Jesus_is_LORD
Loyal
- Joined
- Nov 10, 2015
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Can you hear me now?
As an African American male, a personal friend inquired about my thoughts on the George Floyd topic, which has gained headline coverage. In summary, George Floyd's death at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer due to the prolonged placement of the officer's knee on George's neck has ignited many protests, looting, shooting, and cries for reform. There is so much so say, but in my response to my friend, I've decided to formulate my thoughts in this order. (A) Is there a problem? (B) What is the problem? ( C) How do we solve the problem? We all have different perspectives because we are all unique. The perspective I bring is that of an individual of dual citizenship (Liberia & American citizenship), an African American, a Male, and a Christian. Identifiers are listed in reverse order of significance to me.
Is there a problem?
When entering such conversations, one of the most common mistakes that we often make is that we assume that the way in which we see the world is shared by others. As a result, we are easily upset, confused, or disappointed when we realized that everyone does not see the world the same way that we do. For example, many men lack empathy for the issue of sexual harassment. Since they don't experience the world through the lens of a female, many are not aware of the looks, inappropriate comments, solicitations, etc, that women often get. Similarly, it would be a misstep if I would approach my thoughts on this issue by assuming that everyone believes the issue of George Floyd is "a problem." For some, the belief is that if people didn't commit crimes; they wouldn't have to deal with the police. Others still hold the position that if individuals only obeyed the commands of police officers, they wouldn't find themselves dead. I, however, would disagree and state that there is a problem.
What is the problem?
Though the problem on a much larger scale is often referred to as police brutality, give me a moment to illuminate for you why through my eyes, that is not the problem. Police brutality is simply a manifestation of a more significant problem. Time and time again, we see on the news the death of African American males at the hands of police officers, and the outcry is these police are bad people, and we need to weed out all of the "bad apple". I see it differently. First the term bad apple is one we need to stop using because it promotes a certain level of tolerance for misconduct. Some errors of misconduct cannot be tolerated at all. It would be unacceptable for airplane companies to say, “most of our pilots know how to fly planes, only a few bad apples have crashes because they don't have their pilots license”. Such a comment would be absurd. Similarly a principal would not say, most of our school teachers respect child, we only have a few “bad apples” who are on the sex offender registry. Get my point? For police officers, the tolerance should be 0% for such misconduct [George Floyd's death]. Just as all (100%) of pilots must have a pilots license and all (100%) of school teachers must have a clear criminal background, the tolerance for police brutality should be (0%). And with this in mind, let us go deeper because police brutality is not the problem but a symptom.
Let us first ask, what makes a police officer? When a baby is born, is there a certain gene or stamp that says this child will be a police officer? Certainly not. Though certain personality types may be led to the profession of law enforcement or certain moments of trauma may lead to wanting to make the world safer for others, there is not one factor that distinguishes who will choose to become a police officer[in my opinion]. Police officers come from society. They don't come from Mars or Venus; they are members of our communities; they go to school with us and attend our churches. Citizens similarly look at politicians, and we complain about corruption and scandals. Citizens campaign on reform, but when in office, find themselves doing the very same thing they protested against. When outside of politics, the sins of the politician are somehow seen differently from ours. We complain that a politician is being led by greed when stealing[misappropriating funds] taxpayer money, but we overlook that the same spirit of greed is leading us when we are cheating on our taxes to get the biggest refund.
Likewise, I see the issue of police brutality as only a symptom of the much deeper issue of racism[for some, it is a blindspot]. Imagine a teacher who feels a certain disgust towards African Americans and thus gives less time to their Black students in the classroom, or more often than White students sends them out for suspension. Imagine a financial advisor who sees African Americans as inferior and is less likely to give them a loan for a home. If these individuals were to change jobs and decide that they wanted to now be a police officer, how do you think their attitudes towards African Americans would present itself in the role of police? I dare to say that it would be manifested as police brutality. Yet the issue did not start as a police brutality issue but one of racism. Though there is room for police reform and changes in policies such as restraints, if policing reform was the issue [primary] because police were not adequately trained, you would see such negligence proportional represented among all police encounters. However, this is not the case as Blacks who make up only around 16% of the U.S population, represent nearly 50% of those shot by officers. Though some may be quick to ask, perhaps the answer is a result of Blacks being more violent, the video evidence in which we have seen [numerous times] shows that these deaths often involve victims who are not resisting arrest or capable of resisting[due to being handcuffed]. So though it may be easy to point the fingers at police officers or police brutality as the problem, I see that the real problem is racism, which is one that lives not only in the hearts of police officers. Furthermore, instead of trying to focus on removing the bad apples from the bad tree, why don't we grow the tree in a healthy soil[society] so that the apples will naturally be good because the tree is good?
How do we solve the problem?
