A
Simple Solution to the Problem of Police Shootings of African Americans
Justice is sought with regard to
individual slayings of African Americans, most recently Alton Sterling and
Philando Castile. When President Obama mentions those particular slayings, he
at the same time mentions systemic disparate treatment of African Americans in
the American legal system. Plenty of statistics show police stops, arrests,
prosecutions, sentencing and incarceration are pretty tough on African
Americans. What’s not clear is whether this is due to systemic racism or higher
rates of offending by African Americans. Each side in this debate marshals its
own statistics. Progressives typically refer to Michelle Alexander’s book, The New Jim Crow, which unfortunately
does not contain any solutions. Conservatives prefer the simple statement of Milwaukee
County Sheriff David A. Clarke, Jr. when he recommends that we, “Stop trying to fix the police – Fix the
ghetto!” Fixing the ghetto has
proven almost impossible, and the War on Poverty made things worse.
The critical interface between suspects and the
police generates the most publicity, especially when African Americans are shot
by white police officers. This publicized interaction in cases over the last
several years represents only the first juncture in the legal system. There are
multiple later stages of the criminal justice system under criticism. Police
shootings generate controversy which then includes all the later stages of the
system. Discussion of perceived injustice in later stages of the criminal
justice system makes the statistical analysis impossibly complex for any use
with the problem of police shootings based upon split-second decisions. As a
result, critics place discontent of the entire system upon these split-second
decisions. The slayings of African Americans becomes the mascot for all the
perceived discrimination in the entire criminal justice system … and sometimes American
economy. Uncertainty surrounds recent
shootings until investigations, grand juries, trials and even sentencing conclude.
Lately, some have departed from the
non-violence preached by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior. With these great complicated questions under
discussion, addressing the problem of police shootings has a simpler solution
than the larger controversies make us believe.
Most of
the publicized police shootings in the last few years might have been prevented
had citizens obeyed all of the following accepted rules when stopped or
approached by police officers:
Obey the instructions
and orders of the police – it’s the law.
Do not interfere with,
or obstruct the police, as you can be arrested for it.
Think carefully about
your words, movement, body language, and emotions.
Do not get into an
argument with the police.
Keep your hands where
the police can see them.
Do not run. Do not
touch any police officer.
Do not resist even if
you believe you are innocent.
Out of respect for law enforcement and all
lives, our leaders should educate the public about these common sense rules. This is what the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King,
Jr. would have us do now.