Protesters should direct their focus on changing the criminal justice laws.

August 5, 2023 at 3:08 pm | Posted in criminal justice, justice, justice system, law, law enforcement agencies, Police, police education & training, police force, police unions, protest, social justice system, The New York Times | 2 Comments
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A small group of civic-minded protesters gathered in front of the Oklahoma County jail recently and registered their protest of the District Attorney for her part in not charging six police officers in the death of three citizens. The protesters believed the decision to not charge any of the officers showed a disregard for the law and the lives of the dead citizens. The protest will produce no action relative to the District Attorney nor will it bring about any changes to the criminal justice system. The reason for any lack of action or change is because the District Attorney did not make the law and has no authority to change it. If the protesters want changes, they must go to the people that make the laws, not the ones that enforce or use the laws.

The law that provides the law enforcers the right to use deadly force against a citizen is part of the problem because it does not establish any parameters from which to judge the actions of the police. The statement that refers to officers in fear for their lives for any circumstances is open to interpretation, as well as the potential harm to others being harmed. Since police officers involved in any alleged criminal action are reviewed and judged by members of the criminal justice community, they usually get the benefit of the doubt regarding their actions, with the law and their training serving as justification. The concept of the Blue Line holds a lot of influence.

Although the protesters have a legitimate concern regarding the rights of the citizens, they need to seek changes in the laws and their interpretation relative to the treatment of the citizens. After all, the law states that a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court of law. Unfortunately, because of the power and influence given to law enforcers, the rights of any citizen can be lost simply by a police officer stopping them. In addition, regarding the reason for the citizen being stopped, the officer can escalate the situation with no regard for the citizens’ fear for their lives based on the history of the treatment by some police videos relative to the citizens. The fact that videos show citizens running away from officers and being shot in the back or citizens showing empty hands and still being shot and killed can and probably does have an impact on the citizens’ behavior.

The desire to eliminate law enforcers is not a concern with respect to those wanting change in the criminal justice system, but the fact that members of law enforcement are treated as more valuable than any other citizen is apparent in the ways their deaths are handles by the media regardless of how the death occurred in the line of duty or not. In some instances, the tribute to the fallen officer goes on for weeks and outshines the death of some heads of state. The public realizes that officers put their lives on the line every day for the citizens, but more and more of their actions recorded on video indicate that they are more concerned with their own safety than that of the citizen. We certainly want the officers to be safe and avoid being in harm’s way, but being in harm’s way is part of the job they signed up to do. So, why glorify them for doing what they were hired to do?

The media treatment of the law enforcers in some communities shows them to be above the average citizen and viewed as a special group of select people treated with respect and honor far and above ordinary folk. The media often reminds the public of the anniversary of the death of some of the fallen officers to underscore the idea that their lives are more important than our because they were officers. We do not begrudge the recognition given officers, just the attempt to place them in a special category above the average individual. A 2017, article in the New York Times, by Blake Fleetwood noted that the police officers on the street can experience a life and death situation on a daily basis, but added that: “However, the misconception that police work is dangerous, propagated by the media and police unions, could become a self-fulfilling prophecy—especially if police believe that they are going into deadly battle when they head out on patrol.” He stated that “They are likely to be nervous and trigger-happy and might affect their decision-making in a stressful situation.”

Fleetwood continued to address the subject of the dangers of police work in the statement: “The fact is: being a policeman is not one of the most dangerous jobs you can have, according to statistic from the Bureau of Labor.” Some statistics showed that “In five years, 2008 to 2012, only one policeman was killed by a firearm in the line of duty in New York City. Police officers are many times more likely to commit suicide than be killed by a criminal.” Fleetwood, who taught Political Science at NYU, offered the advice that “If police want to protect themselves, a wise move might be to invest in psychiatric counseling rather than increased firepower.”

The protester questioning the criminal justice system question why citizens can be shot and killed by police when other reasonable approaches could have been taken. However, the law, apparently, does not hold the officers accountable for their actions if they feared for their lives or followed their training. For whatever reason, the idea of a law being inadequate, and training is not sufficient to meet the needs of the day seem to be absent from any consideration by law enforcement. Laws should reflect concern for the citizens’ lives and not leave the consequences of police action resulting in death to interpretations by members of the law enforcement establishment.

If the protesters want to see changes in the criminal justice system, they should get together with their lawmakers, other concerned representatives and citizens and work on making the changes they want to see.

