Eliminating systemic racism and brutality in America’s police departments is possible—but it will take time, says a criminal justice professor.

(Originally published September 17, 2020 in Rutgers University Alumni Association Newsletter)

by Gautam Nayer, PhD

https://alumni.rutgers.edu/stay-connected/alumni-news-and-stories/on-black-and-blue-justice/

In response to the nationwide protests that arose after the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers, Rutgers alumnus Gautam Nayer, an associate professor at Texas Southern University in Houston, co-wrote an op-ed for Diverse Issues in Higher Education on how policing in America needs to change. Nayer SPAA’09 teaches at the university’s Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs and is a board member of the Center for the Healing of Racism in Houston.

Nayer and co-author Sasha Legette write in the op-ed that historically black colleges and universities, like Texas Southern, can provide feedback and research to help police departments fight systemic racism and brutality in their ranks. Here’s what Nayer has to say about American law enforcement’s troubled past and how police departments can better serve underrepresented communities in the future.

What are the origins of police brutality in this country?

Police officers in America are trained to be warriors. It’s hard to turn that off. The militarization of police creates an aura that they’re fighting a war. Officers are trained to be hypervigilant, that anything could become a fight, although less than 5 percent of calls end up in a violent confrontation.

We’re much quicker to use force than in other countries. Police work is hard work and it can be violent, but in the United States, violence is seen as acceptable to get the job done.

Why do you think George Floyd’s killing sparked the response it did?

The pandemic has exacerbated the issue of systemic racism for minority people, who are at significantly higher risk of COVID-19 than white middle-class Americans. Another reason that the video of Derek Chauvin killing Floyd was so powerful is because Chauvin’s looking at the camera like, “What are you going to do about it?” It shocked so many people.

The op-ed you co-wrote says that diversifying police departments can help decrease racism and brutality against people of color. What are some examples of how police forces can diversify?

Part of the reason the system is racist is because police departments don’t have enough officers who look like the communities they serve. The New York Police Department is slowly changing its ranks. There may be fewer African-American officers coming in but there are more Hispanics and Asians coming in. So, the police unions, which were made up mainly of white men, are thinning out. Once you have more representation in the leadership, you can probably change. But it’s a slow process.

Do you think reforming police unions would help cut down on systemic racism and brutality?

Police unions are very powerful and can push back on reforms. They protect their members, more than other unions do. But changes are coming. For instance, the Dallas Police Department doesn’t have one union negotiate everything, they have several different unions, including an African-American union, so they get everybody’s input. Also, as forces become more diversified, there’s a graying out of officers. It’s changing the dynamics of the profession.

Would it help to shift some traditional police duties to other professionals, such as social workers?

We look to cops to solve everything, but they’re not trained for that. San Antonio’s police department started a special branch where they trained officers to help homeless people get medication they needed. I think that’s a compassionate solution and that’s what we need to come back to, the humanity part.

They should also get better training. Police training in the United States is very different from that in Europe. For instance, in Germany, police have as much as three years of training. (Police officers in the United States typically complete between 10 and 36 weeks of training.)

Are there ways police officers can cultivate closer ties with their communities?

There used to be officers walking the beat in neighborhoods. They were on the same level as everyone else. Then they were in their cars with the windows rolled up, so now there’s even more distance. We need to bring back the beat patrols.

The post On Black and Blue Justice – written by Board Member Gautam Nayer, PhD appeared first on CENTER FOR THE HEALING OF RACISM.

When one thinks of you, America, what comes to mind? Freedom? Patriotism? Power? Wealth? What about, Opportunity? Equality, and Justice? People all over the world might agree that these characteristics describe you and proclaim that they are the reason you are the greatest country in the world.   If you were an entertainer on the world stage, you would need no introduction.  But there is a group of people who have been trying to tell the truth about you for over 400 years. The truth is that you have been lip-syncing your whole life.  America, why are you pretending? Do you have what it takes to live up to your reputation?

You gave birth to one of the biggest contradictions in humanity. During and after the Revolutionary War, you held in one hand the Declaration of Independence which represented freedom and justice for all. In the other hand, you held chains and whips, which represented tyranny and captivity over African Americans. You fought a war for your pursuit of freedom and happiness alongside African Americans. Yet, you withheld and denied happiness from them almost every time they came close to obtaining it and denied their freedom constantly. 

African Americans were liberated from the institution of slavery thanks to the Union’s victory over the Confederates in the Civil War. Freedom and justice for all, finally! Right? Not quite. To put it simply, America, when you were liberated after the Revolutionary War, there were systems created for your progression, the creation of an economic system, the constitution, and many more. When African Americans were set “free,” there were systems created for their regression. Certain policies that enabled opportunities for the creation of generations of wealth for Caucasians excluded African Americans across the board. There were inequalities and discrimination within employment, housing, education, and so much more. The effects of these systems are just as prevalent in the African American community today as are the enduring mental and physical effects of slavery.

History shows that in every war you have fought, never have African Americans merely sat by.  They have consistently, loyally, and bravely fought for you and for your principles. Whether by draft or choice, African Americans did everything that Caucasians did when it came to defending your freedom and independence. Yet again, African Americans were excluded from most perks and privileges created for veterans postwar. For instance, the GI bill benefited only Caucasians which helped them gain economical leverage in the postwar years. It helped create growing gaps of wealth, education, and civil rights between the races. However, America, you tell African Americans that they should be proud of the flag, sing the national anthem with their hands over their hearts, and be appreciative to be born in a country where they are free and have unlimited opportunities. You say, if they can’t be grateful, they can leave. They can leave the country that was built on the backs of their ancestors. Really, America?

America, you point to your Bill of Rights to show that everyone is equal before the law, and therefore everyone should respect the law and enforcers of the law. You congratulate yourself that everyone suspected of a crime has the right to a trial, and only if they are found guilty by a jury of their peers would they be subject to punishment, including possible execution. However, your law enforcement officers are killing citizens without a trial, and the rate of African Americans being killed during police engagements are much higher than the rate of white and other ethnic groups. This has been the case since the beginning of policing in America. The video footage of these killings show that African Americans are killed even when complying with law enforcement whereas Caucasians can expect to survive even blatant and violent noncompliance with police. Police officers who take the life of an African American during an engagement rarely are investigated or face any consequences for their actions. This atrocity by police officers happens so often, it is as if it is their duty to kill African Americans without regard for their basic civil rights you hold so dear. You expect African Americans to respect laws that show no respect for them.  African Americans and their allies, have been speaking out, protesting, crying, dying, and trying to get you, America, to open your eyes to this injustice. Bill of Rights? Declaration of Independence? Where are you for African Americans?

Where is the American Revolution for African Americans, America? It has been 244 years since you published the notion in your Declaration of Independence that “…all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” But here you are, 244 years later, calling the National Guard when African Americans say that their lives matter.  You continue to put endless obstacles in the way of their pursuit of happiness.

There is no nation without flaws because they are governed by people with flaws. America, because of your wonderful ideals there isn’t another nation like you. For them, you have been brave. For them, you have fought. For them, you have conquered. Because of them, you have grown to be the most powerful of all nations. Please, don’t let it be a lie anymore. Even though you have failed to live up to your ideals for hundreds of years, it does not mean you cannot start now. It is simple. Make Equality, Freedom, Opportunity, Liberty and Justice for ALL. Because Black Lives Matter. Look around.  They have always mattered.

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