If further proof of what Unitarian minister Theodore Parker said in 1845, that “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice,” was needed, it came roaring out of South Carolina last weekend. The incident (if “incident” is indeed a strong enough word) was so egregious, goes so far beyond the Pale, that it boggles the mind. But any sane person had to know this was coming.
But anyone foolish or naïve enough to think the arrest of South Carolina cop Michael T. Slager for shooting Walter L. Scott (a black Coast Guard veteran and father of four) in the back five times while he was running away after being stopped for a faulty brake light will immediately change how policing is done in America should quickly disabuse themselves of that notion.
Culture — especially one as embedded in American tradition as police culture — simply doesn’t change that swiftly, or easily.
I can virtually guarantee you that another such incident of a white cop shooting an unarmed black man will occur before Slager’s case is even adjudicated. It doesn’t require a crystal ball to make such a prediction … just an understanding of the history of policing in this country.
We’ve done policing wrong for so long in America that most people think we’ve been doing it right. And they think this because, in the vast majority of cases, the citizens who end up suffering the most from bad, brutal policing are persons of color — which, heretofore, has made it almost a non-issue. What’s the big deal over another dead black body or two, or three … or more?
With the exception of presidential candidate Rand Paul, the silence from the right side of the political spectrum has been deafening when it comes to the subject of police brutality. These politicians know their constituents well, and they are not about to risk standing up to wrongdoing by rogue cops for fear of losing the support of their base.
And it’s not completely racial. The killing of a white woman by two cops in Utah last year went virtually unnoticed, while the killing of a family dog by other cops in that state sparked outraged protests. Evidently Fido counts, people don’t … at least in Utah.
But the cops who suffer the most from such killings, the ones whose reputation takes the biggest hit are the good cops that go out everyday and do their job in a professional manner; the rogue cop, similar to the inner city thug, doesn’t give a good goddamn what the public thinks of them anyway. They have no honor to protect or lose and they relish in the reputation of the outlaw — even when they are sworn to protect and serve.
Still, far too often in America the good cops protect the bad cops. And that’s because no group of supposed professionals are as clannish as members of law enforcement; it’s the ‘ol boy network on steroids.
Which brings me to the St. Edward Irish Mafia. Even a cursory glance at the top ranks of Cleveland’s Division of Police shows how powerful fealty to culture and loyalty to high school friends happens to be in this town.
If an opening occurs in the upper echelon of the Cleveland Police Department, most likely it’s going to be filled by a graduate of the predominately Irish St. Edward High School in Lakewood. It makes no difference how well or badly candidates score on tests, or how stellar their record of service, the St. Ed’s graduate is going to get the nod over anyone else virtually every time, and for one main reason: The high school is Safety Director Michael McGrath’s alma mater.
If you don’t believe me, ask any cop you know — go ahead, ask them. Every swinging dick on the department knows this, and many are completely demoralized by it.
This kind of favoritism taints police departments across the county to some extent, but nowhere quite as badly as here in Cleveland and this kind of inbred leadership is partially responsible for the bad outcomes we’re seeing in regards to policing in America.
And this is a tradition that has deep, deep roots.
When the now-sainted John T. Corrigan was county prosecutor any lawyer that didn’t attend St. Ignatius High School had a tough time landing a job in the office he ran with an iron fist. It made no difference what law school a candidate went to, or how high they graduated in their class … with few exceptions, the main criteria for getting hired by old John T. was matriculating from St. Ignatius.
Is this so bad? Yes. Yes it is. If any profession in the country should be blind to race, gender and connections it should be law enforcement. The mess that we’ve gotten ourselves into in our nation is due to turning a blind eye to the blatant favoritism. After all, whose going to tell McGrath that he can no longer play favorites? Mayor Jackson?
OK, you can stop laughing now.
And one other thing that’s no coincidence; when Tim McGinty (who’s doing an excellent job as county prosecutor in my book) was elected the symbol on the shield of the office was a badge — but it was swiftly changed. To what? The St. Edward Eagle.
[Photo: EDrost88]
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.
3 Responses to “MANSFIELD: The St. Edward Irish Mafia”
Cicero
What about our chief of police, who appears to be more black than Irish? Or the former police leader who is now mayor of Cleveland?
Robert Grundstein
Hi Mansfield, can you do a review of the book “Bad Minds, High Places. The FBI Raids on Cleveland”? It’s on Amazon. Let me know if you’d like a review copy.
Anastasia Pantsios
So would we all! We will publish as soon as it’s released.