Transparency and accountability: two reasons for beginning at the stop

April 6, 2021 at 6:41 pm | Posted in African American, American Bigotry, American history, American Racism, black inferiority, blacks, Constitutional rights, criminal activity, criminal justice, discrimination, Disrespect, Ethnicity in America, European American, incarceration, jail & prison overcrowding, justice system, law enforcement agencies, Media and Race, minorities, police education & training, police force, public education, socioeconomics | 1 Comment
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In 1969, I was a journalist for a local CBS affiliate television and had just completed an assignment shortly after noon. As I was enroute back to the station, I received a call from the station that a possible house fire was in progress at a location they provided and asked if I would check on it. The location of the possible fire took me through residential neighborhoods, so I was careful to watch my speed I case there were children playing along the street. As I was making my way through this one neighborhood, I noticed a motorcycle officer parked down the block facing in my direction. I checked my speed again, and continued on my way. Just as I was about to pass him, he turned on his flasher lights and proceeded to pull me over. The car I was driving was clearly marked with the television station’s call letters and large CBS letters as well. I parked the car next to the curb, notified the station what was happening, and waited for the officer to approach. He dismounted from his motorcycle and came over to my car. He said that he stopped me because I was speeding; asked for my driver’s license and asked where I was going. I informed him that I was on my way to a possible house fire not too far from our present location. He wrote out a ticket, asked me to sign it, gave me a copy, and rode off.

When I arrived at the location of the fire, it was no longer an active fire and little damage had occurred, so I again notified the station that I was on my way to the station. Once I arrived at the station I took the occasion to look at the ticket the officer had given me. To my surprise, the ticket had my name and driver’s information, but identified me as “white” and “female.”No one on the planet would ever mistake me for a white female, so I knew something funny was going on. After I showed the ticket to my editor, I asked if the station would cover the cost, because I did not feel obligated to pay it with the false information. He disagreed with me and urged me to pay it, which I did under protest.

 The reason for this little trip down memory lane was to underscore the point made in my last blog relative to the stops, tickets, and arrests of people of color. My brother, Jim, agreed with my assessment of the problem and suggested a way to collect accurate data concerning who, when, where, and why the stops are made. He noted, “I think the answer may lie in technology. Cruiser cams can now scan and record a license plate while detecting speed, direction, and location panoramically. More importantly the camera isn’t biased. Let the technology determine ‘probable cause.’” The data collected via the Cruiser cam can provide the information necessary to discover where and what kind of attention is needed to correct problems.

The reason for focusing on the stop is because it provides the best opportunity for a comprehensive assessment of three primary areas relative to law enforcement and officers: training, knowledge of the law, and cultural awareness, including implicit biases. With the data from the cam discernments of officer and citizen actions can be made and verified. The in reputation of the actions, however, should be the work of independent, but legally informed, citizen groups or committees. Caution is necessary to prevent preferences for either officer or citizen.

Officer training can be ascertained from the collected data that reveals whether the officer’s actions are related to the mantra “to protect and serve,” or intent to “intimidate and coerce,” the citizen. He data will also indicate the officer’s action to control the situation and manage it reasonably or if the officer’s action serves to escalate and disrupt an orderly exchange. Transparency is important and necessary in order to protect the rights of all concerned, so if the data indicate that more work should go into the training of the officers, there should be no confusion or conflict concerning the issues.

Knowledge of the law is a part of an officer’s preparation for service and includes the rights of the officer and citizen as well. With the data recorded from the Cruiser cam, provided the sound is activated, any problem regarding the knowledge of the law should become apparent to any observer. Knowledge of the law is required of the officer and should dictate how each stop is managed. Citizens are encouraged to know the law, but their knowledge is generally limited in many cases. In some case, however, a citizen can posses an extensive knowledge of his or her rights and privileges. Data will show officers’ actions when confronted with citizens exercising their legal rights relative to being stopped. The data will show what needs to be done in the training and preparation of officers before they are graduated from the academy or program.

Probably the most important element of the stop is the officer’s knowledge of the culture they are to protect and serve. No amount of training can prepare an officer to acknowledge and address long-held cultural and ethnic biases; that revelation must come from education. No one in society escapes the conditioning of biases that come from living in a society that knows bigotry as one of its fabrics. In order for officers to be prepared to serve any community, they must first acknowledge and address their own personal biases in order to replace them with a concern for the well-being of all human beings. If individuals are unable or unwilling to make this transition, they should not be acceptable as candidates for law enforcement. The data from the cam should provide information relative to an officer’s conduct involving individuals of ethnic identities. Based on the officer’s conduct, actions regarding education or more education relative to cultural bias are required.

