Akin to soldiers in a foxhole yelling out a warning — “Incoming! Incoming!” — to their fellow comrades-in-arms that they are about to take on fire from the enemy, the folks on both sides of City Hall — the Administration and City Council — have gone to a “bunker mentality” to ward off criticism. The problem is, when this type of thinking gains ascendancy, mistakes will be made, such as the walking out of a Council meeting by Administration members when Jeff Johnson began criticizing Safety Director Michael McGrath.
Council chambers was packed that night by young demonstrators who took the exiting as an affront to them and their involvement, when the move was actually being targeted toward Johnson. But try telling that to these youthful activists, they’re not buying it — and it only strengthened their resolve to stay the course and engage in even more demonstrations.
Similar to the scene in The Godfather when two squabbling Mafia families were preparing to start shooting at each other, city officials are “going to the mattresses.”
[Note: For those not old enough to be familiar with the phrase, when war broke out between rival Mafia gangs, they would retreat to their apartment strongholds where they kept their machine guns, and cover the windows with mattresses to stop incoming gunfire — thus the term “going to the mattresses.”]
Still, for me it’s difficult to criticize Frank Jackson for demonstrating what I feel is one of the noblest of human emotions: Loyalty. Remaining loyal to those who have been loyal to you (especially in times of difficulty) is a highly admirable trait, and what shouldn’t be forgotten in all of this is the fact that Mayor Jackson, although he’s usually taciturn and soft-spoken, is one tough son-of-a-gun. He’s not about to let anybody push him around.
While no one can peer inside his head, Jackson must be thinking, “I’ve weathered this kind of storm before while fighting off my enemies,” but any comparison between past battles and the one currently going on is, at its core, false … and a huge mistake. There are too many wild cards in the deck now … the game has radically changed and old tactics, which previously carried the day, simply will not suffice now — not in this current environment.
Jackson arguing that his top police brass has done everything in their power, everything he’s asked them to do, seemingly makes sense, but that’s not really what the current fight is about. It’s really not about competency (even though that’s what it appears to be), it’s all about perception. And the perception is, rightly or wrongly, that a change in leadership is needed in the Cleveland Division of Police, and nothing Jackson or anyone else does will change that perception. That train has already left the station.
It’s not a matter of “if,” it’s a matter of “when” change will come … and how much damage will be done to the city during the interim. Loyalty aside, sometimes you have to “know when to fold ‘em.”
Back to those wild cards: A 12-year-old child was recently buried, killed under cloudy circumstances at best, by a cop who probably should not have been allowed on Cleveland streets with a gun; righteous demonstrations are erupting all over the country in protest of the killings of unarmed black males; and last, but certainly not least, the Department of Justice has issued a scathing report, detailing the shortcomings of the police department … all of which has created a tsunami of controversy that cries out for someone to be held accountable.
Frank Jackson no doubt thinks the calls for him to fire his top two police officials is nothing but an unjust witch-hunt … and, personally, I think he’s right. But that’s not the point; the point is, the public wants someone’s blood, and they want it now.
The feeling around the country is that Lady Justice drags her feet when a cop is accused of wrongdoing, and often comes up with specious outcomes when cases are finally adjudicated. There’s an extant feeling that no officer is ever held accountable, which really isn’t true … but it’s a perception that’s firmly ingrained on the psyche of the public nonetheless.
So, in spite of the fact it might be wrong, the public sentiment is … “so what?” the police have been wrong for years and have gotten away with it, so now it’s time for the score to be evened, if just a bit. The feeling is, prosecutors and courts are beyond the reach of the public; they can’t be held accountable, but these two police officials can be … and so too can the mayor.
The fact is, trust has been irrevocably broken between this police department and the citizens of Cleveland, and, for the consent decree to work, for trust to be mended … some heads have to roll. Period. It’s really not a matter of fairness (as Mayor Jackson no doubt perceives it), it’s a matter of political necessity — which any student of politics will tell you isn’t always fair.
As stated earlier, I greatly admire Frank Jackson’s loyalty … the question for him is this: Where does his greater loyalty lie, with Flask and McGrath, or with the citizens of the City of Cleveland?
I repeat myself: The city cannot heal, cannot come together if they don’t resign or are dismissed; no matter who’s at fault, too much bad water has already flowed under the bridge these two stubbornly continue stand on.
And too much good work has been done … the future of the city is much too important to allow this issue to tear it apart. But the mayor’s intransigence is putting all of our recent gains at risk … he’s flirting with a hard line being drawn in the sand. Every wise political thinker I’ve spoken to over the last few weeks has the exact same opinion: We’re headed for disaster if Mayor Jackson fails to act on this matter of great import.
A recall, even if it fails, is a very ugly and destructive process. Marty Flask and Michael McGrath should do the right thing and spare the mayor that potential embarrassment.
[Photo: stu_spivak (Flickr)]
From Cool Cleveland correspondent Mansfield B. Frazier mansfieldfATgmail.com. Frazier’s From Behind The Wall: Commentary on Crime, Punishment, Race and the Underclass by a Prison Inmate is available again in hardback. Snag your copy and have it signed by the author by visiting http://NeighborhoodSolutionsInc.com.