”Do You Really Want to Help?"
My friend, Dr. Joel A. Davis Brown wrote this article…”Do You Really Want to Help? Thoughts on how to make sure the pandemic of police brutality stops.”
If you really want to help…PLEASE READ IT IN IT’S ENTIRETY.
Published on May 31, 2020
Joel A. Brown, Ed.D. (he/him/his)
Organizational Strategist/Global Diversity & Inclusion/Executive Coach/Storyteller, Poet & Writer
Thoughts on how to make sure the pandemic of police brutality stops:
I haven’t slept well for several days. As an organizational development consultant who advises clients on how to disrupt bias in their organization and create a sense of belonging among their workforce, the murder of George Floyd has been particularly disheartening. Yet...this incident also feels personal for me as well.
Minneapolis is one of my hometowns, and it is surreal to see an area you love gripped by violence after its failure to deal with inequality for decades. Let me reiterate: the recent events in Minneapolis were not caused by rioters, but by years of civic and institutional racism.
And yet, I have never quite forgotten one particular encounter with the Minneapolis police department.
My Personal Experience with the Minneapolis Police Department
It was June 14, 1997. I had just dropped my Mom and cousin off at their hotel in downtown Minneapolis. After making sure they were settled, I began the short 3-mile trip back to Southeast Minneapolis. While crossing the Mississippi River on the Washington Avenue Bridge, I noticed a flashing police light behind me. At the first intersection, I made a right turn and pulled over immediately, assuming the posture that I had learned from my family: arms in plain sight outside of the car window.
Immediately, two squad cars surrounded me. As the first officer approached the car, I asked: “Why I am being pulled over?”
Officer A: We noticed you had dim tail lights.
Me: Dim Taillights?
Officer A: Yes. Your tail lights are too dim.
Me: You must be joking. This is why you pulled me over?
At that point, a second officer approached me while the other officers stood by. There were gawkers and onlookers nearby, but no one wanted to intervene. I was near Comstock Hall on the University of Minnesota campus. The female officer, Officer B, continued the questioning.
Officer B: Where are you going?
Me: I was coming back to the dorm.
Officer B: Why are you coming here?
Me: I’m a student.
Officer B (in a disbelieving tone): Where?
Me (exasperated): At the U!
Officer B (skeptically): Really? What are you studying?
Me (annoyed): I graduate tomorrow. I am a double major in political science and philosophy.
After 20 minutes, the officers seemed confident that I was actually a student and agreed to let me go without a citation. I had forgotten that incident until this week. And if the story seemed painstaking and frustrating, imagine having to live it.
The Backstory of Policing in Minneapolis
The Minneapolis police department, like many police departments across the country, has had long-standing issues with racism, racial intimidation and police brutality. Consistently, Blacks are more likely to be pulled over, arrested, and have force used against them than Whites (ACLU, 2014). In 2018, 54% of the motorists stopped for vehicular equipment malfunctions were Black, even though only 19% of Minneapolis residents are Black (Star Tribune, 2019). In short, that there has been a pattern and practice of racial profiling and discrimination against Black Minneapolitans by the Minneapolis Police Department for years. And given these trends of racial profiling and indiscriminate behavior by the Minneapolis police department, it was only a matter of time before residents like Philando Castile and George Floyd would lose their lives at the hands of local law enforcement. What’s scary is that Castile and Floyd are only the most high-profile cases of police brutality that we know about.
The Opportunity
In the aftermath of the events this week in Minneapolis and New York (i.e. Amy Cooper, the woman who called the police on a birdwatcher because he asked her to put her dog on a leash), I have been honored to hear from a number of non-Black people to offer their support. This is heartening. It certainly is different than the response I received after the Rodney King incident when people were startled to know that police brutality actually takes place.
But please know…this is not enough. The question that I’ve asked a number of friends and associates is: Do you really want to help?
If you do, then it’s important to be clear as to what “help” really looks like. Help cannot be just protesting the murder of George Floyd. I want justice for George Floyd just like any other reasonable person. And…I don’t want any more George Floyd incidents. It is not enough to seek justice for George Floyd, or Ahmaud Arbery, or Breonna Taylor, or the countless others who have suffered from police brutality. We must put an end to the systemic racism in policing and law enforcement.
To accomplish that end, there are a number of individual, interpersonal, and institutional things to consider. However, these are not “microwave-able” solutions that you can simply finish before this news cycle ends. These are not easy steps that you can quickly attend to in order to say you’ve done your part. In the era of “5 Things You Can Do” memos, articles, and blogposts, this invitation to grow and transmute your energy will require time and commitment. Fortunately, you don’t have to be vigilant every single minute of the day. But…I would invite you to think about these things every day.
This is not meant to be a checklist, nor an exhaustive one at that. This is meant to spark intelligent dialogue and hopefully some proactive resolution of this issue. There are many people who are far more articulate than me who can offer additional insights, tips, and suggestions about fostering equity in policing and the criminal justice system. But…I do believe strongly that the work must begin internally and the work must involve everyone. Black people can only do so much, and it is time for non-Black allies to solve what is essentially a non-Black problem: the devaluing of Black lives and Black humanity. In order to eliminate this phenomena of police brutality and white supremacy, please consider the following:
Individual Growth
1) If you are more concerned about the civil unrest that has happened in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder than the smug indifference to the loss of life that sparked the outrage, you are experiencing a problem of emphasis. In other words, you are focusing on the wrong thing. Please redirect your anger to the systemic violence that has affected African Americans and people of color for decades.
