Activist David Banner is angry over the murder of Alton Sterling, who was shot five times and killed by the Baton Rouge police on July 6.
“As we all knew that it would, it has happened again,” stated Banner as he opens his treatise “Police & the Black Community: History, Reality & the Rudiments for Change.”
Banner delves into many topics as it relates to the deteriorating relationship between police and the black communities they serve.
Police as Tools of the Wealthy
“In these actions, we clearly see that today’s police, much like their 19th and 20th-century counterparts, still serve as protectors of the wealthy and oppressors of the people.”
The “War on Cops” That Wasn’t
“Let’s just say it outright…statistically speaking, being a cop IS NOT a dangerous occupation. In fact, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, being a cop doesn’t even make the Top 10 of most dangerous jobs in America. Surprisingly, it’s more dangerous being a farmer, a garbage collector or a fisherman than it is being a cop! But let’s look deeper into police fatalities that do actually occur. Those numbers may also be surprising.”
Law Enforcement’s “War on Blacks”
“…even if Black criminality had risen (instead of drastically dropping), and even if the “War on Cops” myth were true, that STILL doesn’t justify the disproportionate number of Blacks being killed by cops. Why? Because as we’ve come to find out, the group most responsible for murdering cops is white males.”
Law Enforcement: Return to Its Foundation
In 1829, Sir Robert Peel created the London Metropolitan Police, widely viewed as the world’s first modern police department. As the “father” of modern policing, Peel was adamant that a properly functioning police force must be deemed credible and legitimate in the eyes of the public it served. To this end, he developed nine principles that, if followed, would foster the respect and dignity sought by the community and the police alike.
“Simply returning to these foundational principles would go a long way in addressing and correcting many of the missteps that police make when dealing with Black people. And, by adhering to these principles, principles that mandate recognition and respect, police may very well engender a public trust in them that the Black community has never had.”
Black Community: Police Our Own Communities
“Policing our own communities can take various forms. One approach is for citizens to simply take their communities back…and by ‘policing’ I’m referring to a comprehensive approach to better the conditions of our environments.”