While the focus of this discussion has been on the officers involved in the stops, the ultimate responsibility for effect preparation of officers’ training, knowledge of the law, and cultural awareness, rest at the top. no�S3�_�

7Chris Lehman, James Lehman and 5 others3 Comments1 ShareLikeCommentShare

Paul R. Lehman, We can begin at stop

March 19, 2021 at 3:13 pm | Posted in African American, American Bigotry, American history, American Racism, Bigotry in America, blacks, criminal activity, criminal justice, discrimination, Disrespect, education, ethnic stereotypes, Ethnicity in America, European Americans, fairness, incarceration, interpretations, jail & prison overcrowding, justice, justice system, language, law, Media and Race, Police, police education & training, police force, Prejudice, social conditioning, social justice system | 4 Comments
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Several years ago a number of local police chiefs from the surrounding metropolitan area got together and held a public forum. The forum was held in a predominately African American community in a local church’s auditorium. Each police chief was introduced by the moderator, also a police chief, and given an opportunity to share information about how his department was addressing community relations, the various programs and projects they were administering. After each chief had spoken, the audience was invited to share their concerns and experiences relative to law enforcement. A long line was formed in the auditorium and one by one each individual related his or her concerns. When the line had shortened to the last two individuals, I decided to bring up the rear, and joined the line.

When my turn to speak arrived, I addressed a question to the entire group of chiefs. My question was what programs or activities are you conducting to educate your officers to treat me as a member of the community and a human being? I said my reason for asking the question was due to the fact that each time I or any person of color is stopped, we automatically lose all our rights and privileges because we are generally viewed as suspects, thugs, or criminals and treated as such. Anything we might say is ignored except in response to an officer’s request or command; any movement, remark, gesture is interpreted as disrespectful, threatening, or fearful. We are totally at the mercy of the officer.

All of the chiefs in turn tried to discredit my remarks saying that their officer training does not include that type of behavior and that there were no problems in their departments. Their remarks continued until the moderator stopped them and admitted that I had a legitimate concern. The general response from the chiefs was that they would look into the problem. When the forum ended everyone in the audience went their separate ways most knowing that nothing in the criminal justice would change because of this program.

The fact that bigotry is a part of the American fabric and is maintained systematically is well known. What else is true is the knowledge that no one segment with problems of bigotry can be addressed without affecting other segments. That is why trying to rid bigotry in any one segment of society fails. Nevertheless, corrective changes can be made in some segments that might have a positive impact on other tangential parts. The usual question asked is where do we start? With respect to the criminal justice system, my answer is start with the stop. Permit me a hypothetical example.

In a small community of approximately one-hundred-thousand residents, twelve percent of that population is people of color. According to recorded police data, forty percent of the stops, tickets, and arrests fall in the people of color community. So, according to the data twelve percent of the population commits forty percent of the crimes. How does that happen? If we check the police date relative to the calls to the police and 911 services from the people of color community, we find the total number less than four percent. So, how does forty percent adequately reflect crime in the community?

One answer is the designation of the community where people of color live as a high crime area. Well, how does it get to be a high crime area? The data collected and reported by the officers are derived from the stops, tickets, and arrests made by the officers, but that data does not support a designation of a high crime area. So, what happens? The high crime designation is a manufactured one that allows the police force to send more men to patrol that area. When we check the data from the officers, we discover that most of the stops are for minor offenses that do not involve more than a fine. However, when we check the data for reasons for arrest, we discover that the reasons for the stop are not the same for the arrest. The numbers tell the story that when a small segment of the community is patrolled frequently by officers, stops, tickets, and arrests will result. Why? Officers are not generally rewarded on their record of protecting and serving the community as one would think; they are rewarded on the basis of the number of stops, tickets, and arrest that are made. Communities of color are generally low socio-economic areas, so officers are not usually concerned with legal challenges to their actions which can serve as an incentive to develop more data.

