To say that there is a high degree of black on black crime is a fact. It’s often used as justification for many people’s attitudes and resentment towards black people in America or so it seems.
The real reason why there appears to be so much black on black crime can be attributed to one thing; fear. Black people fear calling the police about crimes. Mostly it comes down to two factors; we are either afraid of the consequences of what happens when the police are called or we face the stigma of being a “snitch” for calling them. Black people don’t address black on black crime because most feel outsiders wouldn’t understand how things work in the so called inner cities of America. In other words, you won’t ‘get’ black problems if you’re not black.
That being said, I will clarify the difference in the two factors. This is not to insinuate that all black neighborhoods ‘work’ the same way in this regard but a majority do across the United States.
As black people, when the police are called we automatically know that, although the police may be called to investigate the reported crime, the chances of things escalating and getting out of hand are very good. The police come to black neighborhoods when they are called and instead of focusing on the crime they are called for, usually police begin a general canvas. People are randomly stopped and questioned. Even bystanders who may not have had anything to do with the original crime the police were called about, are subjected to rude and intimidating behavior which then escalates tensions very quickly.
Bishop T.D. Jakes, in a conference in Washington, D.C. said, “Blacks are reluctant to call authorities for help because, we have never felt safe with the police”. This is a very valid and true statement.
Personally, I recall one instance where I was walking home from work and the police hard the street cordoned off. I lived a few doors down from where a domestic issue occurred. While just walking home, an officer approached me and began to demand identification and he wanted to do a random warrant check, almost as if any black person in the community is suspect just by being in the vicinity of an alleged crime.
I simply told the officer, I was coming home from work and had nothing to do with whatever issue brought them to the neighborhood. I told him I lived a few doors down and was going home. Instead of accepting that, he then told me in a forceful tone, “If you try to run, I will release the k-9 dog on you”.
Highly unnecessary. Usually, when the police come to the so called black part of town, they come with hostilities, preconceived ideas and suspicions of every black person who happens to be in the area. This paves the way to possible escalation. To say that the police usually are their own worst enemies, in cases like these, are understatements. They demand respect because of their badge but rarely give it to whoever they deal with.
As a public servant, I feel the officer must give respect first. Sadly, most police officers feel this should be the opposite. They generally can’t just deal with the issue they were called for and they seem to always look to make or show an example of their authority by beginning to harass passersby.
Black people, as a whole, have now conditioned themselves to no longer look to the police as a source of help in any situation because of the tactics they routinely use when they arrive on the scene.
The thinking being, calling the police is usually more trouble and more dangerous than it’s worth. So what happens? Mostly in black neighborhoods, when something occurs, we look to handle things ourselves. We take on the attitude that “we take care of our own” and don’t rely on the authorities. This is inherently wrong but it becomes a way of life in an effort to avoid any tragedy that could come out of police encounters.
So the Black community starts to feel, that we will police ourselves and in the end dispense our own brand of justice. The black on black crimes you hear about, are in fact crimes yes, but sometimes it’s the community members handling a problem the way they feel it should be handled. This is also a wrong way of thinking. However, black people feel compelled to go this route because of a lack of trust in the police and ultimately in the judicial system.
The problem is two fold. You see a crime and try to report it and either nothing is done or it is not pursued vigorously, or the person in question seems to ‘get off’. After awhile, you begin to think, there’s no point in calling the police, nothing will be done anyways.
While this may not be true in most cases, there’s evidence to support this feeling, even if it is not completely accurate. For example, in the case of Freddie Gray, none of the officers in question were seemingly held accountable. Most were acquitted or had charges dismissed. This sends a clear message, that when it comes to black concerns, if an officer is involved, the system will ALWAYS undoubtedly side with them and find some way to acquit them of any possible offenses.
In the case of Freddie Gray, he died in police custody. For black people the logic is simple; if someone dies in police custody, the police are responsible. If it appears nothing is done to the officers in question, then there’s no faith in the system. It also sends the message to America that you can kill any black person without consequence. That may not be the actual case but that’s the appearance it gives. There were six officers involved in the death of Freddie Gray and yet not one of the six were held accountable. So what killed Mr. Gray? The van he was transported in? If that’s the case then the responsibility should lie with the driver. When black people see that no one is held to account for things that happen to people in police encounters, it does nothing but breed distrust in the system.
You think that black people are lawless savages out to do no good? This may be some people’s fervent belief. The fact is, the message being sent is that, some people don’t matter, especially if they happen to be black. If a black person is a victim of police misconduct, not much will be done to hold someone accountable. This then gives the impression that black peoples’ lives are undervalued. This is why you hear the slogan, ‘Black Lives Matter’. If you’re a White American who is sick of hearing this phrase, then you have only to look to the system for why it now exists in our society.
When a certain group of people feel oppressed they will undoubtedly force you to hear their voices, especially if the oppression has gone on for decades. Black people don’t ‘cry wolf’ and for years we have said, we are being targeted but no one listened. We were being marginalized and no one cared. Now you have this movement that’s going to force the truth down peoples’ throats. Clearly with all the irrefutable evidence of video and the like, White America can no longer turn a blind eye and say, this type of thing doesn’t happen in America, because it is. It could have been addressed when the problem was small but now due to indifference, it has grown to epic proportions and cannot be ignored any longer.
