Copeland's Corner: January 31, 2023
The mistrust, suspicion, and mistreatment of black men in this country is in the DNA of modern policing.
As I watched the video of the horrific beating that Tyre Nichols took at the hands, feet, and batons of Memphis Police, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the Rodney King video 30 odd years ago. I remember how, prior to the release of that video that saw King brutally beaten by Los Angeles police after a traffic stop, when African Americans told tales of mistreatment and brutality by law enforcement, we were dismissed as fabulists or withholding the information that justified the actions. We weren’t believed. Once that video aired, I thought, “Now they have to believe us. Here’s proof they can see with their own eyes.”
I remember when the Simi Valley jury charged with bringing the offending officers to justice did not render an immediate verdict, I joked that they were holding out to make it look good when they rendered their verdict convicting the cops. What was there to deliberate? There was nothing that Rodney King could have done to deserve being beaten like that. And the jurors saw it. I remember my shock and disbelief when the jury found all of the offending officers Not Guilty. They somehow believed that this kind of treatment was okay. That there was a justification for this kind of abuse and barbarity of another human being under color of authority.
I remember the days of rioting that followed culminating in 53 deaths and millions of dollars in damage. I remember the pledges by people in positions of authority that there would be systemic changes in policing and training. “Now,” I thought, “Things will finally get better.”
I watched that sickening Memphis video and thought about how three decades later, nothing has changed. It’s still the same problem. Unarmed black men being murdered by men in police uniforms.
At least the officers in Memphis were immediately held accountable, losing their jobs, and being charged with second degree murder and other crimes. At least the EMTs who arrived at the scene and failed to render proper aid to Mr. Nichols have been fired. None of this brings Mr. Nichols back to his family, but it’s something. It’s a start. Truth be told, I don’t think I’m going to see any real changes in this situation in my lifetime. The attitudes in law enforcement about who to “protect and serve” and who needs to be policed were put in place long before I was born.
An unarmed African American man was killed by police in my community a few years ago and the citizenry demanded the formation of a Community Police Review Board to oversee police actions and citizen complaints. I was appointed as one of the citizen commissioners. Commissioners are required to undergo 30 hours of training in order to better understand law enforcement procedures and the history of policing in America. I learned a lot that I didn’t know about that history. The thing that surprised me most is that American policing’s lineage can be traced back to the “slave catcher patrols” who hunted down African Americans who escaped bondage. The mistrust, suspicion, and mistreatment of black men in this country is in the DNA of modern policing. It doesn’t matter if the officers are black, white, purple, or green. The attitude is that men of color who aren’t wearing blue are suspects from the moment they come out of the womb. That’s why a black father on his way home after photographing the sunset can be dragged from his car and beaten to death with impunity by police while their fellow officers stand by and watch.
I expect to see the same pattern that we always see. Outrage. Promises of change. Policy adjustments. Promises of new police training. White America’s recognition of the problem and sympathy for the victims being abused in their name. Then, it all fades, everyone moves on and things revert to how they’ve always been. Until the next time.