The above example is hypothetical, but for evidence of the real thing is action, one needs look no further than Ferguson, Missouri. Rather than parade a litany of stats about Ferguson, lets us look at the point in question. Why are people of color stopped, ticketed, and arrested more than any other American citizens? The answer is systemic bigotry in the criminal justice system, and it all starts when an individual of color is stopped. We know from studies, books, and reports that a disconnection exists between law enforcement and people of color, but not necessarily of the peoples’ making. More than enough videos exist to underscore the attitude and behavior of officers involved with people of color and how thing escalate from a minor infraction to an arrest. If we want to try and correct the disparity between the data and the population, then we must begin with the stop.

No one answer will fit all the problems, but developing data from each officer’s stop focusing on who, when, where, why would be a good starting place. Another concern about how areas become designated as high or low crime area based on independent data, not officer generated data. The number of calls into the police department and 911services from the community of color should be relatively easy to collect and record. We know that entry into the criminal justice system begins with a stop. Let us work to make certain that those stops are based on law, not bias.

Paul R. Lehman, The time for talking about race and racism is now

February 6, 2021 at 4:18 pm | Posted in African American, American Bigotry, American Dream, American history, American Racism, anglo saxons, Bigotry in America, biological races, black inferiority, Community relationships, Congress, democracy, DNA, DNA programs, education, ethnic stereotypes, Ethnicity in America, European American, Genealogy,, identity, justice system, language, Media and Race, Prejudice, race, Race in America, skin color, skin complexion, social justice system, white supremacy, whites | 3 Comments
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In view of the recent incidents involving hate groups and people storming Congress wanting to take back their country based on their conception of America being and belonging to “white people,” now is an opportune time to try and clear the air of the myth and misinformation we have lived with for almost four centuries. Ask almost anyone to define race and their answer will probably include something like groups of people with common physical differences like skin color, facial features, hair texture, eye color and shape; their definition might also include some geographical areas like Africa, Japan, China, etc. None of these elements, however, define race; they merely describe what race might look like. In reality, race cannot be defined because it is not fixed. Unfortunately, many Americans have been living under the notion that races exist and America belongs to the white one. Now is the time to correct this misinformation.

History showed that the concept of a race began to evolve in the late 17th century by the Anglo-Saxons and expanded along with the beginning of European exploration and colonization. For many years the English had fostered the myth of their nation as being superior to all other nations, but the myth was ignored until Linnaeus gave them an idea based on his taxonomy classifications and the human species. To justify their myth of superiority and dominance over all other nations, the Anglo-Saxons claimed that their nation represented the Homo sapiens species and that all the other nations were represented as sub-species. In order to protect, promote, and perpetuate the myth, they invented the word race which does just that any time and anyway the word is used. That is, whenever the word race or any of its derivatives are used, the myth of Anglo-Saxon superiority is protected, promoted, and perpetuated. The references to the other nations as races indicated their inferiority was secondary to the myth because they are all viewed as sub-species.

The myth of the Anglo-Saxons being superior to all the other nations (called races) have been debunked many times, but persist because of the constant usage and protection. The myth does not question the Anglo-Saxons but focuses on the differences of the other groups and that is part of the problem. Why would anyone believe that one nation out of all the nations on the planet was singled out to represent an entire species? We have learned that “… DNA analyses have proved that all humans have much more in common, genetically, than they have differences. The genetic difference between any two humans is less than 1 percent.” We also learned that “… geographically widely separated populations vary from one another in only about 6 to 8 percent of their genes.”So, the need to continue using the word race does nothing but support the myth.

The word race and the myth it supports has been so much a part of our consciousness that we find it hard to replace. But replace it we must. The myth of one ethnic group being superior to all the other groups is akin to someone believing that chocolate milk comes from brown cows. Yet, we have people and organizations that want to fight and destroy race and racism when the myth offers nothing to fight or destroy. In order to debunk the chocolate milk myth one only has to milk a brown cow and see the color of milk that comes out. To stop race and racism, one must stop accepting and believing in them; that will replace them with facts and truth because they are simply concepts. The damage that has occurred because of the acceptance of and belief in race and racism is another matter.

America must do a better job of educating its citizens because the plethora of ignorance regarding the use of race and racism will continue to be a problem. Recently, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives made a statement that urged all non-white people to go back to their homes and leave America to its rightful white owners. One would have found these comments laughable had they not been offered seriously. The case seems to be that people believe in what they want to believe in and facts and truth be dammed. Nonetheless, the truth and the facts regarding race and racism must be made. The fact is that “Because of the overlapping of traits that bears no relationship to one another (such as skin colour and hair texture) and the inability of scientists to cluster peoples into discrete racial packages, modern researchers have concluded that the concept of race has no biological validity.” (Britannica/The Many Meanings of “Race”) More facts and evidence, scientific and historical, are available to support that conclusion.

