Some final words on the Michael Brown, Ferguson
incident. It is with some sadness that I
see this growing racial divide in our country.
I thought we were making good progress over the years; but now it seems
we are in a period of regression or entrenchment. It makes me wonder what is going on. Has our President, and his recent comments, reduced the racial divide or widened it? More likely the latter, in my opinion.
I suppose, as many have said, there are numerous
reasons: unemployment, poor schools, and
the breakdown in the traditional family unit, on and on. There are, of course, no easy answers.
I am supportive of the police. Generally speaking they do a very good job
under difficult and sometimes dangerous situations.
As an FBI Agent in the 70s, I considered myself racially
unbiased – for the most part. In my
prior military experience, I worked with many minorities. In the military, quite frankly, one becomes
‘color blind’ to that sort of thing. A
couple of my best friends were African Americans – wonderful guys. There were ‘Black’ Agents in the Bureau as
well – and my feelings were the same for those of them who were my co-workers.
On the other hand, in the San Francisco Bay area, during the
70s, this was the era of the Black Panthers, the SLA, the Black Liberation
Army, the Weather Underground, the Red Guerilla Family, etc., etc. The individuals who made up these groups;
well, let’s just say, I had nothing in common with them. Many were dangerous criminals. They were the enemy. Harsh words, I know. And, I also am aware that many people, now,
have an idealized, albeit unrealistic image of the 70’s groups referenced
above. I do not. All I can say is that you were not there, you
didn’t know these people like I did.
Let me describe, very briefly, a typical arrest in the
Oakland projects. Four Agents would go
inside the multi-story building to make the arrest. Two Agents stayed behind, on the street, to
protect the Bureau cars. While you
waited on the street, you had a bit of a dilemma. You couldn’t hide or show fear. Standing in plain sight, as each second passed,
you wondered if someone was taking aim at your head from an adjacent
building. Going inside, well,
that was like entering another world, filled with sullen, hateful, alien
eyes. You moved as fast as you could,
hoping that everything would go smoothly with no confrontation. If the subject resisted, all hell would break
loose.
Are there some ‘white folks’ out there, liberal types, who
would say, “I’d love to have that job.”?
I doubt it. Are there ‘blacks’
out there who would welcome the opportunity to make an arrest in the
‘projects’? I doubt that too. African American Police Officers and Agents
know the dangers more than anyone.
So
what can we conclude about those in law enforcement? Surprisingly, most of the guys and gals are
pretty high quality, and quite rational. Law enforcement personnel, many of them,
are a cut above. Yes, there are more
than a few bad cops. But, the majority risk their lives to protect us – and we should honor them.
Police work is not, should not, be considered warfare. The mission of the police is to serve and to protect.
And, arresting bad people is part of
protecting honest citizens. But, in
a microcosm, in the rare one on one confrontation, there are similarities to
warfare. And, we the public, should
understand that. There are risks,
dangers, fears, and even sometimes collateral damage involved in enforcing the
law and protecting the majority. That’s
the way it is. That’s the way it has
always been.
If I could quote John Stuart Mill (a liberal in his time) briefly,
and in a slightly redacted form – with the understanding that he was speaking
of war, not law enforcement. That said,
might there be some relevance in Mill’s words that we all should consider?
"The person who
has nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a
miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by
the exertions of better men than himself."
John Stuart Mill (1806 - 1873)
True Nelson
