This column, from the weekly opinion piece MATTER OF FACT, first appeared on BrooklynReporter.com, the Home Reporter and Spectator dated June 12, 2020
Black lives matter. It is not hard to say. It should not offend anyone or be viewed as controversial. It is simply a moral assertion, taking into account that for far too many, black lives do not matter as much, or they do not matter at all.
The slogan isn’t “black lives matter and all other lives do not.” Nobody is saying, “only black lives matter.” Of course, all lives matter, but black lives are a subset of all lives and if black lives do not matter, then it is not possible for all lives to matter.
Those who do not have the lived experiences of people of color need to stop using what they have personally encountered to make assumptions about what others have had to contend with their entire life. It is not the same. I cannot say exactly how different it is because I have not had to deal with what it is like to live as an African American in our society, but I can acknowledge the fact that I am unable to understand it and I can listen.
“We need a voice against racism. We need many voices against racism and against brutality. We need to stand up and say, ‘Black lives matter.’” It was not hard for Mitt Romney to utter those words when he joined a protest in Washington on Sun, Jun 7. I have a different political philosophy from Sen Romney and I would contend that some of the policies he supports contribute to socioeconomic disparities along racial lines in our country, but he acknowledges that we need to say, “Black lives matter” and why we need to say it.
Besides speaking out against racism, Romney mentioned the need to confront brutality. Again, this should not be viewed by anyone as a political issue, but as a moral one. As protests spread across the country, there were myriad examples of law enforcement using excessive force against peaceful protesters.
There is no justification for officers simply sitting in a vehicle or standing on a street to be physically attacked, but that also cannot be a reason to dismiss law enforcement assaulting people who pose no danger. Saying so and insisting there be accountability for the police’s actions is not an unreasonable expectation.
“There is no one silver bullet… but it is hard to even begin the discussion when one of the parties involved is indignant at the notion that they should ever be questioned for instances of inexcusable behavior.”
As many examples caught on video the past two weeks have shown, police who have been beyond heavy-handed against people in the streets have not discriminated when using excessive force. Among the extremely diverse crowds of peaceful protesters, people of all races have been on the receiving end of brutality.
Being an officer is not an easy job, but being annoyed that people want the worst among your ranks to be held accountable for their actions is not a reason to beat people with clubs as they try to walk away or shove them to the ground if they do not move quickly enough.
When video surfaced showing a large contingent of Buffalo police officers, clad in riot gear, approaching a lone, 75-year-old man, and shoving him to the ground where he hit his head and blood began pooling beneath it, most people were shocked. Before videos showed exactly what happened, the department released a statement saying that one man was injured when he tripped and fell. A bald-faced lie.
After the two officers responsible for hurting the elderly man were suspended, 57 officers resigned from that unit in protest. They had the gall to take umbrage that two among them should face consequences for what they did.
When those two officers were booked on assault charges, fellow cops turned out to the courthouse to cheer them. In what other job would employees cheer colleagues who assaulted an elderly person?
There are many ideas being debated as to how to make progress in addressing racism and brutality. There is no one silver bullet that will resolve these problems, but it is hard to even begin the discussion when one of the parties involved is indignant at the notion that they should ever be questioned for instances of inexcusable behavior.
