[This is the final post in my three part series that examines perceptions, leadership and solutions associated with the problems effecting minority communities and police.]
The other evening, I was walking in Uptown Charlotte to meet a friend. As I walked down College St., I remembered the images of a few weeks ago. The people, the police and the protests. In that moment, I looked around and noticed that the national spotlight had faded to black and the major networks as well as their well-known anchors had long departed back to New York or Atlanta. The chants for justice, the heavily-armed police and National Guard were all a distant memory. Charlotte, my hometown, once filled with broken windows and tear gas had transformed back into the bustling Metropolis it was before the death of Keith Lamont Scott. Just like that, we as a society had done it again. We had deluded ourselves into thinking that peace was a solution. Sadly, I found myself a central character in this Orwellian nightmare. And there I was, off to grab a craft cocktail with a buddy. This post will focus on solutions to the problem of mistrust by minority communities of the police.
The System Works
One of the primary reasons violence ensues after the deaths of unarmed black and Latino men is because many in communities of color believe that the system does not work. I am not referencing the flawed judicial system that sentences young black and Latino’s disproportionately; instead, I am referencing the system of government. Because of this mistrust, it is incumbent upon those in positions of leadership to explain that the system DOES work. In fact, THE SYSTEM is the only way to ensconce permanent and substantive change. The American system of government, with our three equal branches, is the most ingenious system ever formed. It allows any citizen to run for office, vote for like-minded people, vote out non-like-minded people, and challenge unlawful people and laws in court. Is the system complicated? Yes. Is it frustrating? Yes. But, does it work? Yes.
Thurgood Marshall lived in a much more aggressive racial climate than we do today. Yet, he used the courts and the constitution in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case to argue for school integration. MLK and the leaders of the 1960’s lived in a much more aggressive climate than we do today, yet they worked with the executive and legislative branches to pass the 1964 Civil Rights Act as well as the 1965 Voting Rights Act. These feats did not come without setbacks, death threats or persecution, but all of these successes proved that the system does work.
Leaders like MLK and Thurgood Marshall outlined the blueprint as to how best to achieve change. They utilized the very system that discriminated against them to bring about change. In fact, that is the great irony about America. The country that for so many years did not live up to its promise for minorities has, in its DNA, the methods and procedures of how to make this country a more perfect UNION. The DNA I speak of is the Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, the system of government, and the right to vote.
Coordination
There are thousands of national as well as local groups in the United States that were formed with the express purpose to assist minority communities. While these organizations provide a tremendous service to the community, true change happens when strategies are coordinated and resources are pooled together – a solution must be universally identified and accepted, and the efforts of all minority groups must be channeled for true change. Leaders in Ferguson, New York, and Charlotte among countless other cities have been effected by police shootings of unarmed black men. This is not a local problem. This is a national problem. And, in order for it to be resolved, plans must be coordinated at a national level.
I suggest partnering with the legislature to write a bill that would mandate body cameras on every police officer in the country (please see my previous article on the numbers of blacks in elected office to ensure this could be done). One method to achieve such a mandate would be to financially support candidates who support this legislation. It would also mean not supporting and voting out of office anyone who does not agree with this stance. The creation of a Washington, D.C., lobbying office where Senators and Congressmen are poked and prodded until they bend would also assist the effort. Additionally, reaching out to police organizations to gain their support would be key to legislating a mandate for body cameras.
I mentioned body cameras, but there are other ideas that could be advocated for, such as the immediate release of all police shooting videos, separate civilian oversight of the police force, better training for police officers, and more community/police involvement. This is not even the tip of the iceberg of suggestions that could make a serious change, but it is a start.
A nationally coordinated strategy is the kind of action that is needed to ensure that long term progress would finally be made. While I agree that peacefully marching and venting frustrations at the police is a way to express displeasure, REAL change is done at the ballot box. REAL change is done away from the TV cameras. REAL change is done at a national level, where long term plans are initiated and seen through to the end.
Accountability
There are a crop of leaders in government and in minority communities that have held positions of influence for many years. These leaders have formed a WarDetatante (yes, I made up that word). It means fake outrage with no results. Through the years, these leaders have gone back and forth in a war of words, sometimes vitriolic in nature. These words have served to fire-up their various constituencies, but have produced nothing in the way of actions or solutions. If you think I am mistaken, one need only look at my previous post as Exhibit A. It is high time that people on both sides of the issue hold their leaders accountable.
If you are a black elected official who has been in Washington for 10 plus years and all you have to show for your efforts are pictures with presidents and an inflated bank account, then you have failed those you swore to serve. If you are a government leader and have advocated policies that sustain the current state of affairs, you are an embarrassment to your office and need to be removed. In order to ensure accountability, there must coordination at the local and national level to identify those in positions of power who have sought to make this situation worse and then get rid of them.
In the final analysis, this three part series was written to start a larger discussion in homes and the workplace about what YOU can do to solve this problem. We chronicled the reasons for the anger of many in the black community against the police. Then we looked at the current leadership and examined why they have in many ways exacerbated the problem. And, in this post we looked to solve this problem. It is my hope that after reading all three parts to this series, you do not close your tablet, phone or computer and move on to the next thing. Regardless of your race, begin to engage in conversations, but more importantly engage in solutions to ensure that EVERY citizen, irrespective of color, is treated fairly under the law.