As stated earlier, because race and racism are concepts they can be replaced with appropriate language that does not include race. For example, the phrase “human race” is inaccurate and should be the human species; the word races should be ethnic groups. Rather than using the word “racism”, the word bigotry better represents the experience. In addition to the word race protecting, promoting, and perpetuating itself, race and all of its derivatives when used cause four simultaneous actions to occur: unity, separation, discrimination, and control. These actions occur because race focuses only on sub-species and not the representative of the species, the Anglo-Saxons.

The primary mistake made by the many individuals and organizations in their efforts to address the problems caused by belief in race and racism is the use of these words. For example, one cannot define antiracism unless the concept of racism is acknowledged. We know that racism comes from a belief in race and that race is a social invention, not valid in any sense. So, why spend time talking about antiracism that cannot produce a positive outcome when by simply debunking the myth one can move  closer to reality—the fact that we are one species. How can we love our neighbor as ourselves if we do no see ourselves in our neighbor? �������

Paul R. Lehman,The FOP representative’s comments underscore the reasons for community criticism of law enforcement

December 2, 2020 at 1:59 pm | Posted in American history, Community relationships, criminal justice, democracy, education, justice system, language, law enforcement agencies, Norm Stamper, Oklahoma, Police, police education & training, police force, police unions, political power, political pressure, political tactic, protest, public education, reforms, social conditioning, social justice system, socioeconomics, The Oklahoman | 6 Comments
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A recent article in The Oklahoman (11/29/2020) featured comments by the Vice President of the Fraternal Order of the Police (FOP) relative to the shooting of a teen by police officers. The officer’s comments underscore the reasons why relations with some of the citizenry and law enforcement are not congenial. Let us first establish that some of the most important and influential persons in any law enforcement organization are the heads of the FOP. Although these leaders are not elected or appointed by the citizens, they wield enough power to influence major decisions regarding law enforcement in their communities. The only responsibility the FOP has is to its organization, its leaders, and the officers it represent; the citizens have no say-so in the affairs of this organization except through the contract signed and approved by the local city government. The FOP is funded primarily through the dues paid by the officers in the organization, officers paid by the city for which they work. Consequently, the citizens fund the FOP, but have no control or influence in how they conduct their union business except via contract.

One reason friction exists between law enforcement and segments of the community are due to the polarization deliberately established by law enforcement that promotes an air of supreme sacrifice by officers above and beyond any other citizen:”Our brave officers leave their families behind and walk into dangerous situations every day to protect and serve this community.”Officers are not the only ones who experience that danger on a daily bases, so why single them out for special praise? The answer is that any criticism directed at errors and misdeeds committed by officers can be overlooked because they place themselves in harms way for the citizens.

The problem with the statement “to protect and serve the community” is often interpreted as directed towards the community of officers, not the citizens. Generally, when officers are confronted with situations that could be handles with diplomacy, for example dealing with someone who has a mental problem or a drug problem, they instead rely on their training which involves brut force or violence: “Officers often provide commands in tense moments to ensure the safety of all individuals involved.” All individuals in most cases mean officers, not suspects. Rather than attempting to grasp the nature of the situation, officers are evidently trained to ignore any defenseless actions of a suspect in order to protect themselves. Any feeling of a threat to an officer’s life, real or imagined calls for violent or deadly force: “Police training and experience tells us furtive movements and a lack of following commands present[s] a deadly threat.”The lives of citizens are not as valuable as those of the officers seem to be the implication of the statement.

The earlier reference to the polarization of law enforcement to the public takes the form of an US verses THEM, in that everyone that agrees with law enforcement regardless of questionable actions or events can be counted as being with US, the good people. Everybody else can be viewed as THEM or the enemy. This polarization comes into play whenever someone questions the action or lack of action by law enforcement in situations where the public can view for themselves what happened. In this incident of the shooting of the teen, the officer said he was “alarmed” by the criticism of people who “continue to vilify law enforcement, disregard facts and jump to conclusions.”One wonders why the officer is not alarmed by what is seen in the video. Again, the public is never supposed to question or criticize the actions or lack of actions by law enforcement or they, the questioner or citizen, becomes the enemy of all policing. One cannot improve a system if the errors and defects are never recognized and corrected.

