Four in the morning, the town still slumbering. Mockingbirds warble at one another in the courtyard of the old San Diego police headquarters down on Market Street. I sit at a government-issue metal desk across from a uniformed police officer and ask, "Do you use racial or ethnic slurs?"
It's spring, 1976. I'm a patrol captain, interviewing, one at a time, my graveyard cops who are assigned to Southeast San Diego, a predominately black community. "Yeah, I do," answers the 12-year veteran. His tone isn't defiant or proud, embarrassed or ashamed, just kind of matter of fact. "So does everybody else."
He's got that right, almost: Thirty of my 31 Southeast officers confessed to on-the-job use of the most vile, invective, racist language you can imagine. Offenders included the area's lieutenant, two of three sergeants, and the one black cop working a beat car (a three-year man who, with tears of shame rolling down his cheeks, admitted he went along to get along).
I knew racism flourished in America, and that we cops were representative of the views and values of the citizenry at large. Moreover, I was acutely aware of my own behavior as a rookie some 10 years earlier when I had participated in racist jokes, ridiculed and baited young African American men, and made "attitude" arrests in their community. Still, I was stunned by my cops' candid replies to questions about their language and other behavior (which included excessive force, false arrest, a slower, apathetic response to crime and other forms of discrimination based on race, and class).
Why the surprise? Because I thought our workplace culture had made more progress than that. Two years earlier a new chief had announced to his top staff, "These walls have heard the N-word for the last time." We spent many hours in the police academy stressing nondiscrimination, professionalism, common courtesy.
When the "Southeast Investigation" went public a year later its findings surprised exactly no one in the black community. But it shocked the hell out of the (largely) Republican establishment in San Diego. Many corporate and civic leaders spoke up, expressing disgust, asserting their intolerance of intolerance -- particularly among those charged with upholding the constitution.
This development only added impetus to our internal campaign to once and for all end racial (and other forms of unlawful) discrimination within the ranks.
Resolutely rejecting charges of "political correctness," we set about making it clear to our cops, at all levels: You want to keep your job, you'd best put an airtight lid on the kind of language we'd heard during the Southeast Investigation, and bring to a screeching halt those discriminatory habits.
We had no illusions. We knew we weren't changing attitudes, much less deeply held beliefs. Not at first, anyway. Our theory was simple. Grab 'em by the shorthairs, and trust that their minds and hearts would follow.
Over time, more and more of our supervisors -- and peers at the officer level -- enforced that standard, even when their own bosses were not looking over their shoulders. And the chief, true to his word, fired cops who couldn't or wouldn't refrain from racially biased conduct.
Which brings us to the current dismal state of civic discourse, and the barefaced bigotry of racist-sign-toting, epithet-spewing teabaggers, birthers, and assorted other raging town-hallers.
We've all seen the Obama-as-Hitler posters, the photos of the President of the United States dressed as jungle medicine man. We've watched as nasty hecklers, including members of Congress, demean both the highest office in the land and the man who holds it. (I'd love to give Joe Wilson the benefit of the doubt, but my own beliefs and experience cause me to side with Nobel Laureate Jimmy Carter. I can't shake the belief that Wilson would have seethed quietly, perhaps muttering under his breath, if a white president had delivered that line on the intersection of health care and immigration.)
And so what if people of my leftist political persuasion stooped to similar behavior in condemning George W. Bush? Two wrongs...you know the rest.
We've witnessed radio and TV "personalities" impugn not merely the president's policies and priorities (which they've enthusiastically, and by all rights, done) but his citizenship, his religion, and yes, his race.
Where are the sensible, decent Republicans whose parents taught them to play nice, who helped their Alex P. Keatonesque offspring grow into mature, responsible adults? No one's asking Republicans to inveigh against principles they hold dear, like free markets, corporate gluttony, or private health care. But when it comes to civilized behavior would it kill them to take a page from John McCain's playbook and speak out -- in the here and now -- against dangerously inflammatory rhetoric?
True, McCain unwittingly disparaged folks of Arab descent when he responded to his red-shirted supporter in that celebrated October '08 exchange on the campaign trail. But he showed some real class when he immediately seized the microphone from the frightened, confused woman, and characterized his presidential opponent as a "...decent family man/citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with."
Unless and until other prominent Republicans speak out with equal speed and weight against the growing forces of ignorance and intolerance, the GOP will come to be seen not only as a haven for "everybody does it" bigots but as the party of bigotry.
Follow Norm Stamper on Twitter: www.twitter.com/CopsSayLegalize
Wilson's son disputes Carter's claim of racism - Yahoo! News
Carter again cites racism as factor in Obama's treatment - CNN.com
Carter's Racism Charge Sparks War of Words - The Caucus Blog ...
