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Viewpoint: We can't afford police-community gaps

Seek the Truth

by Yugen Fardan Rashad

You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney, and to have an attorney present during any questioning (Miranda rights).

But if you’re a police officer working the streets of Brooklyn, New York, or Portland, nothing you say will be used against you in a court of law. A lesson outraged residents in both cities learned once again, after grand jury hearings returned with no indictment verdicts following police shootings of unarmed civilians.

In both instances, requests for a public inquest were denied before the grand jury convened. In these types of cases, it comes down to one phrase: in the line of duty.

New York Officer Richard S. Neri, 31, was found not guilty of criminally negligent homicide or second degree manslaughter by a 23-member grand jury in the January 24 shooting death of 19 year old Timothy Stansbury, Jr. In Portland, a six-member grand jury found no cause to indict Officer Jason Sery, 28, or his partner, Officer Sean Macomber, in the March 28 shooting of James Jahar Perez. The criminal justice system once again ledgers more statistical data in the disproportionate number of police fatalities that involve Black and Brown people – a community’s emotions pitched.

Recently, a member of the faith-based community invited me to participate in a forum scheduled for the summer. The topic would be “What to do If Stopped By A Police Officer.” Others on the panel will include stakeholders such as parents, activists, and elected officials. Portland Police Chief Derrick Foxwoth is also scheduled to participate.

Without a doubt a serious disconnect exists between police and the community. A gap in communication society can no longer afford.

One step towards improving relations is better information. We should begin teaching public safety in the classrooms from grades K through 12, because this population of tomorrow’s adults need to be aware of what drives behavior on the police beat, and the occupational perils they face. Furthermore, something must be done about assumptions and cavalier attitudes some citizens have regarding police officers. Of course, we can’t overlook that segment of the population distrustful of any encounter with police from the get. Justified or not, this kind of pedestrian attitude puts too much at risk, and therefore shouldn’t guide our interaction with an officer. Which is why we must begin educating at an earlier age.

Public safety. It must be a part of the education cycle. That means the curriculum should be more then a field trip to a police precinct, or an officer speaking at a school assembly. Citizens must be aware that your world changes very quickly when public safety become an issue. What to do is as important as what to say‚ when encountering police officers. It’s all about communication.

Because language defines so much of our interactions, guarding our words and actions becomes a critical component, especially when pulled over by police while driving. On the street curb, confined to a car seat, time slows, patience wears, as conversation becomes sparse, and things can begin spinning out of control in an instant. Before mayhem ensues, we know police study body language. The nuance and subtleties of body-speak alerts, and often guides the actions of an officer. And in the most tragic cases, body language can determine if your next stop is home, the hospital, or the morgue.

Part of the dilemma is that police and civilians operate in two different media. Joe Public must be more aware of this bilingualism during a police stop. This is true even when other factors contribute — especially race, class, and gender.

Statistics kept by Centers for Disease Control show that homicide is the leading cause of death for black males aged fifteen to twenty-four, and that 54 percent of the black population is under 24. Which means we have what can become a worse problem when police officers are pulling the trigger, too.

Elijah Anderson, author of Street Wise: Race, Class, and Change in an Urban Community, visited Portland recently. His book reveals the unique psychology between black males and police officers. He writes that in doing their job police often become willing parties to “color-coding.” One relevant passage reads:
“The police represent society’s formal, legitimate means of social control.”

“Moreover, the anonymous black male is usually an ambiguous figure who arouses the utmost caution and is generally considered dangerous until he proves he is not.”

Education can root out stereotypical thinking. Society must take advantage in teaching children about public safety while they’re a captive audience, because high school is too late. In a commentary article featured in The Oregonian (April 28, 2004), Thelma Stone, who lost a son in a 1998 gang-related shooting, stated, “I say today, take back and reclaim our children.”

One way to do this is to protect children from ignorance, or not knowing what to do if stopped by a patrol car. With tensions as high as they are, and with the dumbing-down of Americans in full throttle, both can be lowered with a little measure and education before our children get behind the wheel.

Yugen’s writings deal with culture, aesthetics and spirituality. His topics, opinions, and insights pay homage to the scholarly search for truth which lead to personal responsibility and the preservation of community life.