(ThyBlackMan.com) Here we go again. Police brutality can happen to anybody (including off-duty police officers) at any time, no matter how much money you make, where you work, what position you have, what you drive or whether or not you were doing the right or wrong thing. But police brutality is continually happening to a certain group more than any other. That group is “black” people and there are some socio-psychological reasons that most people seem to keep ignoring. Is every police officer always at fault when the encounter goes bad? No, but far too many are. And are there citizens contributing to the negative outcomes they suffer? Yes, unfortunately but not always. Sadly many of those citizens will never come to understand why. Still, did they deserve the outcome? May times the answer is no, but again, not always.
IF POLICE OFFICERS HAVE MORE RESPONIBLITY AND MORE AUTHORITY, THEY SHOULD ALSO BE HELD TO A HIGHER STANDARD OF MORE ACCOUNTTABILITY
I need to say, in order to have a balanced and fair perspective, that the overwhelming number of police officers are dedicated, focused, trained and lawful in the execution of their duties. They are over-worked, underpaid, often mistreated and unappreciated but very much needed. They are under pressure from the public, their supervisors, city councils, mayors and criminals. We support the good police officers and you should too. And we should not stereotype all police officers any more than they should stereotype all “black” people.
HOWEVER here is the other side of the coin. There is a growing, disturbing and deadly trend of bad cops who are slipping through the cracks and not being punished to the full extent of the law or anywhere near it. Individuals who, for a variety of reasons from mental instability to racism, should neither wear a badge nor ever have the authority that comes with it. Bullies to the poorly trained, fearful to sometimes outright criminals in attitudes and actions. Therefore the recommendations in this article are timely and relevant. And officers who abuse the citizenry they are supposed to serve are a danger to the public and other officers.
So why are they out there? Largely because police department screening in areas where police officers are really needed allows misfits to slip through. Why would they do that? Because cities need bodies in police uniform who can pass the fitness test, the polygraph, the drug test, the criminal background and reasonably complete the academy. Therefore, if they can meet the requirements I just mentioned, attitudes, affiliations, racism and subtle mental issues are often overlooked. But in the field these misfit issues tend to surface and here we are.
DERRICK CHAUVIN SHOULD BE CONVICTED AND SENTENCED TO DEATH
Are you upset about George Floyd and so many others? What are you going to do about it, yes YOU? If your reaction is much of nothing or that “it won’t happen to me”, you are enabling this to keep happening. If it was the other way around and George Floyd murdered Derrick Chauvin, police unions, bad cop supporters and racists would be screaming at the top of their lings to execute him. If this happened to someone because he was LGBTQ, they would not stand for it. If this happened to an animal even, PETA would not stand for it. If this happened to a woman because she was Jewish, the country would be outraged and screaming “anti-semitism”. But targeting the “black” community is still far too acceptable and far too often allowed.
Here we are again and here we go again. Police brutality, cover-ups and a system that protects corrupt police officers who killed George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Garret Rolfe in Atlanta and many others we likely have not heard about. And while I hate to say I told you this would keep happening, I did and it is. So I will say again vigils, protests, rallies and even riots were never enough to stop the systematic and strategic targeting of African Americans.
YOU CAN’T CHANGE HOW PEOPLE TREAT YOU UNTIL YOU CHANGE HOW THEY SEE YOU
I also said over and over again that when African Americans are seen as “black” people, the negative definitions of “black” in the American dictionaries are attached to us. And when that happens, whether deliberately or subconsciously, police officers see African Americans as expendable plagues on society with little value. So I will say it yet again, words and labels shape perception and perception shapes how people are treated. How would you treat someone who is considered gloomy, evil, treacherous and devoid of moral character? Like a slave? Like a threat? Like a menace to society? Like an expendable nuisance? Exactly the way Eric Garner, Sandra Bland, Philando Castile, Rayshard Brooks, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and so many others were treated. Not by coincidence, but rather by definition. And what makes things even worse is the system protecting corrupt cops is filled with African American police chiefs, DAs, judges, police union members and fellow police officers protecting bad cops.