The facts are simple; when a White American calls the police, something is done. However, the same standard does not exist for black people. It’s like the police and authorities only care to deal with black people if they are committing crimes and not reporting them.
I can recall the example of a black man acting as a whistleblower who reported suspected crimes to the local police but nothing was done. Primarily, because the parties he was reporting were white. Which brings us to the next issue. In America, there seems to be an unwritten rule, that you don’t charge a white person at the word of a black person.
This whistelblower was forced to go so far as to write a letter to the Governor of California requesting that these alleged crimes be investigated and still nothing was done. As a citizen, you should never have to contact the Governor’s Office to report an alleged crime. Yet, that is what this man was forced to do. So for people who say that Black Americans are lawless and just out to commit crimes, the real issue is that, many feel, ‘why should I be law abiding citizen when there are so many who break the law and nothing is done to punish them’?
Lastly, due to the politics of living in the inner city, if one is seen as cooperating with the authorities he is labeled a snitch. Sadly, due to the influence of rap music, I feel, anyone trying to do the right thing and work with the police are labeled as snitches and this makes for a very uncomfortable life in the inner city.
You set yourself up for possible harassment and danger if you are perceived as a snitch. The problem with this is, if you are threatened, and you most undoubtedly will be, you don’t feel you can rely on the police for any protections. To avoid trouble and possible danger, you simply don’t bother. This, I blame on the police as they don’t instill confidence because any issue that comes up in the inner city is always viewed as a “black problem” and not a valid issue for the community.
It’s the indifference that breeds hostility towards the so called ‘Men in Blue’. Much of it police create by their actions or in many cases their inaction to a specific problem.
Police could get much farther in their daily duties if they take a different approach to policing in black communities. As a black man, feeling under siege in America much of the time, the following seven tips can help police in establishing a better relationship with the black community.
1. Don’t assume every black person you encounter has a warrant or is on probation or parole for a crime
and if you find out they are, still treat them like a person.
2. Give respect first. After all, you’re the public servant and that means all the public, even black people.
3. Don’t be condescending in your speech
4. Don’t have preconceived ideas about black people, like the officer in Austin, Texas who stated, black people have violent tendencies.
5. When you do a traffic stop, don’t walk up demanding a persons license like you are their boss. Simply start off by saying, “Hey can I talk to you for a minute?” That one sentence will go a long way to setting a positive tone with Black Americans.
6. Don’t come across like you have a chip on your shoulder or it’s about your perceived authority. Black people are very keenly aware of this attitude. If you have this attitude many black people, like it or not, will reflect it back to you. Most Black Americans have lived their lives feeling marginalized and ignored as if they are second class citizens in a country that claims all men are equal.
7. Keep it positive. If a black person starts to act intense, smile and genuinely say, “Hey relax, we both want to go home today, so just calm down and let’s fix the problem”. One thing about the black culture is, if you stay calm we will want to match you and do the same. It’s natural competition. Keeping a positive attitude even in intense moments will pay dividends you would not imagine. Black people don’t forget things. We remember if a cop stayed cool during an encounter. We will remember how you treated us in a “cool way” and we’ll want to maintain that.
Then, as a police officer, you begin develop a reputation for being a “cool cop”. If there is trouble, the cool cops are the ones the Black community looks for first to solve a problem or to provide information to authorities. This is because black people equate cool with respect. We respect the people we see as cool. Samuel L. Jackson, Denzel Washington, Deion Sanders; are good examples of cool and how respect is automatic because of it.
The police academy trains officers in a technique called, “ask, tell, make”. First the officer is to ask you to comply with something. Then they tell you to do it as a demand. Then their objective is to make you do whatever they want, usually with physical violence. This is an inherently stupid tactic as the officer causes the escalation based upon his training. In reality, if that’s what they are training officers to do at the academy, in this climate, ask, tell, make, is just outdated.
Remember, you’re dealing with a race of people who started their existence in America as being forced labor. After generations of resentment being instilled in them, anything that appears as if they are being forced into, will instantly escalate a situation.
There are some people that will say, ‘oh well black people just need to get over that part of history’. Have you ever gotten over the death of a child? Or your mom? Or a good friend from school? Some tragedies stay with you long after they happen. You try to ignore them so you don’t feel the hurt but they are there. They are always there.
I had the occasion to have to deal with a cop when I was pulled over and he could see I was getting tense. He diffused the situation in the most original way I ever experienced. It was a hot day and he asked me if I was thirsty. I smiled and said yes. He had me to follow him to a gas station and he bought me a soda and we talked. He told me he was going to give me a ticket and that I had it coming because I wasn’t wearing a seat belt but he said to me, “at least you’re getting a cold soda”.
We laughed and talked like normal people and I did not feel threatened or any resentment about the ticket. I have always treasured it as one of the few positive experiences I have ever had with the police.
The point is, there are a lot of ways for a police officer to do his job and the best ways are not always by the book. Proof positive can be found here: http://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2016/07/19/dancing-cop-black-lives-matter-bbq.ksnw
A break dancing cop! More importantly, this cop was breaking barriers. This is community outreach at its highest level. This is good policing! This is how you develop trust in the Black community so that the black on black crime so many use to justify their indifference can maybe one day be eradicated.