On Thursday February 12, 2015, FBI Director James Comey addressed the issue of race and law enforcement at Georgetown University in Washington, DC.
The Director spoke about how police officers assigned to areas where "a hugely disproportionate percentage of street crime" is committed by young men of color. This can lead cops on the beat to jump to conclusions based on race. “The two young black men on one side of the street look like so many others that officer has locked up," Comey said. According to Comey, "Two white men on the other side of the street — even in the same clothes — do not. The officer does not make the same association about the two white guys, whether that officer is white or black, and that drives different behavior."
NYPD Police Commissioner Bill Bratton appeared on CBS This Morning on Friday, February 13, 2015 and was interviewed by Charlie Rose about the above remarks by FBI Director James Comey. Here are some excerpts:
Question by Charlie Rose:
Do these remarks by the head of the FBI director resonate and will they have impact?
Answer: Bill Bratton:
“It does resonate both in terms of what he said but more importantly who said it – the head of the FBI: well-respected by law enforcement, I think also respected by minority communities - they rely on the federal government so much so …” Emphasis added.
In responding to Director Comey's discussion of racial stereotyping, Bill Bratton slipped in another ugly stereotype of his own – that minorities disproportionately rely on the federal government. This is similar to the genre of false stereotypes that circulate in GOP circles and ultimately led Mitt Romney to make the infamous 47 per cent remarks.
As a minority, it is very frustrating to listen to these false stereotypes being posited and repeated (unchallenged) by people in authority. The fact of the matter is that minorities do not receive more from the Federal govt than nonminorities but in terms of actual Dollars or in terms services, grants, loans, or contracts. Minorities do not commit a more crimes than nonminorities – minorities are simply arrested more and prosecuted more than nonminorities. Minorities also receive harsher punishment than nonminorities. An easy example is the lengthy imposed on individuals convicted of crimes related to crack cocaine (used mostly by minorities) versus the crimes related to powdered cocaine (used mostly by nonminorities) – even though there is no pharmacological or law enforcement basis to treat crack cocaine as more dangerous than powdered cocaine.
The racist Freudian slip by Bill Bratton is indicative of his true belief. The fact that a man with such a belief system is the head of perhaps the largest police department in the U.S. is scary indeed!
