Introduction
Look, I did not go to the theater last Thursday (July 28, 2016) with Gavin Long and Micah Johnson, nor did I intend to think about them or the past few weeks while watching this movie on Thursday. But, I heard the voice of Idris Elba, as the villain Krall (Spoiler: not his real name, but what he became) say during the climatic fight with Chris Pine's Captain Kirk, "I am a soldier and this was not the world I was born into." Micah and Gavin were both soldiers and both experienced racism within a world that largely ignores it...willfully.
Disclaimer
Let me make myself abundantly clear: THIS BLOG IS AN ATTEMPT TO UNDERSTAND AND LEARN FROM THE ACTS OF VIOLENCE PERPETRATED BY GAVIN LONG AND MICAH JOHNSON AGAINST POLICE OFFICERS. I AM NOT JUSTIFYING VIOLENCE. I REPEAT, I AM NOT JUSTIFYING VIOLENCE. Additionally, Gavin Long and Micah Johnson were not cowards (sorry to disagree with the President and the standing media narrative). To the contrary, they left war at home to fight a war abroad and came back to communities that continued to be at war with the very systems that are designed to protect and serve them. Thus, it behooves us to stop, look, listen to what they had to say to us in death because something is clearly wrong and what we are doing is not working.
With that being said, in the midst of preparing for the bar, I could not truly avoid the chaos of just a few short weeks ago. In a span of fewer than 60 hours, we had two black men (Alton Sterling of Baton Rouge and Philando Castile of Minneapolis, Minnesota) get shot by police officers, both of their deaths were documented on social media and an assault on police officers in Dallas during a peaceful Black Lives Matter Rally followed on the heels by an ambush of officers in Baton Rogue. There were heavy losses on both sides (if there are truly sides in the pursuit of justice).
What is striking, is that both of the attacks on police were planned and executed by former, decorated members of the United States Military. Micah Johnson was a highly capable soldier, who from the little we know about him, just wanted to see changes in his community. He wanted to contribute positively to his community and that drove him to join the military. Gavin Long may have possessed some afro-centric views but he served his country in the military. But, what happened? What drove them to systematically ambush and attack police officers assigned to do security for a BLM rally? Where there were clear congeniality and community between the protestors and the officers. They were not even protesting the Dallas Police Department, to some has become the model of policing. They were marching in solidarity with other communities in the area. These questions I do not have answers to directly, but I want to explore this area of Why.
Mistrust is the Name of the Game
As I have stated before, this is not about justifying violence or that somehow I don't care about police officers or the difficult job they do. But, the reality is that many communities do not trust the police, particularly communities of color. These communities, have seen and felt how the system has protected bad officers and has turned deference to a blue wall of silence.
We know that neither Baton Rogue nor Minneapolis will seek justice for Alton Sterling and Philando Castile to the same degree they pursued Micah and Gavin. Proven by the actions of the Dallas and Baton Rogue police departments to exact justice (more likely vengeance) swiftly on Gavin and Micah. The Dallas police beat its chest proudly that they used a bomb disposal robot loaded with explosives to kill Micah who was in a house (the police admit that they were not even sure if he was alone). This does not engender trust. It drives home the point that police departments should not get new toys to "eliminate" or "neutralize" threats until they use the tools they have to gain the trust of their communities. Police departments around the country have harbored bad actors and praised beating suspects, killing assailants, destroying lives as good police work in their "Wars on Drugs and Crime." In the process, there are shattered lives in their wake.
Trust Needs to Become Systemic
So before Dallas PD can declare publically that they are hiring and to trade the protest for a bulletproof vest: They need to lay all the cards on the table. Continue to seek community focused changes. Every police department and District Attorney's office must reject the premise that they can investigate themselves in the midst of crisis. Every police involved shooting needs to be independently investigated. Community investment needs to be more than ice cream at traffic stops. It needs to be echoed in what becomes reasonable articulable suspicion in a Terry stop. The humanity of black lives needs to be acknowledged in the heat of the moment and in the moments after. Yes, the world is dangerous. Yes, criminals want to harm cops at times. But, I refuse to assume every situation is that. Alton Sterling selling CD's in front of a friend's store like he's done for years was not that. Philando Castile complying with police was not that. Nor was the long litany...of names.
Just as racism has become systemic, we must make trust systemic and rejection of tired racial stereotypes that mean absolution for one race and death for another. Gavin and Micah were crying for that...even though they did terrible acts of violence. But, their unique service to this country demands that we look at this matter broadly and intentionally. Recognize that our insistence that masculinity mean never showing our brokenness. That our collective prioritization of independence has created a society in which mental illness is now a criminal offense and can only be treated in jail or in prison. That our divestment in our communities...are chickens coming home to roost. We paid for this...and we must do and be better. For every fallen officer, fallen person to violence demands it. Their blood is crying out.
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