CommentsGUEST WORDS--As we all looked on, in horror over the murder of Mr. Floyd, we, collectively as a nation, thought something must be done; a tipping point was reached.
I'm very relieved to hear that already the police chokehold is banned in some cities, no-knock warrants are on the chopping block, and police unions are drawing up proposals of how they can improve the situation. Make no mistake; there is racism in this country. There is police brutality in this country. People of color still have "the talk" with their children to stay calm and not give officers any reason to use excessive force, justified or unjustified. (May I add that if more youths heeded that advice, I think a lot less police shootings would occur.) Also, let's make no mistake that things have gotten better over the past 50 years. But, I'd like to step away from a microscopic view to a macro-view of the numbers of deaths of people of color in this country.
To me, the following is a game-changer, a new paradigm in looking at shooting deaths in this country. This pic below is of one of the beautiful victims of the "mass shooting" day in the Chicago inner city (near West and South sides), May 31, when 18 people were murdered. That's almost one person per hour, mostly due to gang violence. "Experts" are tongue-tied and simply do not know how to handle this right now. (Please NOTE, I'm NOT implying, regarding gang activity, that only black people and/or POC are those who engage in shootings.)
In comparison, sadly 9 unarmed black people were shot (and killed) by police last year, and there were also 19 unarmed white people shot (and killed) by police last year. This info is from the Washington Post. (Note: this is not factoring in deaths from non-shooting.) Furthermore, last year in Chicago, about 450 black people were murdered by shooting (mostly by gang activity). What was one of the main problems? Some police say they are AFRAID to go in these areas, due to such a generally anti-police mood, especially during the last few years. Elderly neighbors say they need more (not less) police presence. For better or worse (probably better), when there is generally more police presence in an area, the murders in that area go down. Those are the numbers. There's also common agreement that MORE mental health and educational resources are needed in these areas. Research shows another factor that leads to high crime and poverty seems to be a breakdown of the family unit as well as a lack of father figures in the home.
Please don't get me wrong: I believe we absolutely NEED police reform (and yes, there are definitely some "bad cops" out there and they must be dealt with. Also, we must, through legislation, seek ways to lessen the grip the police UNIONS have on law enforcement codes. Because of the protests, as stated earlier, the chokehold is on its way out. That's progress, and we need more of it. Furthermore, I think we must get rid of any police officers with lengthy records of abuses, which is being discussed.
All that said, on the other hand, retributive massive defunding, dismantling, or abolishing police, I believe, will harm, not help, communities of color. Harshly put, lessening the police presence in certain neighborhoods is simply a death sentence. This is not PC to say, and one might think it's "racist" for not supporting all BLM beliefs, but I see this as a more pressing issue. (Please note, I believe some awesome awareness has come through peaceful, yet powerful BLM protests, which I fully support.) The 9 unarmed black people shot and killed by police last year is a tragedy. However, the numbers of black (and others) deaths in many cities by others people residing in those communities is a much BIGGER problem. The picture below, again, is one of the victims of the Chicago shootings on May 31 on this year. By the way, there is actually a story of a black mother who lost ALL 4 of her children to shootings, mostly to gang violence. THIS CAN NO LONGER BE TOLERATED. I'm not thinking "left" or "right", but rather pondering one question. How do we reduce the MOST deaths of people of color in this country, right now? Not next week, not next month, not next year. So, what do we do??
The amount of killings by other "civilians" in some areas of this country rival the amount of killings in actual war zones. I believe there is very little the shooters (which are the minority of the inner city population) will respond to, other than force. Currently, it's as if one shoots someone in the troubled areas of Chicago, it's almost like "no big deal", no consequences. It's sickening. I don't think blindly "throwing money" at the issue, offering more counseling, etc. will help RIGHT NOW. Yes, we need a long-range solution to this which involves a multi-pronged approach and probably months (years?) of debate. But right now, ZERO-hour, these killings must stop. As "experts" debate this back and forth, I believe the only true deterrent is something like the National Guard patrolling certain affected streets. Simply put, those who are doing the shooting, who seem to have no reason NOT to use a weapon, are much less likely to shoot if they know a National Guard person is patrolling the corner. The shooter would realize they probably would not be able to fire upon people, then quickly escape without consequence. I think, once the heavy numbers of shootings decrease, then the Guard could be relieved of their duty.
Now, is this EXTREME? Yes, it is. Is this unorthodox? Yes. Is this acceptable? Yes, I think so, because 18 souls being murdered in Chicago in ONE DAY in not acceptable. I don't want one more death, not by gang shootings, not by police, not by anyone. So, as the experts figure out how to resolve this, and as reforms are being ironed out, we need a deterrent now. It's kind of like a ship that is sinking. Let's decide how to build the ship better, but right NOW, we must at least temporarily, stop the leak with some immediate action. Other ideas are very welcome
(Kevin Suscavage is a freelance writer living in Los Angeles.)
-cw
