I spent the first half of my childhood living in Maryland. I went to my first Baltimore Orioles game as a baby with my parents. I grew up going to the Inner Harbor, Orioles Games, the McCormick spice factory, the Maryland Science Museum. I became a Sociologist because of Baltimore. I began thinking about social issues as a young child riding in the backseat of my dad’s car through some of the roughest neighborhoods in Baltimore. Seeing what was going on in that city in the mid 1980s – the crime, violence and decay, made me wonder as a little girl why and how it got to be like that. It has been a lifelong obsession of mine to study urban issues, Baltimore in particular. I read the Baltimore Sun and various Baltimore blogs daily. I root for the Orioles and the Ravens rabidly. I love that city with all its flaws. It speaks to me and my compassion for people who didn’t have the same chances and opportunities in life that I was born with. You may not agree with what I’m going to say but it needs to be said and I’m never one to shy away from speaking my mind.
America is just as racially segregated now as it ever has been. The only difference now is that racism isn’t overt. There’s not as much of the “I hate you because you’re black” in-your-face type of racial confrontation and “get to the back of the bus” mentality these days. It is much more insipid, undercover and harder to root out. It is what causes a few officers to make a split second decision based on long held stereotypes passed on for generations. For those of you who don’t believe that the police can be prejudice and will pull you over for no reason other than your skin color…I HAVE BEEN THERE WHEN IT HAS HAPPENED BECAUSE OF WHO WAS IN MY CAR. I have been questioned by a well-meaning white officer who figured I must’ve been kidnapped by the black PASSENGER that was in my car because I surely wouldn’t have chosen to be driving around with him. This hasn’t only happened once but several times. My ex-husband, a dark Brazilian, has been pulled over and frisked for NO REASON and when he asked the officer what he was being charged with he was suddenly let go with no further explanation. Do I love the police? Yes I do, they are heroes and grossly underpaid! But do I think that some officers let racial stereotypes color their judgment? Absolutely!
I would like to see the police come up with established standards for use of force. If people who have been marginalized and been raised with a distrust of the police can see that there is a standard in place instead of fearing an officer will use whatever force he feels compelled, it just might lead to a change in perceptions. Would this be the answer to everything? Not at all, but let’s call for police to have a standard that will protect them, and us, from use of excessive force in situations that don’t warrant it. Such as a man with an outstanding child support warrant who ran and was shot in the back eight times. Why did he run? Only he knows, but I’m assuming he’d had previous negative interactions with police. If your dealings with the police have only been positive, be grateful. You really have no room to judge what a person is thinking (or not thinking) when they instinctively run. It is sad to me that we jump to conclusions so quickly and judge people without knowing the whole story. That also goes for those people who judge all police officers as racist. Most police are wonderful people who have taken an oath to serve and protect their community because they genuinely care about the citizens who live there.
There are no easy answers to this particular social issue, but it starts with each individual deciding to try to understand a person before judging them. If this mentality were prevalent there would be a lot less violence on both sides. If the rioters would see the police as members of their community with lives and families, they might be less inclined to throw rocks and taunt and attempt to injure them. If they also felt that the police saw them as humans with value and dignity they might trust a little more. Let’s stop saying “I don’t see color” or “I’m colorblind”…we all know that’s not humanly possible, our eyes see color. Let’s start saying “I don’t judge you based on your color.” I hope the riots in Baltimore lead to greater understanding. I hope that those community groups fighting to restore peace and hope to the community will grow in number and power. My heart is breaking for you Charm City.
God Is Within Reach 