The polarizing becomes more apparent when the officer of the FOP literally indicts anyone and all who dare to find any fault in law enforcement: “They would rather stand with those who murder, rob and threaten our society than those tasked with keeping this community safe.”The statement suggests that the community is under constant attack by criminals and constitute a war zone, unsafe for the citizens unless the police force is there to offer protection. Nonetheless, the FOP maintains that “We will not remain silent and encourage others to condemn their inflammatory rhetoric.” Evidently, for the FOP, constructive criticism become inflammatory rhetoric any time someone finds a reason to ask a question or make a statement contrary to the philosophy of the law enforcers beliefs and behaviors.

In truth, no one is suggesting the demise of law enforcement or that the need to protect and serve the citizenry is not needed or wanted, but if the system is not meeting the needs of the community, then changes must be in the order of business. Problems occur when law enforcement believes that they have no problems or resent the citizenry pointing them out. Citizens should not have to live in an US verses THEM society with law enforcers they support.

Since the George Floyd murder earlier this year, concerned citizens have taken to the streets and protested what they perceive as injustice in the criminal justice system. They seek to correct the system to meet the demands of the day. Unfortunately, the training given law enforcers is not adequate to meet those demands. Actually, all of law enforcement needs more education relative to civil government and cultural bias. However, any suggestion for change in the system is viewed by the system as a threat, which it is not. One problem the protesters experience is a lack of cooperation from law enforcement because they are protected by the FOP. Rather than confronting law enforcers, police, chiefs, protester should gather at city hall and direct their concerns to their representatives. The police work for the city; the city is run by its governing body and mayor; the representatives to the governing body are elected by the people. If changes in the law enforcement system are to be made then the citizens should approach their representatives and voice their concerns.

When protesters voice concerns to law enforcement leaders anticipating acknowledgement and actions from those concerns, little to nothing will be done because the protesters have no power or leverage to help influence law enforcement. However, if they approach their city government with these concerns then they can expect some action or they can replace their representatives. One concern should be about the city’s contract with the FOP and the nature of its influence on the law enforcement leaders. While the FOP has a legitimate right to exist, its efforts should be to unite the community rather than polarize it. �t��?Ww?�

Paul R. Lehman,Breonna Taylor and Equal justice under the law: What is it good for?

