digest news and information. People’s opinions today are preconceived to the point that they have no interest in any conclusions that don’t fall into line with what they already wish to believe. This makes reaching a consensus on almost any issue of controversy exceedingly difficult.
So far one of the few constructive and intelligent voices to emerge from the recent police/racial tragedies has been that of Dallas Police Chief David O. Brown. Brown made a point of saying how much more difficult it was for the police to do their job with so many individuals walking around with AR-15 assault rifles slung over their shoulders. However, he also challenged those on the protest line to join the force so they could help patrol their own neighborhoods and improve community relations. Refreshing common sense in both cases. (New York Times)
Many different individuals and groups have sought to add their “two cents” in recent days regarding these tragedies, including…
Dallas Police Chief David O. Brown – His calling out of protesters as well as gun enthusiasts pleased some, but annoyed others. (By the way, if there were all of these people walking around brandishing their weapons, how come none of them took down the “Bad guys with guns”? Didn’t Trump say that’s the way you combat gun violence?)
Former Mayor of New York City, Rudolf Giuliani – The Fox News talking head just labeled the entire #BlackLivesMatter organization as racist. He said that they target police and incite violence against the police. He doesn’t have a lot of evidence mind you, but as “America’s Mayor”, he’s paid to have an opinion.
President Obama – The man who many on “the right” seem to believe has caused some of the racial tension in our country, (as if there was no racial tension before Obama’s presidency) on Tuesday called on Americans to not simply dismiss the protesters who feel they’ve not been treated fairly by the system, but at the same time, echoed the sentiments of Dallas Police Chief Brown who said that we as Americans ask our police officers to do too much.
Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House of Representatives – Newt, Trump’s possible pick for the Vice Presidency said just two days ago that “White Americans don’t understand being black in America”, or what it means to be discriminated.
Joe Walsh, former Congressman from Illinois (Not The Eagles awesome lead guitarist) – Tweeted out a message the other day, (Which was then re-tweeted by Trump’s oldest son) without any evidence mind you, that #BlackLivesMatter activists were calling for “The death of cops”.
While some contributions from public figures are obviously more constructive than others, the core of the discussion needs to focus on the perception problem that exists in America today. What is the perception issue you ask? Simply that too many in our nation feel that African-American males are dangerous troublemakers vs. the idea that the police force in practically every American city is predominantly white and intolerant, if not out-and-out racist towards the people of color who live in many of the communities that these very same police are patrolling.
Officer Krupke had it much easier in many ways than today’s police officers. The only thing he had to worry about on his daily beat was violently rhythmic dance. (Getty Images)
Here’s the problem however with addressing the issues of “African-American behavior” vs “Racist Police”. Many Americans as Speaker Gingrich pointed out aren’t familiar with the type of systematic racism that too many African-Americans have experienced in this country. I’ll also wager that many of us aren’t police officers as well. Most people will never understand the pressures that a police officer in many urban areas deal with on a daily basis. Perhaps, and of course I’m just spit-balling here, we should take a step back the next time we begin to assign blame.
The other day while I was debating somebody on Facebook who was claiming that most of the racial problems of today can be traced all the way back to Barack Obama, and people of color, I tried to point out that those of us who grew up in an all-white community, may not understand the issues pertaining to what it means to be an African-American in 2016 in this country. In North Massapequa where I grew up in the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s the population was almost completely white.
I do remember having an African-American student in my class in 2nd grade at Robert E. Picken Elementary, and I also remember him being chased a lot by the other boys, while also frequently being called the “N-word”. I even engaged in a couple of fights with him as well, although over what I have no idea. I would guess I was peer pressured into it. Shortly after, his family moved out of North Massapequa. From what I understand, their North Massapequa experience wasn’t an entirely positive one.
Robert S. Hoffman's photo.
I have nothing against my old school, but I wonder if I left there equipped to understand the perspectives of those who didn’t come from my exact racial, social, and economic background. (Hoffman Collection)
As a teacher at J.H.S. 204 in Long Island City in the early 1990s, I finally began to see that people of color in this country see events quite differently than I did. I can remember numerous instances at J.H.S. 204 where events that I believed I had a fairly accurate understanding of, were interpreted quite differently by many in the student body.
When seven year-old Gavin Cato of Brooklyn was struck and killed by a car driven by Hasidic Jews, I had students who believed it was done on purpose. Many of my students also believed that Mike Tyson was set up or framed when he was convicted of rape in the early 1990s. There was also a rumor that was making its way around the school that students shouldn’t buy or drink Snapple beverage products because there was a slave ship on the label. (It was a “Tea” ship for those who deal in facts.) This was before social media, so who do we blame for this blatant distrust of news and information? How do you change a perception forged by over 200 years of discrimination and segregation?
