The Recurring Trauma of Police Brutality
I guess where I start is George Floyd was murdered in the street by “Police Officer” Derek Chauvin in broad day light. Chauvin accomplished this heinous act by handcuffing Mr. Floyd, forcing him to lie face down on the street and pushing his knee into Mr. Floyd’s neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds. The reason I know this to be a fact is because the criminal act was recorded by onlookers who could do nothing to help because they were held at bay by Chauvin’s accomplices, I mean fellow police officers.
For the past couple of weeks Chauvin has been on trial to prove what we all already know. He killed Mr. Floyd in broad daylight. The legal arguments hinge upon whether Chauvin was justified in his actions, whether he was acting as any reasonable police officer would act, whether drug use contributed to Mr. Floyd’s death, or whether Chauvin was possibly distracted by the crowd of people who were protesting Mr. Floyd’s murder.
Originally the purpose for this post was to discuss how the trial of Chauvin is likely to cause secondary trauma for many Black people. But America being the society it is, the trauma of the ongoing trial has been compounded by two additional incidents of police brutality against Black people. Both were traffic stops. In one incident, Caron Nazario a Black 2nd Lieutenant in the Army was stopped because he allegedly did not have license plates. After refusing to exit his car Lieutenant Nazario was pepper sprayed while in uniform.
The second incident was more serious. Daunte Wright, a 20 year old Black man, was stopped for allegedly having expired license tags. An officer shot and killed him by apparently mistaking her gun for a taser. Daunte Wright died as a result of a single gunshot wound to the chest.
It cannot be understated how much trauma this level of violence causes. While being apprehended, Lieutenant Nazario told the police officer he was afraid to get out of the car. As I talk to many of my friends and family, I can’t help but thinking that we are all afraid. Many of the people I know have opted not to watch the daily coverage of the Chauvin trial, because it reminds them how little society seems to think of Black lives. We are afraid that after all the evidence is submitted and all the arguments are made the jury will find enough reasonable doubt to exonerate Chauvin. Even if Chauvin is convicted, I doubt the response will be one of happiness or even gratification that justice was done. The feeling will be one of relief, that justice at least was done this time.
Even if Chauvin is convicted, justice for Black people is far from achieved. The evidence of this is the ongoing disproportionate murder of Black people at the hands of law enforcement for very trivial offenses. In a wider sense it is the ongoing disproportionate imprisonment of Black people altogether. It is the increasing feeling of terror that any single engagement or misstep could lead to loss of life or liberty. It is the systemic lack of accountability in police departments.
In the midst of the Chauvin trial, excessive police brutality against a Black military officer, and the manslaughter of a young black man by the police; there is one ray of light. This week, Officer Cariol Horne was finally vindicated after a 15 year court struggle. Her case illuminates all the systemic problems with law enforcement. Many years ago Officer Horne, a Black female, witnessed a White male officer punching a man after he was already in handcuffs. While other officers stood by and did nothing, Officer Horne sprang into action and pulled the “officer” off the handcuffed man. Her actions resulted in a physical encounter between her and the officer. As a result, Officer Horne was reassigned and then fired. Meanwhile the officer who used excessive force was promoted. Officer Horne even had to pay him $65,000 as the result of a civil suit. This week a judge found her firing to be unfair and ordered that she be given backpay and her retirement benefits restored.
Officer Horne’s story shows why law enforcement is broken. The person who held her colleague accountable was fired, while the so-called bad apple was promoted and continued to abuse power. I imagine this must have been a stark reminder for veterans and rookies in the department. If you do the right thing you get terminated. A situation like Officer Horne’s implies there is are powerful cultural and economic incentives for police officers to look the other way when their colleagues cross the line. Law enforcement lacks accountability and is unaccountable. In a system where police officers cannot ensure that their brothers and sisters in blue don’t cross the line, the cost is counted disproportionately in lost Black lives.