Ego, Entitlement, and Policing Black Folks: What’s The Solution?
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Posted By: Kennedy Williams on April 16, 2021 Army veteran Caron Nazario was pulled over in Windsor, Virginia, back in December. Though he remained in his car civilly, two officers approached the vehicle in a hostile manner and began barking orders at him. He responded by lifting both of his hands to show that he was not a threat and calmly asked what was going on. One of the officers responded, saying, “What’s going on is you’re fixing to ride the lightning, son,” making a snarky reference to the electric chair. He then yelled, “You received an order! Obey it!” What started off as a routine traffic stop ended with police officers drawing their guns and pepper-spraying Nazario. 18-year old Rodney “RJ” Reese was walking home on Friday evening when he was stopped by police in Plano, Texas. They were supposedly responding to a call about a welfare check, and they felt that Reese fit the description. Reese explained to the officers that he was fine and he was just on his way home. As he continued to walk, the officers continued to follow him in their squad car, demanding that he talk to them.“Dude, stop, we’re trying to help you,” one police officer said over his vehicle’s PA system. Reese told them, once again, that he did not need help and that he was right around the corner from his house. After a few more minutes of being shadowed, he understandably became irritated and asked, “Why do y’all keep following me?” A female officer then got out of the car and told Reese that he was being detained. When Reese refused, the officer said, “Wow, you’re really making this worse right now,” before chasing him and throwing him to the ground. Reese was accused of resisting arrest and ended up being taken in and charged with pushing an officer. In both of these instances, we can see one of the biggest problems with the American policing system: ego and entitlement. The officers that assaulted Caron Nazario and the officers that harassed Rodney Reese approached these young Black men with a sense of entitlement. Not just because of the color of their skin but also because of the badge they wear on their chest. When Nazario questioned an officer, he was held at gunpoint and maced. When Reese refused the help of an officer, he was handcuffed and arrested. Both men were minding their business. Both men remained civil. Both men inadvertently bruised the egos of the officers that stopped them. And for that, they faced dire consequences. The idea is that one must blindly and humbly obey an officer under any circumstance and must do so without asking questions. This idea is then reinforced when said officers abuse their powers and are still able to get away with murder (literally and figuratively) with nothing more than a slap on the wrist (and administrative paid leave, of course). It is hard to stop misconduct against Black folks when the system is set up to allow misconduct against Black folks. So what’s the solution? How do you keep some police officers from believing that their gun and their badge make them God? How do you change a culture that “Backs the Blue” at the expense of innocent Black men, women, and children? How do you, in the 21st century, prove to public servants that all humanity should be respected? More racial sensitivity training? More diverse hiring efforts? Ignoring the few “bad apples” altogether? I’m not sure what the solution is. But I do know that America can never be better if it doesn’t acknowledge that it has a problem in the first place. If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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Kennedy Williams
From Loganville, GA Spelman College class of 2020 Member Since July 2016 |
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