The Crown Heights Riots of the early 1990s in many ways epitomized what happens when trust and communication breaks down between two groups with diametrically different ways of viewing the world. This chasm is then easily filled by those who wish to inflame the situation with dangerous rhetoric or calls for violence. (New York Times)
In an interesting twist on the idea that conservative African-Americans see the issue differently, Republican Senator Tim Scott, the only African-American male serving in the legislative branch for the GOP, stated yesterday that he has been repeatedly pulled over by law enforcement, and was once stopped by a Capital Police officer who did not believe he was a senator. It would seem that there is more at play here than just politics.
As I stated earlier, most people are pretty ignorant when it comes to understanding the pressures and concerns of what it means to be a police officer, particularly in a poor inner-city neighborhood. I can’t claim to be much of an expert on what it means to be a cop any more than I can on what it means to be African-American in the United States.
I don’t come from a family of cops, and I can’t remember ever seriously considering it as a career path. My opinion of the police is probably pretty typical for most white Americans. My experiences in dealing with the police are also probably pretty typical as well. It usually consists of the following:
“Do you know why I pulled you over”?
“Are you aware of the speed limit on this road”?
“Licence and registration please”.
“Damn-it! Please go past, please go past.! (You Tube)
I have never once thought for one second that I was going to jail or might not emerge alive from a confrontation with a police officer. As angry as I might have been with them for pulling me over, I never once felt that I couldn’t trust them to enforce the law in a fair and judicious manner.
However, if I’m going to be honest, (And what’s the point if I’m not?) I’m not one of those “The cops are always right!” people who feel that no matter what, the police always get the benefit of the doubt. I don’t claim that all cops are heroes any more than I would say all fireman or soldiers are heroes. I will say that some professions are heroic, of which cops, fireman, soldiers, EMT workers, social workers, nurses,and yes even teachers are among them. Many cops perform heroic actions and we should all be grateful that they do what they do. However, just like there are bad teachers, fireman, and even soldiers, there are unfortunately police officers who shouldn’t be on the force. Protecting them by saying that since their job is dangerous they can never be questioned, only makes the job of good police officers that much more difficult, and puts lives in danger.
During that horrible night in Dallas, even the protesters knew who would protect them. It wasn’t the “open-carry” citizens of Dallas, it was their police force. (Times Union)
We can all criticize the police, but the fact remains, they typically only have a few seconds at most to respond in a crisis situation. Their decision-making must be split-second, and any hesitation or mistaken response can lead to a loss of life, including their own. It’s important that they are trained properly. Some police officers can go 20 years without drawing their weapon. All of a sudden, a traffic stop goes wrong. In many ways, it’s a wonder that there aren’t more mistaken shootings.
Hyperbole and misinformation thanks to social media have clouded the issue of police shootings in our society. The fact is, there are less police shootings now than there were 30 years ago. More police are killed in traffic accidents than by shootings. As for violence against minorities, the same number of unarmed whites were killed last year as African-Americans, however, since whites make up a much larger segment of the population, the odds of an unarmed African-American being killed by the police is higher. The violent crime rate in this country is also significantly lower today than it was 30 years ago. Perhaps as the President claims, things aren’t as bad as some would have it?
One of the most sobering sights in America, the funeral for a police officer struck down in the line of duty. Anyone who says the shootings of the police officers in Dallas served as some sort of retribution for any of the shootings that have claimed unarmed African-American lives, has lost all of their credibility. Anyone who is willing to shoot a police officer, is a danger to all of us in our society. (New York Times)
The solution to the breakdown in trust between African-Americans and the police is not one that is easily forthcoming. However, I can’t help but feel that it is not an insurmountable problem. Individuals often succeed where group mentality fails. While I’m not of the cohort that says that the cops are always right, and can never be questioned, I am beyond grateful to those on the force who do a great job for our society.
At Rensselaer High School where I teach, we have a terrific resource officer who works with the kids and makes our building safer. I believe that all of our students are thankful that he is there, and it is this sort of community outreach that is performed by Officer Mooney at Rensselaer as well as so many other police officers in other schools and communities that aid in breaking down barriers between the police and those who feel that they are discriminated against. All it takes is a little communication and empathy, and we can begin to improve a situation that may not be as bad as some would claim it to be.
The potential is there for understanding between the police and those they serve. (Getty Images)
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