Proposal to Govt. Representatives: Policing Reform

This is a re-post of a proposal that I sent to government representatives regarding police reform, locally and beyond, in my junior year of high school. This, to me, is the core and the beginning of my activism through writing and empowerment. I received great feedback from this proposal, including a response letter from then President Barack Obama. While it isn't perfect, it marks an action on an unbridled emotion inspired by rampant injustice in America, 150 years after emancipation.

Centuries of injustice, whether hidden behind the veil of altruism or not, have poisoned the roots of the American nationality. Our nation has made remarkable progress throughout the past 200 years in social liberties and civil justice. We continue to develop new ways to extend this progress at an exceptional rate, today, and in the near future, the next generation of young adults will challenge traditional ways of thinking and put the current status quo into question with our millennial cynicism. But even as our great nation develops, we are flawed. In our judgments and our prejudices, we are flawed.

Implicit Bias is a part of our daily routine. Whether rooted into our subconscious or inculcated at a young age, we all develop our own set judgments and prejudices that affect every decision or action we take. Whether we are mindfully aware of our biases or not, they exist. These judgments may seem harmless and without severe consequence in our daily lives, but when it comes to possibly fatal, life and death situations, we must re-evaluate. The subliminal misguided evaluations or interpretations will continue to feed the monstrosity growing from America’s poisoned roots if we don’t make an effort as a people to exterminate our unconscious and conscious judgments on the grounds of race, nationality, class, creed, or otherwise.

A study conducted after the passing of the stop-and-frisk legislation in New York City finds that for every 10,000 stops that police make, they are 17% more likely to use hands on black suspects rather than white, 18% more likely to push the suspect into a wall, 19% more likely to draw weapons when dealing with African American suspects, 16% more likely to use handcuffs (arrests not included), 18% more likely to push the suspect to the ground, 24% more likely to point their weapon at the suspect, and 25% more likely to use pepper spray. The only stops excluded from the data were fatal run-ins with the New York Police Department. In one of the most populous cities in the country, and as a result of a disastrous piece of legislation, racial minorities were clearly targeted and taken advantage of. Amongst years of unfortunate data, and with dozens of highly qualified researchers and statisticians, a study by the University of California concluded that as an unarmed black American, you are 3.49 times as likely as an unarmed white American to be shot by police. The study also concluded that there was little to no relationship between racially biased police shootings and crime rates. Three and a half times as likely, overall, is an abomination. For minority citizens with children, or for caring individuals with minorities friends or loved ones, this number isn’t only an abomination, but it is enraging. For an America settled by immigrants, founded on inclusion, and fueled by justice, this is an outrage, propagated by our central biases, that brushes more of the veil of ignorance aside and reveals the reality of America’s own living, breathing monstrosity. Countless other studies or investigations displayed similar results; federal and state judges have found several of these cases to be in direct violation of our most prominent amendments to the constitution (1st, 4th, and 14th), and thousands of outraged citizens take to the streets demanding no less than equality of opportunity. Even when racial disparities are accounted for, all of these shocking statistics, pulled from investigations conducted by major independent organizations and universities, still remain relevant and conclusive to supporting the idea of a consistent prejudice or bias that law enforcers or departments may hold. This, combined with the far too long list of heartbreaking tragedies we have all had to witness over the years, Eric Garner (New York), Michael Brown (Ferguson, Missouri), Dante Parker (Victorville, California), Tamir Rice (Cleveland, Ohio), RumainBrisbon (Phoenix, Arizona), Jerame Reid (Bridgeton, New Jersey), Tony Robinson (Madison, Wisconsin), Eric Harris (Tulsa, Oklahoma), Walter Scott (North Charleston, South Carolina), Freddie Gray (Baltimore, Maryland), Charles Kinsey (Miami, Florida), and Terrence Crutcher (Tulsa, Oklahoma), suggests that it would be simply ignorant to not acknowledge this as a serious impending issue that cries for change. Change, that can only be initiated by us.

This brings me to the central point of this address. I am aware that I am just another high school kid in Texas, and one of millions. I am just one of the several hundred million United States citizens, but as we have seen with the start of the Black Lives Matter movement, and with the beginning of ideas and movements like the ones started by Colin Kaepernick and then in turn followed by countless other athletes and fans alike, all change is initiated by one person and one idea. With that in mind, I have written this letter with a proposal, an idea. I believe that change can and will happen, if we continue to raise awareness, grow the movement, and help people to understand how their biases and judgments have an effect on other’s lives.

First, we need to look into putting programs into place, on a state and federal level, that would target prejudice and biases for police departments in the form of alternative training, provided and funded by governmental institutions. While alternative training has been suggested, shut down, applied and reapplied in different areas, some form of it may still be viable and beneficial in communities. Second, we must propose programs targeting public schooling as a way to educate children and help them to be the generation which moves to form a judgement free society. Providing assistance for children through schooling, may help to extinguish the century-old biases that stain our politics and strike fear in our closest neighbors and communities. Next, we need to, more efficiently and justly, hold law enforcers accountable for misconduct. This could possibly be achieved by having communities, rather than police departments, be put in charge of determining punishments for misconduct. Police Departments must also create more reliable methods for reporting shootings accurately. Requiring departments to make all reports public, which would make it very clear where there are or are not racial biases, could increase trust between the community and police departments. We must also end the police use of unnecessary heavy military equipment and gear. This creates unnecessary tension and distrust within communities, which will only lead to more fear and tension between law enforcers and citizens. As a nation, we need to mandate body cameras in all situations as another way to hold officers accountable and make inaccuracies in police reports increasingly more difficult. Finally, we must push towards a society in which police departments can better represent the communities in which it serves. Here in Texas, a racial divide separates communities from law enforcement agencies. As an example, in Waco, Texas, 80 percent of police officers are white, but less than 45 percent of the city’s population is white. This is major disparity in representation is striking, and not uncommon. A study by the University of Texas found that 1 in 7 minorities live in a community with a gap of 30 percentage points between white police and white residents. There are also up to 215 police departments with 0 minority officers. Equal opportunity begins with equal representation. We have a duty, as a just nation, to actively pursue equal representation and equality of opportunity for all, and in all aspects of government and law enforcement. This duty is manifested first in promoting the policy that will achieve these goals.

As the home of the brave and land of the free, America the beautiful is a nation of diversity; of melting pots and justice and liberty for all people of all races and creeds. We have made strides in social justice and equality, but we are far from finished. Not until all people, of all colors, are granted equity in opportunity, and our neighbors, loved ones and children may escape the dark, desolate trepidation that has defined our roots for many honest Americans, will we rest. As we have proven countless times in the past, America is capable of achieving spectacular change, initiated by spectacular leaders and backed by millions of adamant altruists, if we come together. I truly believe that if we do work together to continue to spread awareness and grow the movement for equity, change is possible, inevitable even. In a nation of people hiding from the seething monstrosity growing out of our wretched roots, it is necessary for us to contribute to vanquishing those antiquated prejudices and judgments, and to cultivate a colorblind culture of acceptance, certainty, and widespread fulfillment for all.