MANSFIELD: See Something, Say Something?

seesay

A clause in the unwritten social contract we all should abide by if indeed we want safer, crime-free communities calls for citizens who witness a crime to perform their civic duty and report the illegal activity to authorities. And while the aforementioned dictum sounds logical, just and right on paper, in practice — especially in minority communities of color — it’s often ignored … for a number of reasons that some would posit are just as compelling as the stated reasons for discharging one’s duties.

Chiefly among the reasons for citizens of inner-city neighborhoods to not engage in this duty (which arguably would make the community safer) is the profound lack of trust between residents and cops. We could debate all day in regards to how this rupture came about … but that’s a discussion for another day and another essay; the plain and simple truth is, this is the reality we’re currently faced with.

Nonetheless, part of that lack of trust stems from the fact police encourages citizens to do something they themselves are not willing to do: report wrongdoing when they see it. In many instances cops witness other cops engage in behavior that’s clearly illegal, but they hide such lawbreaking behind the “blue wall of silence” while berating citizens for not coming forth when they witness crime in their communities. A classic case of “Do as I say, not as I do” if there ever was one.

Many citizens of inner-city communities also rightly or wrongly feel that reporting crime to the police would potentially subject wrongdoers to dangers often inherent during arrests that are far greater than the crime allegedly committed. Remember, Eric Garner was killed for selling loose cigarettes.

Certainly all bets should be off when someone in the community is hurt or killed by a criminal; people need to step up to assist in keeping neighborhoods safe. But the foul odor of mistrust is so strong that even under those circumstances (where there’s a dangerous person or persons roaming the streets), there’s still a great reluctance on the part of citizens to become involved in police matters. And there’s a logical reason for this too.

On the wall of my study is a black T-shirt emblazoned with the distinctive D.A.R.E. logo in fire-alarm red, but beneath it the legend reads “I turned in both of my parents and all I got was this lousy T-shirt.”

In point of fact, the looked-down-upon “stop snitching” campaigns that were launched a number of years ago in black communities were, in large part, a response to police using drug dealers (who were allowed to continue selling drugs) to rat out other drug dealers … mainly so police could bolster their arrest records by picking low-hanging fruit. The unfortunate consequence of this using one thug to capture another was that the message morphed over to the general public and became inculcated among even the non-wrongdoing segment of the community.

But, make no mistake … cops initially bred this mistrust.

Additionally, there’s a strong feeling in black communities — based in part on past experiences — that if an everyday, ordinary citizen does aid the police in making an arrest in a serious (by that I mean non-drug related) crime, and then aids the prosecutor in gaining a conviction … once the case is over and authorities no longer have use for the stand-up citizen, they are left to fend for themselves. No witness protection program that I am aware of exists at the city or county level.

How trust can be rebuilt between minority communities of color and cops (which might be a statement subject to challenge since some would argue none has ever really existed) is a conundrum that’s going to take a lot of work and time … but an excellent place to start is by cops leading by example … when they see wrong done by other cops they should report it. Period.

 

[Photo: rails4me (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.

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