The frustration level was palpable inside the New Sardis Primitive Baptist Church on Wednesday (Feb. 25) as members of the community met with representatives of four police union organizations. Little was accomplished as members of the audience repeatedly jumped to their feet to rage against virtually anything the police officers had to say, showing a complete lack of respect not only for the officers, but more so for the democratic process.
While the frustration on the part of the citizenry is certainly understandable, and indeed warranted, shouting down speakers accomplished little other than allowing hot-headed attendees to go home thinking they had achieved something. In point of fact they did achieve one thing: further entrenching both sides of the “debate” (if it can be called that) into their intransigent positions. It was embarrassing.
Councilman Zach Reed convened the meeting billed as a “community conversation” but it turned out to be anything but that, as accusations and charges were hurled at the hapless cops all night from the pews, forcing them into a defensive posture that was counterproductive. The event turned out to be a form of “theater of the absurd.” It’s interesting to note that no other city councilman has had the gumption, courage, or civic spirit to hold such a meeting, but, while Reed’s intentions were noble and good, we all know what the road to Hell is paved with.
Politicians are in a particularly precarious position when they host meetings of this type. They can’t be but so hard on their constituency, but as Reed found out, attempting to be diplomatic doesn’t work in certain volatile situations, and no issue is more volatile and divisive than that of police brutality. People are coming into the meeting carrying the axes they’ve been grinding for months — and sometimes years — at the ready. They’re out for blood.
And it takes an iron hand inside a velvet glove to control an agitated and unruly crowd — control that has to be established at the onset, at the very beginning of the meeting. In this case, the pastor of the church, Rev. Larry Tatum, should have established the ground rules early on … after all, these folks were guests in his house of worship. And following the announcement and establishment of said rules, he should have been quick to enforce them on any wayward attendee — warning them the first time to be mindful of their manners, and then ejecting them upon their second outburst.
The councilman attempted to maintain an aura of decorum by having questions written down (which he read from the podium) which is an excellent way to prevent audience members from hijacking the meeting when they got the microphone in their hot little hands. However, this method doesn’t allow for the voices of the citizenry to be heard, and actually encourages folks to stand up and shout out their grievances whenever they damn well pleased. It’s fortunate a riot didn’t ensue.
A better way is to have someone trained in moderating meetings handling the microphones, holding on to it and allowing the audience members to ask their questions … and pulling the microphone away from them if they begin straying off-topic and turning their question into a rambling tirade. Sure, some folks won’t like the idea of speaking into a microphone held by someone else, but if this ground rule is announced at the beginning of the meeting, people will comply … or they don’t get to ask their question. Period.
If you noticed, I haven’t attempted to convey any information in regards to what actually transpired at the meeting — what information was disseminated and what questions were answered. And with good reason: Anything said was completely overshadowed by the mayhem of the process.
For the community to heal, for trust to be reestablished between cops and the citizenry, it’s going to take coming together in a series of meetings all over town, perhaps into the foreseeable future. And for those meetings to be effective and productive, they have to be democratically run … mob rule cannot be allowed to dominate the conversation.
Thankfully there is a dedicated and experienced woman who knows how to do just that. Yvonka Hall has the trust of the community, plus the expertise to allow people to express their outrage at police brutality in a disciplined and effective manner. Anyone wishing to hold meetings on this topic in the future would be wise to seek her out. She can be reached at: info@coolcleveland.com.
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.