Everything looks like a nail. It’s an apt analogy for yet another police shooting of an unarmed black man. In Atlanta, Georgia, Rayshard Brooks was shot by police outside a Wendy’s restaurant after falling asleep in his car due to intoxication.
When police tried to arrest him, he resisted. And who can blame him? He might have thought he was the next one to end up in a choke hold or with a police officer’s knee on his neck until he was dead. I can understand running from the police, especially if your brains are a little stewed on too much alcohol.
There are many things wrong with the shooting of this man. Granted, if Brooks went off randomly discharging a Taser at people just for laughs, it would have posed a problem. It’s far more likely he would have found some place to sleep it off.
The Taser posed a non-lethal threat. Responding with lethal force was overkill, pardon the pun. There was no danger of serious physical harm. The man was intoxicated, ran away and discharged the Taser backwards. The chances of doing physical harm were pretty low.
There were other options, even after Brooks grabbed the officer’s Taser. The other officer still had his Taser, why did he not use it? How hard can it be for two (presumably) sober police officers to overtake an inebriated man in a foot chase? Why were no other options offered? They could have offered a ride home, called a cab, contacted a family member or de-escalated the situation. All these options could have written a very different ending.
The police chief has stepped down and the officer has been fired. It’s a bit like locking the barn door after the horse is stolen. You can fire the whole damn department and Brooks is still dead. What is needed is a different paradigm for police intervention. Shoot now ask questions later is not a strategy that is working, especially if one has dark skin.
I have the greatest respect for law enforcement officers. I am grateful for what they do. The larger issue is that police are routinely asked to do things for which they are not adequately trained. They are put in harm’s way, having no idea what kind of situation they are walking into. Beyond that, they also are often dealing with people who have mental health issues, substance abuse issues and a host of other problems that are not the primary purview of law enforcement. Yet, they are asked to intervene.
All of this doesn’t change the fact that black and brown skinned people are routinely profiled and have a greater chance of dying at the hands of law enforcement than those who are white. It’s just the way it is. There are geographic variables, but far too many people of color are killed by law enforcement, suggesting the systemic racism of our culture impacts police departments as well.
Another issue is the prevalence of a paramilitary paradigm in police training. According to an article in the Atlantic Monthly, Rosa Brooks noted that paramilitary training is a fairly recent development in the world of policing. You can read the entire article here.
In the Colonial period, policing was a communal responsibility. Ordinary citizens were routinely engaged and deputized for specific situations to keep the peace. According to Brooks, “By the mid-nineteenth century industrialization and rising income inequality and the growth of cities led to increases in personal and property crime. Policing ceased to be viewed as a community obligation and became instead the work of a permanent body of paid specialists.”
They were paramilitary from the beginning, using uniforms and military style rankings within the force. In more recent years surplus military equipment is made available to police forces. Interestingly, it is associated with decreased trust in law enforcement and increased police violence.
In some progressive police departments training now includes more skills in de-escalating situations, engaging other strategies before resorting to violence and prohibiting the use of certain restraint movements during an arrest. Sadly, such prohibitions do not always prevent the use of such techniques.
It may be that the greatest impetus to police reform is the invention of the cell phone video. More and more we are seeing the bad actions of a few police being widely exposed, which increases the calls for police reform. As in other situations, the actions of a few shape the opinion of the whole. The majority of police officers discharge their duties with respect and integrity. Many officers complete their entire policing career without ever discharging their weapon.
The need for honest reform, increased transparency and accountability, dealing with systemic racism and shifting the paradigm for police training is a monumental task. We who do not live the life of a police officer do not fully understand the role and responsibilities. This does not excuse us from calling for consistency, excellence and uniform treatment of all people, especially those with black and brown skin.
The Irreverent Reverend 