We’ve had some unfortunate incidents here in Seattle lately.
A few weeks ago the Seattle police shot and killed a black man in his car. The police allege that the driver of the car, who had been stopped for a traffic violation, grabbed the officer who was citing him and drove away, dragging the officer for nearly a block before his partner was able to stop the driver by shooting him.
This incident incensed many people in the black community and in the neighborhood where it took place. There has been a lot of rhetoric dished out by self-appointed community leaders but no effective action has been taken, partly because there really isn’t much that can be done (they tried a boycott of Starbuck’s, which no one understood) but partly because there is also a backlash of feeling from those who feel the officers were justified in taking action in a dangerous situation. (The driver turned out to be a wanted felon, he may have been under the influence, etc.)
It is, of course, difficult for either side to convince the other that their point is valid. Those siding with the police insist this was a colorblind incident, and that the officers responded appropriately to the actions of the suspect. One of the officers involved was himself black, both have very good records, etc. On the other hand, there are voices in the black community who insist that the police (black or white) are racist, immediately escalating a routine incident to a dangerous incident just because the suspect is black, that they’ll close ranks to protect one another and distort or hide the truth to justify their behavior.
All that is preface.
You may have heard in the news that the mayor of Seattle was assaulted yesterday by a man with a megaphone. He was hit hard enough to break several bones in his face. The police immediately arrested a suspect, a black activist who was part of a small group of protesters at the community activity the mayor was attending. The protesters were there to call attention to the lack of action following the fatal shooting described above. The suspect, who is said not to be dangerous but who does have a previous assault conviction, had left the protest group and had gone forward to talk with the mayor.
Now – this is the incredible part. The suspect insists he didn’t do it! He says he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and was arrested just because he was black!
There were numerous witnesses who insist this is the man, including the mayor’s wife (the mayor didn’t see it coming – it was a sucker punch) and the CHIEF OF POLICE!
Okay – I can understand that underclasses in our society may feel oppressed by the establishment. I can understand being frustrated at not being able to correct wrongs, or not being able to even be heard. I can even understand, although I certainly don’t condone, lashing out. I can understand taking leave of your senses long enough to do a very stupid, hurtful thing because you were so angry. But I can’t understand why you would then use such an asinine way to try to escape responsibility for what you’d done.
He has now demonstrated for all those who want to believe it that black criminals are 1) liars who 2) blame the police for their crimes, and 3) use charges of racism to avoid prosecution. He apparently is much more concerned about his own situation than he really is about racism or oppression by the police. All his rhetoric is now tainted, self-serving, false.
He may have acted in the heat of the moment, but his response was a deliberate course, set in motion after there was plenty of time to weigh the issues. He chose to sell out his ideals. He could have, even after striking the mayor, been a voice calling out for reform. Now he’s just one more lying criminal.