IF YOU PROTECT A BAD COP, YOU ARE JUST AS GUILTY AS HE OR SHE IS
In Atlanta Paul Howard (the former long time DA) was un-elected in 2020. He had the highest record of prosecuting police officers of any DA in the nation. The police union despised him and the racist powers that be could not control him and those who support bad cops wanted him out of office. So what happened? Fani Willis was elected as the new DA after she also accepted 6 figures from the police union and stated their vision was her vision. After she was pushed into office by Buckead – the white heavily racist economic powerbase that controls Atlanta and a bunch of ignorant black people. And what did she do right away? Try to dispose of the case against Garrett Rolfe who killed Rayshard Brooks, shooting him in the back then kicking him while he lay on the ground dying. She sent the case to the state instead of doing her job. And when it was sent back to Fani Willis, she tried to recues herself, blaming the former DA who brought the prosecution in the first place. This kind of Cointel Pro coonery on steroids is what allows bad cops to feel empowered, no matter what color they are.
WHAT POWER DO YOU HAVE AS A CITIZEN IN A POLICE ENCOUNTER? Much more than most people seem to realize. First, COMPLIANCE IS POWER, not weakness. Eric Garner, Sandra Bland, George Floyd and even Rayshard Brooks all have something in common. They all unfortunately made the same mistake. They all challenged and/or resisted the police officer(s). And they all are dead. Maybe you would have done the same because you would be thinking about your rights, but I am thinking about your survival. And your rights don’t help much when you are in jail, in the morgue or in the hospital intensive care unit. So I say to you, comply instead of resisting. Then, later, there is a huge list of powerful, lawful and legal remedies you may have at your disposal that you are not likely aware of.
I know tensions can be high and you have every right to be angry when you feel mistreated. But a bad cop is looking for a reason to mistreat you even more. Bad cops even know how to provoke citizens who are angry or afraid. When you escalate the encounter, he or she will escalate at least one step higher. And when you act out, fail to think or refuse to comply, you just gave it to him on a silver platter. So calm down, take a deep breath and think. Respond based on wisdom instead of reacting based on anger. I have seen it work. I have done it myself. I have been on both sides of the badge. I have influenced the result of a positive outcome more times than I can count. And I have hundreds of police officers who will agree with what I just recommended to you. So during the encounter, instead of thinking about what is right and wrong (in your opinion), think about the best way to resolve the encounter in your favor. That must always be your objective and you must take the smart steps to reach it. And while this may not work all the time, it will work much more so than not.
OFFICERS ARE TRAINED SO YOU HAVE TO BE TRAINED FOR THE ENCOUNTER AS WELL
You have to undertake battles you have at least an equal (or more equal) chance of winning. And that is not likely the case if you are facing a bad cop. But when there are bad cops out there, when officers (good or bad) are taught to take control of the scene, when they have a badge, a gun, authority (whether you like it or not) and backup, YOU ARE LIKELY TO LOSE IF YOU DO NOT COMPLY! And when you leave a police encounter with your safety intact or even no tickets and no charges, you have achieved a level of success in that encounter. Even if your rights were violated and you have to deal with that officer using an attorney or other lawful means later. So while you may want to believe that a bad or racist cop is going to kill you either way it goes, overwhelmingly in most cases that is not true. Remember, an approach that is wise is an approach that is powerful and empowering.
BAD COPS HAVE COVERT RETALIATION TECHNIQUES THAT MUST BE ENDED – AND IF THEY OR THEIR COLLEAGUES ARE CAUGHT USING THEM, THEY MUST BE HELD LEGALLY ACCOUNTABLE
Do what you can lawfully do to combat police brutality because it takes multiple, simultaneous approaches. But just know that marches, rallies, protests, vigils, meetings and even riots are not going to end police brutality. None of those efforts stopped Derrick “murderer” Chauvin nor Garrett “shoot him in the back” Rolfe. But the good news is that citizen training can decrease many of the bad outcomes, not all but many. Don’t physically confront or argue with the police. That is neither the time nor the place, they have backup and safety must be the primary issue in a police encounter, not your rights. For years our agency has taught the most comprehensive Police Encounters citizen training program in the United States, we profiled 11 different types of police officers and we can guarantee that you have no idea who you might be up against. Our program is now provided online via Zoom. Yet did most citizens listen? No! Meanwhile encounters going bad keeps happening and deterrents nationwide are failing.
