Protests and direct action, including civil disobedience,
are dramatic forms of negotiations. The activist starts from a position that is
far from the position held by the opponent, and seeks to present a tough, “no-compromises”
stance in order to force the opponent to move as far as possible toward the
activist’s goal. The activist does not start the process with a hand shake and
does not allow herself or himself to be intimidated OR charmed into relenting
on the goal until convinced that nothing more can be gained for that round.
Henry Brown forgot that, when he somehow agreed to participate
in an HPD charade designed to “show” an untrained civilian how hard it is to
make split second decisions in fictional scenarios. With zero preparation, the
Rev. Brown found himself overwhelmed by the choices he had to make to diffuse a
domestic incident, followed by several simulated “crime stops” in the community
at large. He gets “shot” in the domestic and eventually “shoots” under stress at
someone holding a weapon that he couldn’t identify (it was not a firearm).
In the process of “humbling” himself from a walk in a beat
cop’s shoes, he threw away any remaining negotiating power. How will he lead
his next march? How will he hold HPD “accountable” the next time an unarmed
youth is hit with a taser or worse? He has been used by the police department
to diffuse the growing attention on police violence and terrorism in low
income, resource -poor neighborhoods populated largely by black and brown
families.
Since the shooting of Mike Brown in Ferguson (and a number
of other shocking police killings that seemed to follow on its heels), true
activists have risen up to demand a hard, honest examination of the racism that
runs through police policies and training. They are looking for cities, states,
and the nation as a whole to open their eyes to the permission we have given
for an officer who is scared, angry, or just plain caught off guard to violate
the rights and personal safety of people on the street – especially on the
streets of black and brown communities. They are demanding the right to judge
the actions of the police force that is supposed to “serve and protect” them.
They stand in opposition to the increased violence and militarization of local
departments.
None of these goals will be reached with tactics that start with empathy for the opponent. Succumbing to that form of co-optation is a sure path to NOTHING CHANGING. There may be good men and women among the Hartford police force. There may be bad people on the street. It may be hard and dangerous work to be a cop. Those are not the issues. The issues are that the current system of policing encourages aggressive, pre-emptive, violent actions on the part of the police officer and sets him or her above the laws of the community in nearly every case. The issues are the increasing cache of military weapons available to local police and the lack of awareness of this trend on the part of the average citizen. The issues are that the very worst of the abuses of power are happening in the black and brown communities and that it is immoral to allow it to continue.
There may come a time for dialogue and partnership between
the community and the police force. But that time must wait until the balance
of power has swung mightily in the direction of the community. Surely the
police and political leaders are nervous and anxious to quell the rising tide
of protest and demands for change. But that is all the more reason to stand
firm at the distant pole of justice and not give anything up, especially not
the strength that comes from righteous anger.
This letter was sent to DCF Plantation blog by a white activist wishing to remain anonymous.
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