My most recent post, which was entitled “Did Police Chief Calvin Williams Lie?,” sparked a number of interesting responses, due in large part to the belief by some that I seemingly wanted to have it both ways: I wrote that I believed he certainly did lie, and then I went on to later exculpate him from responsibility for his lies. Alas, I’m guilty as charged.
Nonetheless, I have my reasons for the dichotomy, which I’m sure many will not agree with, but that’s OK too.
In the article I first questioned if Chief Williams would have reason to lie, and I concluded that for a number of reasons — all no doubt legitimate in his mind — he certainly would have felt compelled to lie, with Mayor Jackson being complicit in those lies. Yes, he was in on the coverup too.
Why then did I cut Chief Williams and the mayor some slack? To my mind it’s simple: They both were protecting a system not of their making, but one I firmly believe they would change in a New York minute if they had the power to do so. But at present they don’t.
First, there’s the financial aspect. If either the police chief or the mayor admitted that the police were in the wrong in terms of their response to protestors and the damage done by a police riot, the city would be on the hook for millions, and perhaps hundreds of lawsuits.
Secondly, and most important to my mind, is this: To expect them to tell the truth is to put the onus on two black men to right the wrongs of hundreds of years of white American officials — from presidents, to members of Congress, to governors, to mayors, and yes, police chiefs — lying through their teeth about matters of race, justice and unfair treatment at the hands of police. Once again, blacks are being charged with cleaning up white folks’ shit — and are being castigated when they don’t.
Now, do I (akin to all right-thinking citizens) want police brutality in all of its forms — including ill-treatment of peaceful protestors — to end? Of course I do. But do I expect Chief Williams and Mayor Jackson to fall on their swords to accomplish this worthy goal? While that would be very noble of them, pragmatist that I am, it’s simply not going to happen, and it would accomplish absolutely nothing even if they did.
To my mind, the issue of how former Safety Director Michael McGrath got away with repeatedly letting cops accused of wrongdoing off the hook with minimal sanctioning — literally just slaps on the wrists — for the last five years with no one in City Hall questioning his actions is a much more explosive question for the Jackson administration and city council — and one that should play a pivotal role in the 2021 municipal elections.
With that said, the window of opportunity for police reform is opening up in departments across the country and as everyone knows, it primarily entails reforming or doing away with racist police unions. To listen to one of America’s foremost experts on the subject, Georgetown Law Professor Christy Lopez, follow this link to the City Club forum where she spoke.
