Reconciling All Lives Matter

Reconciling All Lives Matter Are our tears really that different?

By Mark “Six” James

What continues to be frustrating is the ongoing emotionally driven often lack of context discussions and the habitual defecting that goes on when I hear discussions and debates about the various “Lives Matter,” campaigns.

To start let me get this on the record “ALL LIVES MATTER,” and one is not more important than another. Also I am not a member of the Blacks Lives Matter organization, but I understand the concerns many peaceful protestor’s speak of when it comes to systematic violations of rights. No I don’t agree with all of the tactics I have seen executed by some claiming to speak for the Black Lives Matter organization. Questionable tactics can often cause well-meaning non bias people to miss the message if they get turned off by the messenger.

The Bite – “Reconciling All Lives Matter”

I am not in Law Enforcement so I don’t have a dog in that fight, However, I do come from three generations of law enforcement officers in my family who served their communities honorably. I am a strong supporter of law enforcement and often train officers on firearms and combatives so I have a good understanding on the use of force. Policing is an incredibly tough job and many of us understand some of their frustration. They reserve the same right to go home safely at the end of their shift as any other hard working employee in any other profession. However, I often disagree with some of the rhetoric I often hear from various law enforcement union heads. As too often the dialogue has become arrogant, condescending and not reflective of what you would expect from leadership of a critical service organization.

sentences by judges for the same crimes and you see a recipe for lack of trust, or as one of my friends often says in law enforcement they call that a “CLUE.”

Another tactic used to deflect the debate as an attempt to spin the discussion into the Black on Black crime narrative as a way of dismissing or rechanneling the discussion as to where the community’s priorities should be.

Some people use the cover of All Lives Matter as a way to discount the focus of Black Lives Matter campaigns. “Black Lives Matter,” is more than an organization it is a metaphor for the frustration of watching years of mistreatment at the hands of rouge civil servants or policies that institutionalized bias. The Black Lives Matter campaign’s focus is on separate and very unequal treatment by law enforcement bore out by department of justice statistics in many cities across the country (often in those with large African American populations).

White's in general have not had been subjected to the systematic abuses by the police departments whether rouge officers or policies targeted toward certain ethnicities.

A perfect example would be Stop, Question and Frisk in New York a policy that through the years has stopped hundreds of thousands of minority citizens (primarily Black and Brown) typically police find firearms less than 1% of the time. However NYPD continues to treat members of those communities as if all are combatants and criminals despite the evidence to the contrary. Those same policies are not executed on the Upper East Side, Carnegie Hill or Tribeca. Couple that with biased charging by district attorneys or disproportionate

The Bite – “Reconciling All Lives Matter”

Who says we can’t be focused on multiple things simultaneously? Because we never talk about White on White crime we make it seem as Black on Black crime is some deep pathological sickness. Truth is people Black or White victimize where they have access. When it comes to killing regardless of race one is more likely to be killed by someone who looks like them, Black or White.

Black people are more likely to be killed by Blacks (90%) and Whites are more likely to be killed by Whites (84%). So no one ethnicity has a monopoly on the ethnic genocide in this country.

Those percentages are straight from the 2013 FBI Crime Statistics. But no one has a discussion about White on White crime or violence.

Too often people try to utilize Black people are their own worst enemy narrative as if that excuses when a police officer violates someone of color’s civil rights. Clearly, an apples and rocks comparison. Each of us have the legal ability to defend ourselves against the Black Thug or White Thug when they attempt to harm us or our family or violate our rights. We don't have that same ability without making a major life altering decision if we engage a rouge police officer. Understand the frustration is as real as the consequences.

When you attempt to place your faith in a system which has often proven to be biased it causes a deterioration in public trust.

2

It is that deterioration of trust that is the catalyst of the protests we are seeing across the nation.

No one condones lawlessness or crime in any fashion Black or White. We must learn to separate non-violent, peaceful 1st Amendment protected protestors from looters and paid agitators. We should not be protesting, protecting or rewarding bad behavior by civilian criminals nor supporting police misconduct. And yes Blue lives matter also because all lives matter. However Blue lives cannot think their lives are more important than others. Nor should they feel they are above the law they took an oath to uphold.

When I look at the source of most of loss of trust issues they typically are the result of concerns in regards to feelings of excessive force or some other violation of citizen’s rights. I think the majority of police officers are hard-working public servants committed to doing a great job serving their community. However, when it comes to force I typically see it fall into one of the three categories’ below:

1. Appropriate use of force – the required force necessary to affect a legitimate arrest or protect public safety.

2. Biased based use of force – this often comes from profiling, stereotyping and other biased based interaction. It many times is the result of disconnected interaction within the communities they serve.

The officers view all interactees as combatants not citizens to be protected and served. The force is used to drive compliance, respect or fear. Produces an overseer mentality develops self-entitlement by

The Bite – “Reconciling All Lives Matter”

the officers and destroys public trust particularly in minority communities.