September 24, 2020 at 12:44 am | Posted in African American, American Bigotry, American Dream, American history, Bible, blacks, Constitutional rights, criminal activity, criminal justice, discrimination, equality, Ethnicity in America, European Americans, fairness, incarceration, justice, justice system, language, law, law enforcement agencies, mass incarceration, Oklahoma, police education & training, police force, police unions, race, racism, respect, social conditioning, social justice system, Tulsa, whites | 1 Comment
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In 1969, Edwin Starr recorded a popular song that still resonates with us today. The song asked and answered an important question: “War, what is it good for? Absolutely nothing.” The significant phrase in the question is what is war “good for,” and forces us to place a value on the loss of life and justifying its loss. The answer “absolutely nothing,” can also be the appropriate response to the question what is “equal justice under the law” good for? The phrase is a very popular and often used one when it pertains to the law enforcement establishment. More often than not the phrase is used to protect someone in law enforcement that has been accused of a crime and the system wants to justify the results of the finding by the court, judge, jury or grand jury. Under close examination we discover that the phrase “equal justice under law” is an oxymoron and simply sounds appropriate to a purpose.
The first word in the phrase is “equal” and a mathematics or arithmetic term that deals with fixed elements like numbers. When the word is used relative to human beings, it loses its fitness because no two individuals are or can be equal. Using the term equal suggests that somehow a fixed assessment can be associated with human beings. Unfortunate, that is not the case. For example, in a family of four, the mother, father, and one girl and one boy. The parents can in no way treat them equally simply because one is a male the other female. Their individual needs and wants are different. To treat the equally would mean that every time the girl get a new dress, her brother would receive the same dress or whenever the boy got a new suit, his sister would also receive a new suit. The best human being can hope for is fairness, because equality is impossible. Too often we hear that the law treats everybody equally, but all one has to do is look at the facts of people incarcerated to disprove that statement. We know for a fact that the state of Oklahoma incarcerates more females than any other state in America. Would the females incarcerated in Oklahoma be treated equally in other states? We cannot answer that question because equal has no fixed definition.
The term “justice” is as elusive as equal when one attempts to associate a fixed definition to its applications. Justice in one state is not the same justice in all the other states. Take, for example, the use of marijuana and the fact that in some states it is legal while in other states people go to prison for mere possession. The word justice is often used as an excuse or justification for a questionable action that challenges common sense and logic. For example, many juries and grand juries find that police officers are justified in shooting and killing unarmed individuals, especially people of color when videos and eyewitnesses reveal the contrary. The local criminal justice authorities in Louisville, Kentucky determined that only one of the officers that fired more than twenty rounds into Breonna Taylor’s apartment where she was struck numerous times and died was found to have committed a crime, and that crime had nothing to do with Breonna. So, one wonders just what does justice means when it defies logic and common knowledge?
The last phrase, “under the law,” is closely associated with the word justice in that too many questions are left unanswered relative to the law. In my childhood days when an argument presented a challenge to any one of use we could always win the argument by using the phrase “it’s in the Bible.” In other words, because it was in the Bible, it was the law and the final word. Unfortunately, throughout the history of America the law has been used to control, discriminate, punish, abuse and kill its citizens, especially those of color. More often than not, we are conditioned to accept the laws with the understanding that they will be administered fairly. One has to ask the question how can equal justice under the law be available when the people who have the responsibility to uphold the law also use their own judgment to determine what laws to apply? The attorney general in Louisville commented that the officers who fired the more than twenty shots at Taylor could not be charged with murder because there was no law that applied to their actions. So, does that mean that somehow no one can be held accountable for the death of Breonna? The actions of the officers firing their weapons were said to be justified because Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, fired the first shot, so the officers had a right to protect themselves. The fact remains that Breonna is dead and her death was the result of bullets shot into her body. The criminal justice agency of Louisville has yet to mention the death or cause of Breonna’s death as though it did not happen.
Facts and the truth are usually the elements that form the basis of most legal decisions, but sometime they seem to get in the way of the law. The police officer, Betty Shelby, who shot Terence Crutcher in the back while he was unarmed with both hands held above his head some ten feet or more in front of her was acquitted of a crime under the law. She later was allowed by Tulsa officials to teach a class in how officers can avoid charges when they shoot someone and what to do when they are bothered by anti-police groups. When the family of Crutcher complained to the law enforcement agency about Shelby teaching the class, they were ignored.
The case of Breonna Taylor seems to underscore the lack of meaning for the phrase “equal protection under the law” except when it involves a member of law enforcement. Then, it appears that the phrase is used to protect only those whose job it is to serve and protect others. So, when it comes to citizens of color, the phrase is good for absolutely nothing.

Paul R. Lehman, The killing of George Floyd underscores the bigotry in America and its law enforcement

