By Carolyn Bahm
It’s taken me weeks to write this because shock and sadness do that to me sometimes. And I hate to criticize a class of hard-working, ethical people for the brutal mistakes of a few.
But I have to.
The senseless death of George Floyd, a black man, under a policeman’s knee on an American street haunts me. And my dismay is nothing special and doesn’t say anything notable about me – I’m just one of millions who are aghast, sickened and outraged.
I got a sinking feeling in my heart when I next saw a video of a 75-year-old white man confronting Buffalo police in the street during a protest. He was knocked down, and officers marched past his still body, leaving him on the pavement with blood dripping from one ear. And there are so very many other incidents.
I don’t know all the circumstances in such cases. But this keeps happening, and it needs to stop.
It’s also horrifying to watch scene after scene of horrific actions and reactions in the aftermath of such violence: People standing on their porches getting hit with non-lethal projectiles for not going inside immediately as police race by. A man with his hands raised in surrender but still getting pepper-sprayed in the face. Protestors getting whacked on the head with police batons or pepper-sprayed. Police SUVs pushing into crowds that block streets, knocking people down with their vehicles.
I support cops. But not like this. Never like this.
Nearby Memphis is one of many cities where crowds have protested police brutality. I even heard that quiet small-town Millington and sleek suburban Collierville had their own rallies recently. Good for them.
I approve of peaceful protests, even if they are disruptive, loud and upsetting. That recurring public attention-calling is NECESSARY when the status quo seems welded into place.
We are not doing enough as a country to protect suspects and to weed out people who are unsuitable for the rigors of a law enforcement career. We are not doing enough to curb use-of-force excesses. We are not doing enough to encourage the “good guys” in law enforcement to report the “bad apples” (or more accurately, the poisoned, stinking, necrotic apples). We need better systems and fundamental changes in attitudes.
It’s easy for us to say, “We love the cops in our city. (And we do.) Besides, situations like that don’t happen around here. That’s happening elsewhere.” But Elsewhereville isn’t nearly as far away as we hope. And even if we’re relatively secure here in suburbia, let’s also be the eyes, ears and voices of people who live in rougher areas.
So what can you do? Maybe protesting is not your thing. Maybe you have physical disabilities that make protesting very difficult. Maybe you are working two jobs and can’t afford to miss the work hours. Maybe you’re a painfully shy introvert who loathes the idea of stepping into the public arena.
But you can still call, write and talk.
Write a letter to the editor of a newspaper or magazine as eloquently as you can. Try persuading people to think and act more humanely, from suspects to officers to protestors to the general public. We are all Americans and we expect all to be treated like human beings.
Post a video or an article on social media, identifying wrongdoing as you see it and calling for justice and systemic change. Research and get the facts. Call out people who are spewing misinformation and racism.
Identify politicians and candidates who just want to play it safe, piously wring their hands and maintain the status quo because they don’t want to touch the hot potato of reining in police excesses. Then vote out the wishy-washy politicians who aren’t actively and openly pushing for change.
Most of all, contact your state and U.S. legislators and demand that they DO SOMETHING. We voted them into place to work for us, so tell them to hop to it.
And on a brighter note, I’m surprised and pleased to report that our usually sluggish Congressional leaders already have some legislation in the works.
The House bill: H.R. 7120
House Democrats have House Resolution 7120, introduced on June 8 and known as the “Justice in Policing Act of 2020.” This bill:
Facilitates federal enforcement of constitutional violations (such as excessive use of force) by state and local law enforcement.
Lowers the criminal intent standard from “willful” to “knowing or reckless” required to convict a law enforcement officer for misconduct in a federal prosecution.
Limits qualified immunity as a defense to liability in a private civil action against a law enforcement officer or state correctional officer.
Authorizes the Department of Justice to issue subpoenas in investigations of police departments for a pattern or practice of discrimination.
Creates a national registry — the National Police Misconduct Registry — to compile data on complaints and records of police misconduct. (This is one of my favorite parts of this bill because of the transparency it introduces.)
Establishes a framework to prohibit racial profiling at the federal, state and local levels.
Sets new requirements for law enforcement officers and agencies, including requirements to report data on use-of-force incidents, to obtain training on implicit bias and racial profiling, and to wear body cameras.
Asks for higher standards in use of force, particularly in safely restraining criminal suspects.
Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif., District 37) sponsored the bill, and at press time there were 213 Democrat representatives co-sponsoring it (out of the total of 435 representatives).
Read the full text of the bill and follow it through the legislative process online at https://bit.ly/HR7120.
The Senate version
At press time, the U.S. Senate was planning to unveil its own police reform legislation on Wednesday, June 17. According to an Associated Press report, the bill is expected to restrict police officers’ use of chokeholds by withholding federal funds from departments that allow the practice.
According to the National Review, the bill is also expected to increase funding for police body cameras, create a national database of use-of-force incidents, push to make lynching a federal hate crime, and use grants as an incentive for police reporting to the FBI of use-of-force incidents leading to serious injury or death.
The Senate bill is being championed by Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C., District 1), the Senate’s only black Republican.
In conclusion
I don’t think any one thing that an average citizen can do is going to create change by itself. But many small things will. Be one of the bricks in a wall. Hell, be a tiny pebble in a small pile. Just be present and participating. Solidify your stance and speak out. It adds up.
To find your legislators, use this link: https://www.commoncause.org/find-your-representative.
CAROLYN BAHM is the editor of The Bartlett Express. Contact her at [email protected].