Seeing that our issue is one of racism, how do we solve that problem? Wow, what a hard question. Asking the question of how do you solve racism is like asking, how do you solve the problem of poverty. Just as the solution to racism is not simply financial, hopefully, we've learned since the Civil Rights movement that the solution to racism is not simply legal. Money can help someone buy a home; however, if they have an issue with addiction, eventually they will take the money and use it for their habits and end up back in their situation of poverty. Likewise, changing laws will help to write on paper the laws of the land, but unless such laws are written on our hearts, when individuals feel that there is a chance to get away with it, they will show their true colors. I think the solution involves first prayer and reflection, and second action within your sphere of influence. Obviously legal reform and police oversight is a third and also important factor, but for now I'll focus on the first two [since they are more primary].
I think we all should first pray for wisdom and reflect and search ourselves. We should reflect on how we view people who are different from us. I believe that African American's should seek to forgive Americans for all that has happened [slavery to police brutality] in order to remove the anger, and I believe that White Americans should show empathy by acknowledging the hurt which they may not themselves feel, to remove the blindspot.
Concerning action, I think that each of us has a sphere of influence in which we can make the most impact. Each of us has friends, family, and organizations that we belong to and can create better connections with each other. The more we love each other and treat each other like Jesus did, we will realize that there is only one race, the human race; expressed through various flavors in the ethnicities and cultures of the people.
When living in Baltimore City during the Freddie Gray protest, I decided to respond with love. I purchased numerous gift cards for police officers, and took to the streets to thank them[police officers] for their service to our community, knowing that many were doing the right thing. My hope was that if police could receive love from the community, feeling loved would result in responding and policing with love. Furthermore [in 2015], I drafted up some ideas on community policing and delivered my suggestions to the Mayor's [Stephanie Rowlings-Blake] office in Baltimore City.
My thoughts are that we all have a particular area of influence where we can show love and influence those who listen to us. Police procedural reforms, body-cams, federal department of Justice consent-decrees, and oversights help to some degree; however, none of these which were already in place was sufficient to save the life of George Floyd. Only a heart of love, capable of hearing the words “I can't breathe” and responding based on recognizing the humanity in another, would have made the difference. The heart of the issue is the issue with the heart. The solution is love. God[Jesus] is love. I repeat [on purpose]; only a heart of love, capable of hearing the words “I can't breathe” and responding based on recognizing the humanity in another, would have made the difference. The heart of the issue is the issue with the heart. The solution is love. God[Jesus] is love.
-Wala-Neh Labala
As an African American male, a personal friend inquired about my thoughts on the George Floyd topic, which has gained headline coverage. In summary, George Floyd's death at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer due to the prolonged placement of the officer's knee on George's neck has ignited many protests, looting, shooting, and cries for reform. There is so much so say, but in my response to my friend, I've decided to formulate my thoughts in this order. (A) Is there a problem? (B) What is the problem? ( C) How do we solve the problem? We all have different perspectives because we are all unique. The perspective I bring is that of an individual of dual citizenship (Liberia & American citizenship), an African American, a Male, and a Christian. Identifiers are listed in reverse order of significance to me.
Is there a problem?
When entering such conversations, one of the most common mistakes that we often make is that we assume that the way in which we see the world is shared by others. As a result, we are easily upset, confused, or disappointed when we realized that everyone does not see the world the same way that we do. For example, many men lack empathy for the issue of sexual harassment. Since they don't experience the world through the lens of a female, many are not aware of the looks, inappropriate comments, solicitations, etc, that women often get. Similarly, it would be a misstep if I would approach my thoughts on this issue by assuming that everyone believes the issue of George Floyd is "a problem." For some, the belief is that if people didn't commit crimes; they wouldn't have to deal with the police. Others still hold the position that if individuals only obeyed the commands of police officers, they wouldn't find themselves dead. I, however, would disagree and state that there is a problem.
What is the problem?
Though the problem on a much larger scale is often referred to as police brutality, give me a moment to illuminate for you why through my eyes, that is not the problem. Police brutality is simply a manifestation of a more significant problem. Time and time again, we see on the news the death of African American males at the hands of police officers, and the outcry is these police are bad people, and we need to weed out all of the "bad apple". I see it differently. First the term bad apple is one we need to stop using because it promotes a certain level of tolerance for misconduct. Some errors of misconduct cannot be tolerated at all. It would be unacceptable for airplane companies to say, “most of our pilots know how to fly planes, only a few bad apples have crashes because they don't have their pilots license”. Such a comment would be absurd. Similarly a principal would not say, most of our school teachers respect child, we only have a few “bad apples” who are on the sex offender registry. Get my point? For police officers, the tolerance should be 0% for such misconduct [George Floyd's death]. Just as all (100%) of pilots must have a pilots license and all (100%) of school teachers must have a clear criminal background, the tolerance for police brutality should be (0%). And with this in mind, let us go deeper because police brutality is not the problem but a symptom.