That being said, you might be shocked to know ending police brutality is not hard to do. The right people in the right positions just are not willing to do what is necessary to solve the problem. Some are cowards, some are programmed by the system, some are ambivalent, some are scared to go against the grain but all of the above are part of the problem.
BAD COPS MAKE IT HARDER ON GOOD COPS
So what then will end police brutality? First changing how African Americans are perceived y changing the narrative will help. We are not “black”, we have never been “black” and dictionaries full of negative definitions of the word “black” are not a coincidence. The treatment of “blacks” directly correlates to the perception of “black” by definition. But since the brainwashing causing so many of you to forget how real identity is determined seem to be holding, waking people up to what they see with their own eyes is sadly an uphill battle and de-programming takes a while. And the trend in America is to protect the police officer from the system before protecting the citizen from it. That has to change. So what else can be done in the meantime to end police brutality? Quite a bit.
METRO ATLANTA CRIME COMMISSION www.publicsafety411.com
As you read the solutions to ending police brutality, think about who you know in key positions of authority to make these happen. At the very least you can share this article with them. But if you do nothing, what if the victim one day is you? There are wake up calls after wake up calls but too often the people being targeted keeping hitting the snooze button. Don’t wait until police brutality happens to you or someone you care about. Now let’s look at 15 effective solutions to ending police brutality.
1. Dissolve, Limit and/or Revise Qualified Immunity for Officers (NYC example)
2. Set Up Effective Undercover Special Investigative Field Units to Catch Bad Cops
3. Disable the support network that protects bad cops including ineffective DAs and reducing police union authority.
And district attorney accountability and review by citizen agencies is absolutely necessary since the DA is supposed to represent the interests of the community and the law without favor or bias.
4. Establish support system for good cops. Officers must qualify based on performance.
5. Swift, decisive legal consequences and punishments for bad cops (loss of POST certification, loss of performance bond, regular jail and prison, disable Blue Code, put these in their contracts). Making a legal and lawful example out of bad cops just like the courts and police officers do with citizens will make a difference.
6. Enforce equal treatment under the law. If police officers or former police officers get specialized treatment, that means that citizens are treated differently and that is a constitutional violation of
“Equal Protection Under The Law”.
This solution will require large and class action lawsuits as well as removal out of state court to Federal Court concerning issues of police brutality.
7. Good cop performance rewards and incentives to deter bad behavior.
8. Citizen Review Boards with teeth and quite a bit of Authority.
9. Legal consequences for cops who help, support or cover for bad cops. This is part of how to disable the Blue Code.
10. Effective, proactive Legal Observer programs in all 50 states with chapters in all major cities and empowered by local politicians.
11. Training citizens on their rights and how to handle a police encunter. (ww .publicsafety411.com)
12. Federal guidelines that allow citizens to record police activity and training on how to do it lawfully.
13. Better psychological screening of police officers before hiring and automatic psychological assessments when they are involved in police brutality incidents.
14. Police Department monthly performance standards that include severe reductions and police brutality cases. And Rewards, incentives or penalties for the entire department.
15. Pre-screening of officers that includes social media, membership affiliations and past statements.
We realize all of the recommendations above are not done by the same departments. However they do require each respective department working together in tandem with the others towards the same goal of ending police brutality, not just pretending to try. And these solutions require courage, real courage.
Finally, the Metro Atlanta Crime Commission (www.publicsafety411.com) provides the most comprehensive, effective, balanced, peaceful and lawful citizen training program in the United States on Police Encounters, backed by hundreds of police officers. Citizens, officers and commanders are our members. And we support all good police officers. But to the bad cops, and you know who you are, find another line of work. To find out more or register for the online training, visit www.publicsafety411.com or email us. Because if they are trained but you are not, how do you think the encounter will go?
Staff Writer; Trevo Craw