Connect the dots

I've come across several stories on the web about Robert Davis, the 64-year-old New Orleans resident who was beaten until bloody by local police officers, after asking about the local curfew. When looking up this story, the first article I came across is this one on My Way News.

I was annoyed by the paragraph that read:
"Under normal circumstances, it takes unusually offensive behavior to trigger an arrest on Bourbon Street. But New Orleans police have been working under stressful conditions since the hurricane."

Since the hurricane? Americans are becoming known for our short memory. Lets refresh, shall we?

According to an article by Daniel HoSang in the magazine Colorline, Winter 1999-2000 issue, "Between 1993 and 1996, fifty New Orleans cops were arrested for felonies including bank robbery and rape."

New York Times Magazine reported a story entitled "The Thinnest Blue Line." in the March 1996 issue. "As astutely noted by police abuse expert Prof. James Fyfe, some cities' police departments have reputations for being brutal, like Los Angeles, or corrupt, like New York, and still others are considered incompetent. New Orleans has accomplished the rare feat of leading nationally in all categories."

Can you say, "The Farm" also known as Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola ?

And what constitutes a normal circumstance? From my own understanding, a normal circumstance in the United States is one in which the poor, homeless, street venders, people who like to hang out on street corners and chat, etc. should not be seen or heard or exist. Beating up on black folks is the normal circumstance for New Orleans officers’ black or white.

Take the situation of Mr. Davis. Associated Press writer, Ross Sneed reports Davis's reactions as he returns to the scene of the assault. He was shocked to realize that the brown stain on the sidewalk was his own blood. He doesn't remember much after the first blow. "I didn't do anything. I was going to get a pack of cigarettes and taking my evening constitutional." For Mr. Davis a pack of cigarettes and an evening walk may be normal. Perhaps it was also his way of dealing with stress. He is a New Orleans resident who had come back from Atlanta, to check on six properties owned by himself and other family members.

Several reports on this story pointed to the stressful conditions under which the police in New Orleans exist. The stressful conditions are being used as excuses to further dehumanize and brutalize people of color in New Orleans, and many other cities including my hometown. At this moment in New York the Zongo case is before a judge for the second time.
Ousmane Zongo, 43, was an art repairman who emigrated from Burkina Faso. He was shot four times during a raid on a
storage warehouse to confiscate CDs and DVDs. The first case ended last March in a mistrial. The retrial began here recently, with the officer waiving his right to a trial by jury.

Having thought about all this, may I suggest to all those who love black people to get a copy of "Police Encounters-The Black Man's Guide to Handling Encounters with the Police and Protecting Your Constitutional Rights, by George W. Gordon & David Walker (not their real names). The book can be found on www.kommoncents.com. Two black men who have been struggling to over turn their life imprisonment sentences wrote it. It is their hope that this labor of love will serve as a guide to protect our people. The book is not meant to serve as one's only legal advice, but to educate and inform. There are some really helpful sections that include, The Constitution of the United States, Sequence Of An Arrest To The Arraignment, Most Common Mistakes Made During An Arrest, The Interrogation, Sample Warrants and Sample Complaint Letters just to name some of the issues covered.

This book could be a useful tool for community groups, after school programs, adult literacy classes and church groups. The book has a section just for youth, entitled "Juvenile Encounters." What better way to prepare young people in a rites of passage setting by supplying them with knowledge of their rights in the context of police encounters? This is a must read for parents and teens.

In the preface the writers conclude:
"Finally, it is often said, "the more things change, the more they remain the same, It is our sincere hope and intention that the nature of police encounters with Black people changes drastically because we refuse to be victims, prey, suspects, targets, perpetrators, and statistics anymore. As it is written, so let it be done."

Protect yourselves, Protect us.