Let us first ask, what makes a police officer? When a baby is born, is there a certain gene or stamp that says this child will be a police officer? Certainly not. Though certain personality types may be led to the profession of law enforcement or certain moments of trauma may lead to wanting to make the world safer for others, there is not one factor that distinguishes who will choose to become a police officer[in my opinion]. Police officers come from society. They don't come from Mars or Venus; they are members of our communities; they go to school with us and attend our churches. Citizens similarly look at politicians, and we complain about corruption and scandals. Citizens campaign on reform, but when in office, find themselves doing the very same thing they protested against. When outside of politics, the sins of the politician are somehow seen differently from ours. We complain that a politician is being led by greed when stealing[misappropriating funds] taxpayer money, but we overlook that the same spirit of greed is leading us when we are cheating on our taxes to get the biggest refund.
Likewise, I see the issue of police brutality as only a symptom of the much deeper issue of racism[for some, it is a blindspot]. Imagine a teacher who feels a certain disgust towards African Americans and thus gives less time to their Black students in the classroom, or more often than White students sends them out for suspension. Imagine a financial advisor who sees African Americans as inferior and is less likely to give them a loan for a home. If these individuals were to change jobs and decide that they wanted to now be a police officer, how do you think their attitudes towards African Americans would present itself in the role of police? I dare to say that it would be manifested as police brutality. Yet the issue did not start as a police brutality issue but one of racism. Though there is room for police reform and changes in policies such as restraints, if policing reform was the issue [primary] because police were not adequately trained, you would see such negligence proportional represented among all police encounters. However, this is not the case as Blacks who make up only around 16% of the U.S population, represent nearly 50% of those shot by officers. Though some may be quick to ask, perhaps the answer is a result of Blacks being more violent, the video evidence in which we have seen [numerous times] shows that these deaths often involve victims who are not resisting arrest or capable of resisting[due to being handcuffed]. So though it may be easy to point the fingers at police officers or police brutality as the problem, I see that the real problem is racism, which is one that lives not only in the hearts of police officers. Furthermore, instead of trying to focus on removing the bad apples from the bad tree, why don't we grow the tree in a healthy soil[society] so that the apples will naturally be good because the tree is good?
How do we solve the problem?
Seeing that our issue is one of racism, how do we solve that problem? Wow, what a hard question. Asking the question of how do you solve racism is like asking, how do you solve the problem of poverty. Just as the solution to racism is not simply financial, hopefully, we've learned since the Civil Rights movement that the solution to racism is not simply legal. Money can help someone buy a home; however, if they have an issue with addiction, eventually they will take the money and use it for their habits and end up back in their situation of poverty. Likewise, changing laws will help to write on paper the laws of the land, but unless such laws are written on our hearts, when individuals feel that there is a chance to get away with it, they will show their true colors. I think the solution involves first prayer and reflection, and second action within your sphere of influence. Obviously legal reform and police oversight is a third and also important factor, but for now I'll focus on the first two [since they are more primary].
I think we all should first pray for wisdom and reflect and search ourselves. We should reflect on how we view people who are different from us. I believe that African American's should seek to forgive Americans for all that has happened [slavery to police brutality] in order to remove the anger, and I believe that White Americans should show empathy by acknowledging the hurt which they may not themselves feel, to remove the blindspot.
Concerning action, I think that each of us has a sphere of influence in which we can make the most impact. Each of us has friends, family, and organizations that we belong to and can create better connections with each other. The more we love each other and treat each other like Jesus did, we will realize that there is only one race, the human race; expressed through various flavors in the ethnicities and cultures of the people.
When living in Baltimore City during the Freddie Gray protest, I decided to respond with love. I purchased numerous gift cards for police officers, and took to the streets to thank them[police officers] for their service to our community, knowing that many were doing the right thing. My hope was that if police could receive love from the community, feeling loved would result in responding and policing with love. Furthermore [in 2015], I drafted up some ideas on community policing and delivered my suggestions to the Mayor's [Stephanie Rowlings-Blake] office in Baltimore City.
My thoughts are that we all have a particular area of influence where we can show love and influence those who listen to us. Police procedural reforms, body-cams, federal department of Justice consent-decrees, and oversights help to some degree; however, none of these which were already in place was sufficient to save the life of George Floyd. Only a heart of love, capable of hearing the words “I can't breathe” and responding based on recognizing the humanity in another, would have made the difference. The heart of the issue is the issue with the heart. The solution is love. God[Jesus] is love. I repeat [on purpose]; only a heart of love, capable of hearing the words “I can't breathe” and responding based on recognizing the humanity in another, would have made the difference. The heart of the issue is the issue with the heart. The solution is love. God[Jesus] is love.
-Wala-Neh Labala
