Why Black People Run From The Police

FEAR! It is that simple and yet that complicated. It is a fear with origins deeply rooted in American history and engrained in the psyche of Black Americans. It is a fear that reminds you that the U.S. Supreme Court once declared that Blacks had no rights which the white man was bound to respect. Dred Scott v. Sandford, 60 U.S. 393, 407 (1857). It is a fear that alerts you to the reality that even though the laws have changed, the Dred Scott decree remains the de facto rule of America. Blacks still have no rights that the white man is bound to respect. Simply put, it is the fear of death. One need not be a legal scholar to know this truth. One only needs to exist as a Black person in America to learn the lesson quickly

We learn this lesson when we find out that a third police officer has been acquitted in the death of Freddie Gray, a man who could walk before being placed in police custody, but managed to have a severed spin after his arrest and transportation. How did this happen? How did Gray get arrested for allegedly having an illegal switchblade knife, but end up with a broken spine? Why did the police search him in the first place? More importantly, why is no one being held accountable? Three times the system has effectively stated that there was no wrong done to Mr. Gray. It is an absurdity. And it can only exist in a country where Black men have no rights that the white man is bound to respect.

We also learn this lesson when we hear about Trayvon Martin, a young unarmed teenager walking home from the store. He had not committed a crime, nor was he in the process of committing one. When approached by a stranger with a gun, he fought back. He did exactly what we tell our children to do in situations like that. His attacker began to lose, and instead of walking away, he shot and killed Trayvon, claiming self-defense. One would expect an immediate arrest and swift conviction, but we received neither. Only after much protest was the attacker arrested. Sadly, he was later acquitted by an all-white jury that believed it was unarmed Trayvon, not the attacker with the gun, who was a threat. The acquittal further embedded upon our souls the burden of wearing black skin in America. We recognized once again that it is easy to be demonized because we have no rights that the white man is bound to respect.

We learn this rule in countless other incidents. The failure of prosecutors to charge the killers of Sandra Bland and Michael Brown, teach us this rule. In the case of Michael Brown, the prosecutor appeared to use the grand jury as a means to attack the alleged victim and not the defendant. It was the victimizer’s life that was valued above the unarmed victim. The lesson is reinforced with news that the Texas police officer caught on camera assaulting black children at a pool party will not be prosecuted. This rule is particularly stinging when I think about my client, Marcus Cull, who had not committed a crime but was shot in the back by Orlando Police officer Carlos Villaverde who claimed he was afraid. Villaverde said he shot Cull as Cull ran toward him, but somehow the bullet ended up in the center of Cull’s back. Despite the physical impossibility of his account, an all white jury found the officer not liable. He was not held accountable. Why? Because black men have no rights which a white man is bound to respect.

That is why the words “Black Lives Matter” are so important. We are not asserting superiority over another race. Rather, what we are saying is that Black Lives Matter TOO!! We do have rights that others are bound to respect! We do expect those who assault, batter or kill us to be held accountable, especially if they carry badges and guns issued by the state. To be sure, not all police officers are bad. However, there are bad apples in every profession, and the police are no exception. They must be held accountable like others. But alas, history and current events inform us that our lives continue to be devalued. This is particularly so after the US Supreme Court upheld the police’s ability to make illegal stops as long as the end justifies the means. As Justice Sotomayor so eloquently stated in her dissent, this will undoubtedly lead to increase harassment of black and brown people. At times we feel no more free to move around our country than our slave ancestors did.

As a result, we remain afraid. While I do not advocate running from police, I do recognize that running from something you are afraid of is a natural inclination. Because we never know if an encounter with the police will end well, end in harassment, arrest or death, there will be different responses to the police. Some will choose to run, some will stay, and some will be like Freddy Gray. Regardless of our response, please know that the fear is ever present. It is the fear of injustice and the knowledge that the US Supreme Court is more than ready to allow it.

Therefore, if America is concerned about black people running from police, then the solution is simple.  Create a just society.  However, as long as justice remains elusive to us, we will continue to run!

–Until Next Time–

Palooke