The relationship between America’s police and Black people has always been a negative one. During the early days of policing, America had watchmen. They were poorly paid, untrained, and corrupted. In the South, policing took the place of slave patrols. They hunted runaways, broke up gatherings of enslaved blacks, and stopped uprisings. Southern white men had very little policing and were left to solve disputes amongst themselves, even if that meant using violence. The police can do whatever it is they wish to do simply because they have that authority. In origin, the police were never made to protect Black people. Malcolm X spoke on how the police use white media to criminalize the Black community and give the white public the impression that Blacks are criminals. This, in return, allows for police to come into our communities and brutalize us. They use tactics to keep us “in check." Our neighborhoods become police states, yet we have more crime. America’s police are very deranged.
Police brutality in the Black community has been an on-going discussion. Even though recent cases have made spotlight, the dehumanization has been around. When the topic of police brutality is discussed, one of the first arguments made is that all police are not bad. Of course, every police officer is not wicked. However, silence further perpetuates violence. Oscar Grant was killed by a BART police officer in Oakland, California. He was unarmed. Eric Garner was placed in a deadly chokehold by Staten Island police. He was unarmed and selling cigarettes. Where were the good cops? Michael Brown was shot multiple times and he had no weapon. Where were the good cops? Police kill at least 400 people a year. Why praise an officer for being civil and doing their job? Police don’t hold each other accountable for their actions because of the Blue Wall of Silence. It is essentially an unwritten rule that exists among officers; they have each other’s backs and they do not speak negatively about one another. However, this is problematic as you can see and does not fix the issue at hand.
I do not trust the police. I’m from Rochester, New York. It is a murder capital. Police patrol and stake out our in our neighborhoods. We even have cameras stationed on sidewalk corners. When an incident takes place, multiple cars show up on the scene. No one trusts or respects the police. I fear them because it can take anything for there to be a bullet in my body as long as I am a Black person on this Earth. If I speak back, will I be detained and clueless to my charges? If I make the slightest move, will they use unnecessary force? I can identify with Ta-Nehisi Coates when he mentioned that he grew up with the mental space of protecting his body. Being Black is a threat. Fear is one of the dominant emotions in the black experience. No matter where we go, we will always have to worry about our safety. White America refuses to acknowledge the brutalization of our people by the hands of the police. Our people are being killed and blamed for their deaths. Why should I not fear the police?
