There has been a windfall of conversation, civil
disobedience and unlawful protest in response to the police and their responses
to behavior or actions that's perceived as aggressively
non-compliant.
When a police officer gives a command the first
response for many: Why? The ‘why’ is present even if the citizen is ‘in the wrong’. The ‘why’ is not only an
inquisitorial response; it is the beginning of defiant behavior.
How many of us have been caught doing something that
we should not have been doing, and with emphatic tenacity became impudent? How
many of us have been ‘in the right’ –
and became indignant because the accusation of wrongdoing was unjustified…had
no basis or validity?
No matter the reasoning associated with the
reaction, a police officer more than likely will respond with aggression – and
in most situations the protect & serve hostility is the initial stages of
defense…the belligerence from the policeman is a defense mechanism which is primarily
issued verbally to incite fear and to protect his/her life – not disrespect. That
instance of innocent fear baiting and premeditated control induction will
eventually be owned by the citizen who may or may not be In the Wrong.
Simply put, the presence of The Police produces uneasiness
and fear…especially for black people. And, NO, it is not because blacks are
always Guilty of Something (as if
black skin is innately connected to law breaking activity).
Unfortunately, the situation…the atmospheric energy
in those fragile moments are add-ons to the bellicosity…the air has been
polluted with citizenry indignation and authority figure haughtiness. The one
in suspicion is rightfully irritated and the cop is rightly overzealous.
Again, the police officer’s intention is to shock
the accused…to produce temporary paralysis in an effort to control the
situation. He is seeking complete compliance - and he most likely does not care
if you are in the right or wrong. He needs to control the confrontation. Questions
of clarity are secondary which should be clear indication that the cop is
simply trying to protect his life while experiencing the same fear that he has
help conjure within the accused.
Isn’t it interesting that this training manual scare
tactic does not produce the desired result?
When I was a preteen my
friends and I would take off running at the sight of The Boys in Blue. We
literally would run…RUN as if we were frightened…RUN as if the shoplifting of
Snicker and Milky Way bars at Mobile Mart and Three R's had finally caught up
with us...RUN as if the cops were again strolling through the projects with
handcuffs in hand seeking to arrest the black juveniles.
On the surface we were
not afraid. Going to jail was an multiple choice for us like spending our young
adult lives working at a furniture factory was an option. College was never an option for me personal, I just so happen to be
good at running and jumping...like most "niggers".
Subconsciously,
we were terrified of the police but as I sit here in contemplation I have no
idea why we were afraid. It was as if we -with youthful charisma- created the
terror...the scary drama.
Regardless, the questions were abound...Why are the
cops here? What did we do? Who called the cops? Did Shirley, the owner of Three
R's, see us stealing the chocolate bars?
At the time..in those childlike moments we did not
consciously identify the terror as a generational trait…as a characteristic of
The Black Experience that has been cultivated by our past and present.
Men and women of African ancestry have been running
from the slave hunter…the police for years. Not exclusively to when we were in
trouble or when we did something unlawful. The black man has been on the run
from capture every since he became property that needed containment. When he
escaped he had to be on the lookout understanding that the hunter was always
lurking…when he became free he had to be on the lookout understanding that
freedom for him was/is temporary. Arrest has forever been a reality or near
real circumstance for black people for the longest time. And, if we choose to
believe that the fear of the Arresting Officer (the hunter) has been removed
from our generational DNA we are among the foolishly misinformed!
Lastly, what is the origin of this complexity that
has most recently resulted in the death of two unarmed overweight dark skin black
men?
Racism?
The obvious has been irresponsibly projected…stated
over and over again: the white cop is a racist…he does not regard black life
like it matters.
Subconsequently, in the moment…in that moment of
distress I find it extremely difficult for any human being let alone a police
officer to conjure the following
prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of
a different race based on the belief that one's own race is superior. -Racism
defined
It is mostly fear, people! The same fear that has
plagued African slaves and Hunters for decades.
Muata
Nowe
