The media continues to project contradictory discourses about force used by law enforcement. People are angry about the lack of accountability and the protection of the police. Moreover, questions are raised about the ethical principles that guide the training of police officers. What does probable cause look like? Is there a racial profile that identifies a potential criminal? On the other hand, some claim that there is an unjustified attack against police officers who are only trying to protect and serve. They claim that statistics do not lie, that the poor and the black are disproportionately responsible for crimes.
All of which only goes to emphasize the fact that people are increasingly afraid. People are not only scared of and angry at the police, but the people are also concerned about the federal and state agencies that control them. Who should they call if they are experiencing brutal or unjust treatment from law enforcement? Interestingly, there is the sense that these agencies fear the people and the fear has created a system of heavy-handed governance. Well, maybe of some of the people! Whither goes the democratic tradition? (This means where has it gone, the “of the people, by the people and for the people” tradition?)
Non-white neighborhoods may not be policed more than their whiter counterparts, and neighborhoods that are poor may not be policed more than wealthier ones. But the intention is certainly different. While one form of policing may be seen as containment, the other is seen as protection from the model of car that does not belong, from the skin color that does not fit. Wealthier communities feel secure, but communities of color and poor communities feel threatened.
For example, we see similar drug use rates between whites and blacks, but African Americans are incarceration much more than Caucasians. This also brings into account the privileges of living in a predominantly white neighborhood. The skewed interaction makes police seem illegitimate and unfair. People will distrust cops when they feel threatened by the visible faces of a predatory justice system. When people distrust cops because they feel that the law isn’t being enforced equitably, they grow to distrust the agencies that control them. It seems as if the system is working in favor of some and not for all.
The lack of accountability for officers who are engaged in civil and professional misconduct further legitimizes this distrust. The system may not favor the average citizen, but it seems to favor the police. The police are assumed to have more credibility. They are assumed to be the objective party. They are the ones assumed to be in danger, and if they miscalculate then they can say “it all happened so fast."
I question whether Peter Liange, an Asian American New York Police Department Officer, may be charged with manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide in the stairwell shooting of Akai Gurle. He is being charged with this, but claims it was an accident. Is accountability an ethnically skewed concept? Do white officers get the greater benefit of the doubt? These questions will linger as long as racism and discourses of white supremacy are protected by constitutional rights. As long as ‘stand your ground’ policies and violent scare tactics exist, these questions will continue to linger. In effect, a racialized discourse among the police officers has emerged.
Steele is a senior education studies major from Chicago, Illinois.