2) Observe and study your own biases towards Black people. Think about how you regard Black people in professional settings and romantic encounters. Think about how you react to Blacks in film, media, music, art, and sports. Think about how you perceive Black people who are being interviewed for jobs in your company. Think about how you engage Black people when they are essential workers. Think about how you respond to Black people when you’re angry or when they challenge you as opposed to when they make you feel comfortable or at ease.
3) White people: understand that the same apparatus that is oppressing black people is also hurting you. The illusion is that our struggles are separate. They are one in the same. A system that allows for law enforcement to brutalize black people will also necessarily brutalize YOU. If you are shocked by the anger that black people have, please understand our anger has only been created by your inability to deal with inequity and violence, which stems from your anger. A society – much less a people – cannot commit violence against Black people and POC (“People of Color”) unless it also has unresolved anger. Focus on your healing, growth, and transformation. Understand that your liberation depends on our liberation as well.
Interpersonal Dynamics
1) When there are socio-political events that impact the Black community, check-in with the Black people in your network. Ask them how they are doing. Listen to their feelings. Recognize the core emotions they are feeling (e.g. sadness, anger, rage, etc.). Do not be intellectual. Be heart-based. This is the basis for empathy.
2) Honor the stories of Black people. We have tried to share stories of our joy, intellect, pain, talent, and struggles for quite some time. The problem is: many of you haven’t listened consistently, if you have listened at all.
3) Use whatever privilege or platform you have to actively denounce racist behavior. If you are reading this post, rest assured: you have privilege of some kind.
4) Help others to understand that racism rarely begins with overt aggressive acts. It begins with subtle notions of racial resentment, “othering,” and superiority. Have conversations with your friends, family, and neighbors. Educate yourself about the many ways in which racism manifests itself. However, do not rely on Black people alone to help you understand the dilemmas we face.
5) Do not “tone police” Black people when they suffer grievances. By doing so, you are basically asking Black people to swallow and suppress their pain after suffering injury. You are asking them to mask their trauma. The only thing more painful than injury is the denial of the injury itself.
6) Stop calling the police. Frankly, calling the police has become the way in which too many whites have tried to subjugate or intimidate Blacks they have animus towards. Whether it has been Teresa Klein, Jennifer Schulte, Allison Ettel, Susan Jane Westwood, or Amy Cooper of New York Central Park "fame," white people have tried to use the police as their surrogate or "security blanket" when they can't control Black people. Black people have the right to live and navigate society without the approval, permission, or sanction of their white fellow citizens. It seems odd to have to say this in a supposedly civil society.
Institutional Policy & Practice
1) Make it easier for community residents to report police misconduct in local jurisdictions. Victim-rights advocates have long noted that reporting police misconduct is unnecessarily cumbersome and complicated. We need simple and clear procedures for ordinary citizens to avail themselves of civic resources when an officer engages in harassment or uses extreme force.
2) Give civilian review boards (“CRBs”) the independent power to discipline officers or recommend discipline for officers that will actually be enforced. Over 150 cities and municipalities in the United States have civilian review boards (Scholars, 2018), but without autonomy from local police departments, the efforts of those CRBs will be compromised
3) Ask your state and local representatives to pass legislation to make it easier to prosecute police misconduct. Every state has different laws. In some states, district attorneys are required to prove that the officer “knew that their conduct was illegal or likely to cause death or serious harm.” That is an impossible standard to achieve. We need progressive and fair legislation that will deter and punish police conduct when it violates the reasonable dictates of a fair and equitable society.
4) Rewrite federal laws to make it easier to sue for police misconduct. A police offer can be sued under Section 1983 of the Civil Rights Act for unlawful conduct, but the officer-defendant can use the “qualified immunity” defense to suggest that their actions were reasonable even though they were in fact illegal (Washington Post, 2016). This immunity should be stripped from the law as it reads now.
5) Force police officers to pay damages for police brutality out of their own pockets. This could serve as a deterrent against mischief and malfeasance.
6) Empower local U.S. attorneys to bring lawsuits against a rogue cop, which would reduce jury bias against a civilian-plaintiff who may be a member of a marginalized group or may be formerly-incarcerated.
7) Support organizations like the Center for Policing Equity, Campaign Zero, Impact Justice and others that focus on criminal justice and police reform. Listen to thought leaders like Ben Jealous, Alicia Garza, or Phillip Atiba Goff.
8) Ask your elected officials to outlaw abusive police practices. For example, as of the date of this writing, police choke holds were still sanctioned by the City of Minneapolis (Pioneer Press, 2020).
9) Utilize peace circles and other forms of restorative justice to mitigate conflict within communities. Unfortunately, our society has become very inept at de-escalating and managing conflict (Don't believe me? Look at Congress. Look at our communities. Dare I say...look at your social media feed?) Not every encounter or situation requires police engagement and in fact, some grassroots organizations are discovering that Native American models of conflict resolution are actually more sustainable for some communities and urban neighborhoods (Dukmasova, 2016).
10) Understand the systemic nature of racism. It is not just an incivility. It is a disease. It is a public health and safety concern. It is institutional. And it is global. It is killing Black people and People of Color every single day.
Closing
It is a risk to write this article. Even in 2020, it is risky to advocate for the humanity of Black people. It is risky to protest white supremacy. But I’d rather be an advocate than an appeaser when I see people being victimized.
It is an exhausting time to be Black, but it is more exhausting to continue to be silent.
Dr. Joel A. Davis Brown is the Chief Visionary Officer of Pneumos LLC, a management consulting and coaching firm based in San Francisco, CA. He is also an adjunct professor in Leadership and Strategic Storytelling at the IESEG School of Management in Paris and Lille, France.
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Joel A. Brown, Ed.D. (he/him/his)
Organizational Strategist/Global Diversity & Inclusion/Executive Coach/Storyteller, Poet & Writer
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