Walter Scott the unarmed man who ran away from the North Carolina police officer Michael Slager during the traffic stop. He was of no threat to the officer or anyone else was moving away and was stopped for a brake light in his rear window that was not working. While he may have had outstanding warrants for child support the public nor the officer were at risk and did not deserve to be shot in the back.

This is a hiring/screening and training issue.

3. Tactical Errors – this is by far where we often see the highest level of questionable deaths.

Police officers either through a lack of training, complacency or failure to follow department protocols and operating procedures. In these situations the officers find themselves behind the reaction curve and are forced to do recovery.

When officers are forced to do recovery citizens often get severely injured or killed.

Tamir Rice the 12 year old in Ohio was an example – 65% of officers are often killed inside of 10 feet.

Why would the officers responding to a call of a suspect with a gun and pull their vehicle right next to the suspect to be questioned? You ask a child, “where is the gun?” He is going to produce it. You can’t then shoot him because he complies. The public does not know policing so it the officers job to be very clear in their instructions. After the officer fired upon the young man, he retreated toward the rear of the vehicle, establishing both distance and cover/concealment. Why didn’t he start from that position initially? Why wasn’t the initial response to the young man to stop and put his hands in the air given from the vehicles PA?

3

Why not maintain distance from out of the car, and from behind cover until you get compliance?

“Young man please keep your hands over your head. I need you to drop down to your knees and put your hands behind your back or lay on your stomach.” Only once you have compliance would you approach. One officer covers the other executes the search. The officers gave themselves no tactical out. Is that the 12 years olds fault?

There is no way anyone will convince me that was appropriate response protocol.

Levar Edward Jones is another example shot by South Carolina State Trooper Sean Groubert during a routine traffic stop. The dashcam video shows the officer stopping the man at a gas station/convenience store. He asks the man for his license the man reaches back into the car for his license and the officer shoots him multiple times.

While I understand once a man gets out of the car an officer generally does not want them back into the car without 100% supervised control of the movement, then again it is the officers job to be very explicit in how you want the public to respond. It is not the public’s job to understand how to interact with law enforcement.

The Bite – “Reconciling All Lives Matter”

Jonathan Ferrell the former FAMU football player who was involved in a car accident and sought assistance from a homeowner. The homeowner subsequently called 911 and reported the incident as a home invasion in progress. Officer Randall Kerrick and two other officers arrived on the scene but Kerrick never spoke with the homeowner in an effort to gain additional information or to see if the suspect threatened her in any way.

As unarmed Mr. Ferrell walked down the street seeking assistance elsewhere, he ran toward the approaching officers not uncommon for a person in need of assistance. When a person commits a crime they typically run away from police not toward them. He was shot 10 times by CharlotteMecklenburg Police Officer Kerrick, as he ran toward the officers. The other officers on scene never fired their weapons. The CharlotteMecklenburg Police Department has called the shooting unlawful, stating the officer did not have a lawful right to discharge his weapon during this encounter.

These are not career criminals we are discussing.

In neither of these situations do I believe the officers woke up that morning with the desire to kill or injure a law abiding citizen. However too often men and women are being killed at the hands of police officers based on fear. Fear is merely emotional anxiety. Another man or woman is not responsible for your fear, however their actions may put you in danger. We need to learn to separate fear from danger.

These are training and discipline issues. The public should not be put at risk because officers are poorly trained, lack discipline (failure to follow procedures), exhibit compliancy or are afraid.

4

Nor should our hard working officers feel that the public is not supportive of them when they voice concern. Officers themselves must equally speak out against these tragedies and not become conspirators or accomplices in their silence.

Mark “Six” James is Founder and Executive Director of Panther Protection Services, LLC, and an internationally published author and keynote speaker.

That is not a Blue Lives Matter issue or the public not wanting the officers to make it home safely.

These are as much officer safety issues as they are public safety issues. No one wins when there is division between law enforcement and the communities they serve. We need to stop pitting one group against the other and let’s shift the focus back to all lives matter.

But until we honestly reconcile often separate and very unequal treatment we will continue to be a divided community and ultimately a divided nation.

Just like most of us of legal age unfortunately know a woman who has been a victim of domestic violence if you are African American you know a law abiding citizen who has been a victim of police profiling or abuse of power. Because it may not have happened to you, does not mean it does not happen. And if we truly believe all lives matter then we can’t conveniently choose to compartmentalize our outrage.

Panther Protection Services is a full service protection agency focusing on Risk and Crisis Mitigation, Protective Services, Self-Defense Training, and Firearm Instruction.

For additional information visit www.pantherprotectionservicescom or contact us at info@pantherprotectionservices.com

The Bite – “Reconciling All Lives Matter”

5