The countless deaths of unarmed black men by police, coupled with persistent activism from communities of color, has forced the conversation of race on America, causing officials to reevaluate, among many things, how policing is done.
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Among the many things I remember vividly from Philly After Ferguson, a citywide town hall meeting co-organized by Techbook Online intended to discuss ways to improve policing, political participation and public perception of the black community – black men and boys in particular – was Deputy Philadelphia Police Commissioner, Mr. Kevin Bethel, admitting that changes to policing are happening, whether or not he and his peers are ready for it.
The slight moment of candor from Mr. Bethel, amidst otherwise robotic talk of processes, may have gone unacknowledged by many due to the tense and explosive nature of the event, but it was significant nonetheless.
Both here in Philadelphia and across the country, social change, policy changes –despite what may be the popular opinion – is without a doubt happening, though it may not be communicated publicly or accelerated in a way that would satisfy the most frustrated and oppressed individuals.
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Social change isn’t arresting Mr. Darren Wilson for the death of Mr. Michael Brown, Jr., or releasing the name of the Philadelphia police officer who killed Mr. Brandon Tate-Brown on December 15th, 2015 – that’s justice.
Social change is, however, the federal government informing Ferguson officials to either negotiate a settlement with the Justice Department or face being sued by it on civil rights charges due their findings that for years, police tactics had a “disparate impact” on African-Americans. Regardless of the option selected by Ferguson power brokers, changes within the Ferguson police department are underway.
And in the case of Mr. Tate-Brown, who demise is still, for the most part, ambiguous, social change is visible. Nearly a month ago the investigation was under tight wrap, with no information available but what police officials wanted public.
However, a little more than a week after Philly After Ferguson, Mrs. Tanya Brown-Dickerson, the mother of the slain 26 year-old man who was, by all accounts, a humorous individual, was allowed to view the video of her son’s fatal encounter with police – a demand she and her supporters have vocalized for months.
In addition to Mrs. Brown Dickerson and her lawyer being allowed to view the evidence, Mr. Kelvyn Anderson, Executive Director, Philadelphia Police Advisory Commission, who had been locked out of the investigation since its commencement, was able to view the witness statements and videos, as per an invitation by Philadelphia Police Commissioner, Mr. Charles Ramsey.
Mr. Ramsey, who co-chairs the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing, was in Washington D.C., yesterday to convene with President Barack Obama and others to review the recommendations of the task force.
Of the 63 recommendations laid out by the police practitioners, the most “controversial,” as said by Mr. Obama, is that local law enforcement agencies should consider requiring independent criminal investigations and independent prosecutors in cases where the use of force by police officers results in injury or death.
According to the New York Times, the panel “called for the creation of a federal initiative to diversify law enforcement agencies so they better reflect their communities’ demographic makeup, and suggested that federal funding be tied to those efforts.”
The panel, reported the New York Times, also recommended that police departments be required to collect and post on their websites information about stops, frisks, summonses, arrests and crimes, broken down by demographics. They also suggested less confrontational practices by the police and steps to “minimize the appearance of a military operation” when dealing with large protests.
A internal movement with great synergy to the “less confrontational” idea is already being put into play by NYPD Commissioner, Mr. Bill Bratton, who recently discussed adding “customer satisfaction” as a metric in how they measure their department’s successes. A similar plan isn’t far from materializing at the Philadelphia Police Department.
We as a society are a long way from a Utopia – or anything that even resembles it – but that doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate the small wins, the incremental social changes that’s happening right under our nose.
Changes to policing in America are happening and it’s just a matter of time, hopefully, before police reforms become as visible and as widely acknowledged by the public as their transgressions.
Thanks for reading. Until next time, I’m Flood the Drummer® & I’m Drumming for JUSTICE!™