Feeling stunned by the current plethora of violence and injustice, particularly between police officers and black men, I think it is necessary we analyze, reflect and make changes.
Let’s start by going back in history to the mid-1800’s. Solomon Northup, a musician and farmer who was kidnapped and enslaved illegally for 12 years. He told his story in a memoir Twelve Years a Slave. He died without his kidnappers being penalized, for the state supreme courts dismissed his case (Britannica). Obviously, “liberty and justice for all” was not present at this time, even for a free black man living in New York state. Solomon died in 1863 without justice. Soon after on May 9, 1865 the Civil War ended. That was 151 years ago.
Clearly we have made some progress in this country. Black people gained the right to vote in 1965. This was championed by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. However, it should be remembered that the right to vote was only granted to the black community 189 years after the Land of the Free was founded! And Dr. King was fatally shot in 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee, 48 years ago. Memphis is only seven hours away from in Cincinnati, where I currently live.
Another piece of progress was ratified for the black community in 1968: the Fair Housing Act. No longer could property owners and developers discriminate against Americans on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability and the presence of children.
Positive progression is occurring, including for the black community, but we still have miles and miles to go.
This September 16, 2016, an unarmed black man by the name of Terence Crutcher was fatally shot in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Four days later, on September 20, 2016, another black man by the name of Keith Lamont Scott was fatally shot in Charlotte, North Carolina. As I write this, that event happened just five days ago. As I write this, 194 black people were killed by police this year alone (The Guardian Database).
The Civil Rights Movement in the 60’s brought monumental progress, yet it cannot stop where we are today. Police shootings are just one example of where reform is still desperately needed. The Washington Post, after a tragic few days this July, did some comprehensive research on police shootings in this country. Their findings verify what many are thinking:
The only thing that was significant in predicting whether someone shot and killed by police was unarmed was whether or not they were black…Crime variables did not matter in terms of predicting whether the person killed was unarmed. (Justin Nix, a criminal-justice researcher at the University of Louisville)
So, where can there be more progress? More accountability for our police officers would be a great start. As would less lethal force. More training, with experience in and around the communities they will be patrolling is a must. Protecting civilians, regardless of race or socio-economic status, needs to be further emphasized. Biases need to be recognized. For everyone in this nation, we need to talk about these issues more, and we need to talk to people who are different from us more in general.
The Civil Rights Movement is a huge, multi-faceted entity, and fighting against police shootings is a small part of that movement. Quickly charging the officer who shot Terence Crutcher with manslaughter was a step in the right direction. If police officers had more accountability for their actions, especially actions that look a lot like murder, they may not be be as trigger-happy. Dr. King said something that I believe ties appropriately into this: “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
I hope we can recognize how recent our country’s disgraceful history was. I hope we can take steps to deliberately stand up for the abused. Less than 50 years ago, on April 3, 1968, Dr. King said, “We will get to the promised land” and I believe we will. I just hope we get there soon.