Norm made a deal with the "leaders" to keep things peaceful, which they (the protesters) promptly broke. Since Norm and his command staff hadn't made any real plan "B", the City of Seattle was pretty much torn up by the protesters, before Norm's troops could get a handle on things. . Norm lost his job over it and retired to write and muse on the state of things. Norm is a very nice man, albeit naive in many areas, and would have been much better suited in a University setting rather than a police one.
Ah, the media's favorite cop-out, the false equivalency. Carter did not speak about racism because people are criticizing Obama. There's a fever pitch of irrational hatred directed at Obama, and it's based on racism. "You lie!" happened due to racism. Likewise, irrational hatred of Jews may safely be characterized as anti-Semitism. The New York Times equates criticism (possibly legitimate) with irrational hatred (never legitimate). Not a very insightful analysis.
Why should matters be any other way? Humanity is, in fact, one species of a tight family genetically. . There is no real difference of potential, and America is moving up to realize its proudest ideals of citizen equity.
You look at him, and he looks good: He dresses well if in smart American casual -- maybe, he's running ahead of the curve (!). And, he's Harvard elite, law book, all that. He's not a lower class Southerner who stopped bathing when he moved away from the fields crossed by a creek.
There is a dissonance. And, it is resolved because Barack Obama is not an African American. He is an African American Prince. If he screws up badly, you will hear some vicious racism. Between times, our Prince is the President of the United States, his princedom confirmed, and his success will be a particular delight because we Americans do love our royalty.
To concentrate on white vs black because of President Obama is just a political tool to silence those who criticize him because of his ideology and policies. Last time I checked, 9:48AM, this is still a free country where people can express their opinion without watching over their shoulder. Those who are critical of the President should not be concerned about being white. They should not let be manipulated by the left.
Racism is never going to go away because it is a convenient political tool to manipulate opinion and discredit critics. Thank God most people in the streets can see beyond that.
Where were you when non-bid contracts were being passed out like Penicillin at a hooker convention on C Street in San Diego the Thursday before shore leave? Where were you when those of us who opposed these polices were being shouted down, tossed out of public meetings and branded unAmerican?
I have a good ideal where you were -- in the midst of the crowd yelling USA USA USA.
Give me a freaking break. If this president's skin pigmentation were anything other than black you and your ilk would be on the sidelines encouraging him to continue the failed policies of his predecessor.
You aren't fooling anyone but yourself if you believe on scintilla of the misinformation being tossed about about 'policy' 'freedom of speech' ' budget deficit' etc.
Thank goodness there are more white, black, Latino and other Americans who do not BELIEVE YOUR LIES.
Fasten your seat belt buddy the road ahead is gonna be bumpy for you wingnuts.
LeeAndrew
http://www.leeandrew.fr
Viking slaves tended to be White though there was also a transitory element of easy freedom as the Vikings were not so much an urban people, but more rustic with all members of a household somewhat "family." The Germans would raid east and south to capture "slaves." Serfdom was largely a rural practice that attached workers to a noble's farms. The Russian serfs were, technically, freed as a nod toward the United States freeing its slaves with the Civil War. French serfs were liberated around WWI.
As with American "Jim Crow" laws, exploiting a Constitutional clause allowing involuntary servitude as a punishment for crimes, Germans under Hitler bound workers to a kind of factory serfdom. The acceptance of such principles probably made it easier to enslave Jews and other prisoners then. One of the things that made Kuwaitis so anxious to recover their country from Hussein was the escape of household slaves into the streets of London.
Many Republican leaders are prevaricators and are driven by concupiscence related to personal gain. That is also true for some Democrat leaders too.
The difference is that some Republicans have refined these two traits of prevarication and concupiscence into something that closely resembles imaginary voodoo. They wither because of it.
I am compelled to figure out why some people frequently make little to no sense, and spout nonsense for their personal gain.
Language essentially involves four processes: receptive, integrative, expressive, and pragmatic. Then you have deductive logic and inductive reasoning. All of these processes have to be somewhat intact for an individual to express a rational thought.
A high percentage of Republicans participate in these activities because the thought of having a black president is intolerable to them. Racism and ignorance have common roots and both can frequently be viewed as illnesses.
The etiology (cause) of an illness is often hidden, and the sequelae (presenting or residual effects) of an illness are frequently not.
For more information about why they think like they think, Google “Thinking Errors”. For more information about why these cognitive distortions occur, Google concupiscence.
In our world ignorance is not bliss, it’s propagated and malignant.
The pen can sometimes be mightier than the sword, and although I don't give blind faith, I do have great faith that your words and insight can actually help this country....
Sometimes I wish I could be more eloquent. I just want to say Keep it up Man.
Followed by a simple question: "What Ever Happen To Our Civility?".
Instead, it's going to a private room on each side of Congress and plotting how to attack the other side tomorrow.
You always tell it like it is. Thank you for your honesty and courage.