Editorial note: If you are going to start reading this, please be sure to finish reading it. Don’t hit the eject button, just because you think you know where I’m going and you don’t like it.
Over the past few weeks, we have all watched, in horror, as our nation spirals out of control. With the opiate of entertainment and distraction rendered out of reach thanks to the global pandemic, there has been nothing onto which we could avert our eyes; no way to ignore certain scenes that most of us would prefer to leave unwatched. The consequent events have been something so complex that libraries of books will one day be written about them. For our purposes, I want to take just one slice of the pie: whether systemic injustice exists.
Most people seem to answer this question very easily. It’s either a simple, “yes,” or, an obvious, “no.” Unfortunately, that’s because that’s how we were taught to view the world – in our schools, in our churches, even in our media. Every question on a test has a right or wrong answer, and, every assigned essay seems to be a persuasive one. Every church will tell you what the Bible says – and, why everyone who interprets it differently is wrong, unequivocally. Likewise, every science teacher is quite sure that the current understanding of things about which we are, “certain,” is, certainly correct. Unfortunately, none of this is true, and, we can’t start answering any meaningful questions, without understanding this basic, fundamental, reality: everything in our universe, from atoms to galaxies, and everything in between, is complex. Most wars don’t have a “good guy,” and a “bad guy;” they have a complex series of events, which result in the governments of multiple nations convincing the youth of those nations to take up arms against one another. People, the world over, are very similar, for the most part. They want to be able to provide for, and protect, their families. Governments, as our Founding Fathers would have told you, are a necessary evil. Science, as it is taught to the non-scientist, is sure of itself, until it realizes that it was wrong, and, then, it is sure of its new conclusion. Amongst actual scientists, there is rarely certainty, for they know that certainty is a luxury to which we are not privy. If you want certainty, stick to basic math. So, our starting point must be very heavy on humility – understanding the limits of our own knowledge and understanding. It also has to be full of that hubris which says that we have the capacity to make things better (not perfect – but, better), if we do the hard work of untangling reality, to the best of our abilities. So, in that spirit, let’s dive into systemic injustice.
The majority of the world was aghast at the video of George Floyd, pleading, to deaf ears, until he died. Not surprisingly, it sparked an outcry across the nation. Coming on the heels of Ahmaud Aubrey’s murder, and multiple other high profile killings of unarmed Black People, the nation, it seemed, finally, had enough. Now, in the Social Media spin zone, this has, unsurprisingly, become a political football. I recently watched a video of two Black conservatives, who point out the numerous examples of White People being wrongfully killed by police. They argue that the “Black lives matter,” movement is just propaganda, and, they point to the lack of media attention to the wrongful killings of White People, in support of this assertion. I can’t say that it didn’t remind me of thoughts that I had while watching news crews of all ethnicities being deliberately targeted by law enforcement while clearly doing their jobs. However, my next thought was, “well, this is all anecdotal evidence. What does the data say?” The U.S. Census indicated that the racial demographics of the U.S. are 76.5% White, and, 13.4% Black. In other words, White Americans outnumber Black Americans, more than 5 to 1. Police shot slightly more than twice as many White People to death, as they did Black People – meaning far more Black Americans, by percentage of the population, are shot to death by police. Why is this the case?
Is it related to poverty?
Statistics also show that 20 million White Americans (8.1%) are living in poverty. Meanwhile, 9.1 million Black Americans (20.8%) are living in poverty. So, while a far higher percentage of all Black Americans live in poverty, there are still more than twice as many White Americans living in poverty as there are Black Americans. So, poverty alone doesn’t get the job done. Although, it does suggest that there may be a very strong correlation to poverty and police shooting deaths, since these absolute numbers match up well with the 2 to 1 margin in the above section on police shootings resulting in death. However, other evidence suggests that this is not simply a poverty issue. The recent report on Air Force Service Member discipline revealed an extreme disparity in punishments between White and Black Service Members, which could not be explained in any other way, save for to admit that there was systemic racial bias. This doesn’t directly relate to police brutality, however, it does suggest that systemic problems exist in certain areas of our society.
Is it a cultural problem?
There are clearly cultural problems when human life isn’t valued. We see that reflected in the astronomically high incidence of Black on Black crime. However, the culture of impoverished Appalachia can hardly be considered superior. Those trapped in poverty will turn to drugs, lose sight of the value of life, and, find a scapegoat to blame for their troubles. This is true regardless of race. We need to fix cultural problems, but, this starts with action, not words. This starts with entering those communities, risking one’s self, and trying to be an agent of positive change. Otherwise, I think we had best move on from the topic of culture, as we are pointing out a problem which we are unwilling to assist in repairing. It is little more than a foil.
Green Acres Is The Place For Me!
I remember that line from the theme song of the terrible 70’s TV series, Green Acres, because it was woven into my childhood fever dreams. Get the flu, go lay on the couch, turn on nick at night, fall asleep to the weirdness of TV generations gone by. But, I think that part of our answer, here, is in Green Acres… or, at least in rural living. Police in rural areas, where one is most likely to find poor White People, are underfunded, understaffed, and, living in a different world than police in major cities. They are also much more likely to be from the community that they are policing, and, to know someone connected to people with whom they may be interacting. Compare this with a city cop in [pick a city]. That cop is one of a large force. They probably don’t know the person that they are interacting with, either. For the rural LEO’s, there is a community connection, which is often missing in the cities, as well as a man-power induced inability to simply arrest someone on the majority of the calls to which they respond. The city cop, on the other hand, by virtue of population density alone, likely responds to many more violent calls. While the city cop likely interacts with a very small percentage of the population, their interactions are more likely to leave the officer jaded, and, looking at the entire community as though they all represent that small fraction of the community causing problems. The transverse perspective is also affecting the peaceful community, as they view police through a very suspicious, and, fearful lens. Just like the cop doesn’t know who needs help, and, who will try to kill him, the citizen doesn’t know which cop is there to help, and, which one will sit on their neck until they die.
Over the coarse of the past few months, it has become very clear that there are rampant problems in our law enforcement community. Black People, White People, and all other shades of People have been wrongly targeted by law enforcement, before our very eyes. This is not only dangerous for our citizens, it is potentially lethal FOR OUR GOOD COPS. It is wildly unfair to paint everyone with the same brush, even if that is what we have all been taught to do. Some communities may have a police force, the vast majority of which consists of very good police officers. It is also clear that some police departments should probably start with a clean slate – like Louisville, Kentucky. Perfect answers don’t exist, but, we must face these complex problems with well thought out solutions, or else, the results will be unbalanced, and, will result in more chaos, followed by a reversal of course which will make the current situation seem enviable.
I personally believe the evidence for systemic injustice is clear. However, one would be hard pressed to suggest that we don’t need to reform our approach to policing, either way. The bigger problem, as I see it, is that we’ll never be able to solve even the most basic of problems, until we start learning to see the complexities of our world; not as an excuse for any specific conduct, but, so that we have the best shot at understanding and addressing the problems we face.
thereluctantcommentator 