Sniper in Dallas, the network news graphics proclaims. And off we go again.
How is this thing ever going to end? Let's take a look.
There are actually two separate problems:
1) White cops are seen on video shooting black guys.
2) People (mostly black people) are filled with anger and frustration, because they know white cops are murdering black folk for no reason.
Let's take the second problem first. How do you solve this perception of black murder at the hands of white cops?
You don't.
You're dealing with thoughts inside a human head, and you can't get those things out of there with dynamite.
Humans know what they know, and that's that. The brain plays along by editing mental perception of the world to make sure we get solid proof that whatever the hell pile of crap is inside our skull, it's golden, baby, now and forever.
How do you change those thoughts? You can't.
Because if you could change the thoughts, that would imply those who held those thoughts were somehow wrong—and that's impossible. Human beings are never wrong (as far as we know.)
Consequently, whoever might harbor the notion that white cops are systematically murdering black men, rest assured. You're in no danger of being proved wrong. You can't be, and you won't be. Case closed.
So let's abandon this fruitless quest and look at the first problem: White cops caught on video shooting black guys.
Is that a problem that needs to be addressed? Of course it is, but it's not as staggering a dilemma as Problem Two might suggest.
Turns out, only about one percent of the famous Black Lives Matter cases are actual, prosecutable instances of white cops murdering black guys.
If you eliminated all those real cases—and of course that absolutely needs to be done—you might not notice the difference.
One percent. Maybe.
[Which ones? Obviously, the cop who chased a black motorist, grappled with him, then shot the guy in the back as he ran away for the second time—that's an example of some kind of murder. And the Chicago cop who poured lead into the knife-carrying fellow in the middle of the street may well be prosecuted for his actions, though he claimed (and it's a hard claim to fully dismiss) that he was in fear of his life. (If he was in genuine fear for his life—in those circumstances, surrounded by fellow cops—he at the very least should not be retained by the police department.)]
Virtually all the other cases involved cops following procedure as best they could under often difficult conditions.
Blacks don't see it that way, and never will. Their minds are made up.
But when a cop stops you and asks if there are any weapons in the vehicle, for god's sake don't say yes, then start digging around in search of your carry permit. Keep your hands on the steering wheel and make no moves without the cop's instructions. Your life literally depends on it.
That goes for white guys, too. Believe it or not.
And when a cop comes up to you and says, "Turn around and put your hands behind your back," do it.
Don't just stand there, bristling with defiance, and demand to know what this is all about.
If there's a report of a man with a gun, the cops might not want to say the magic word until after you're in cuffs. If you're not the guy with the gun, expect them to remove the cuffs pretty quickly.
And that goes for black guys too, believe it or not.
I know it takes courage to let yourself be cuffed when you're convinced the cops have got the wrong guy, but it has to be done. Especially if you're black and you're pretty sure you're about to be shot dead.
The fact is, cooperating with the cops in those crucial first moments may be the only thing that keeps you from getting shot.
Like the cops often say when they bring out the cuffs: "For my safety and yours."
Easy to see how cuffing a suspect protects the cops; how does it protect you? It helps to relieve the tension of the situation. It tends to keep the cop from shooting you out of fear of what you might do to him.
(Perhaps a cop's greatest dread is that some dirtbag will grab his service pistol and use it on him. Even so, that device has to be handy to the cop—which makes it handy to the bad guy, too.)
So, if removing all the murdering cops leaves the other 99% of legitimate, duty-based shootings, how are the optics ever going to change for the better?
Putting aside the fanciful solution ("Set phasers to stun, boys!"), the only way we're ever going to end the stream of white-cop-shooting-black-guy videos is to end those encounters once and for all.
If a black man is the perp—or the victim—he must be handled exclusively by black officers.
That also means, if a white cop comes across a black man bleeding-out in the street, the best he'll be able to do is call for an ambulance...and then fade into the background.
Now, black officers will be following the same police procedures as their white comrades, but in at least some cases the black perp may relax a bit and not do any of those ill-advised things that might get him killed.
But not in every case.
Soon the nightly newscasts will fill with video of black cops shooting black guys.
Eventually, the popular narrative will shift. Not white cops murdering black guys for no reason, just cops in general murdering black guys for no reason.
That way Sniper in Dallas (or wherever) will feature photos of more black cops on the role call of victims.
A kind of victory for equality, I suppose.
And a new question: Do we reach for the champagne—or the cyanide-laced Kool-Aid?
No comments:
Post a Comment