May 28, 2020 at 7:17 pm | Posted in African American, American Bigotry, American history, American Racism, anglo saxons, Bigotry in America, black inferiority, blacks, Constitutional rights, criminal justice, discrimination, Disrespect, equality, Ethnicity in America, European American, fairness, identity, jail & prison overcrowding, justice, justice system, law enforcement agencies, Media and Race, Minnesota, Police, Prejudice, race, Race in America, racism, skin color, skin complexion, social conditioning, social justice system, tribalism, whites | 6 Comments
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The killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police should leave no doubt in our minds of fact that ethnic bigotry is a fabric of the European American psyche regardless of the geographical location. The bias they have been conditioned to accept as normal prevents them from seeing people of color as human beings; they, the European Americans, are to themselves, the only real human beings. In addition to seeing people of color as less than human beings, they also are conditioned to see them as a constant threat to their safety, comfort, and privileges. These people of color must be controlled under all circumstances if the well-being of European Americans is to be maintained. While the European American psyche readily embraces this bigotry, the problems of fear and hate of people of color and especially of African American men become inflated in law enforcers.
As a matter of fact, contrary to law enforcer’s accounts, African Americans are not usually the initiators of physical force against officers. Rather than treat them as citizens deserving respect and courtesy, African Americans are viewed as criminals first, last, and always by law enforcers. The concept of innocent until proven guilty does not apply to people of color. More often than not, when we see a video of an officer interacting with an African American the officer never listens to what the African American says even if it’s a plea for help. The videos from Eric Gardner to George Floyd show the callousness of the officers to the cries and pleas of the victims. Studies have shown that European American law enforcers seemingly lose touch with reality when they confront a person of color.
When European immigrants came to America they came using their national and cultural identities like German, French, and Italian etc….But once they arrived, they learned that abandoning those identities that at time also brought discrimination and social rejection, offered them so much more. In particular the identities of Irish, Italian, and Jews, not to mention the Polish and Slavic, rushed in claiming whiteness.The pseudo science of race was firmly in place in the late 1800s and the immigrants worked hard to claim that whiteness because if they were seen as white, their former identity would be of little concern. In essence, the European immigrants submerged themselves in whiteness because of the power and privilege it offered. But by abandoning their former identity, they lost the value and self worth that came with it and embraced a color that offered nothing of personal value but membership in the white tribe.
Time is the only thing that is consistently changing and so over time many European Americans not only forgot who they were but also had nothing of personal cultural value to pass on to their children except to tell them that they were white. Of course, whiteness has never been defined, only described. The fear that many European Americans have and causes then to react violently and aggressively towards people of color is the loss of their white identity. For European Americans to lose their white identity would render them, in their eyes, valueless because they abandoned their ethnic identities to become white and now would have nothing of themselves to value. Evidently, being an American is not enough if the white is omitted.
Today, more and more European Americans are experimenting with their feelings of privilege and power as in the example of a European American woman who threatened an African American male who was bird-watching in a park and mentioned to the female who had a dog with her that the park had a leash law. She became upset with him after an exchange between them and called 911 saying that she thought an African American man was about to attack her. Fortunately, the incident was resolved without anyone being harmed. However, the woman displayed the power of her whiteness by calling the police and saying that she was being assaulted by an African American man. Had the woman used the word black instead of African American man, the impact would have probably been more alarming to the police, because the word black would bring help running. Studies have shown the psychical and emotional reactions experienced by European Americans and especially law enforcers to the seeing or hearing the word black. To be sure, the word black ignites an alarm in their psyche similar to that of the word fire. Both words trigger a similar reaction—contain, control, and kill.
The increase in displays of bigotry by European Americans come from their fear of loosing the one thing of value they have—their whiteness. They have a reason to be frightened because the rapidly changing cultural demographics spell an end to the concept of a white and black race. The power of whiteness today comes from the use of the reference to black. Bigots might appear to dislike the word black being used in various civil and civic organizations like Black Lives Matter, but the opposite is true; they love and encourage the usage of black because it is the fuel that keeps their whiteness in power. Most people are not mindful of the practice in the media that has existed for too long—when an item of interest is broadcast involving people, the only ones described by skin complexion are people of color. If no person of color is involved, no description is given. The reason for this is the concept of European Americans being the only normal people on the planet; all others are abnormal and need to be described.
European Americans and especially those in the criminal justice need to know that changes are coming relative to race and color and the way people are perceived and treated. When we realize that eighty percent of the world’s population is people of color and the population of America will have a majority of brown people by 2045, they are and will continue to lose the numbers game. Looking at the videos of George Floyd and other victims of bigotry makes us mindful of the saying—what’s done in the dark will come to the light. As the darkness comes to light it brings with it the need for reckoning.

Paul R. Lehman, The word race has yet to be defined, but controls life in America.

May 20, 2020 at 1:16 pm | Posted in African American, American Bigotry, American history, American Racism, Bigotry in America, biological races, black inferiority, blacks, Civil Right's Act 1964, criminal justice, discrimination, DNA, Donald Trump, ethnic stereotypes, Ethnicity in America, European Americans, Human Genome, identity, justice system, language, Police, Prejudice, President Obama, race, Race in America, racism, skin color, skin complexion, social conditioning, social justice system, Supreme Court Chief Justice, The Nation. Michelle Alexander. The New Jim Crow, white supremacy, whites | 1 Comment
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When the English, Anglo-Saxons, came to America they brought with them the concept of their nation is superior to all other nations under a myth proven to be bogus many times over, b nevertheless promoted by them. The element of superiority over other nations was incorporated into the concept of race by color. So, for all intent and purposes, the word race would be the key that opened or closed the doors to all things of value. In essence, the word race served to unite, separate, control, and discriminate one group of people from others. The word race, however, has no basis in science relative to biology but was invented to suggest a biological connection. So, if no one ever challenged the nature of the word race or tried to define it, it retained its place as the key element in European American, Anglo-Saxon superiority in society. The word race has been used in American society to control all the people regardless of their skin complexion.

Because European Americans are conditioned to view themselves as normal and superior to all other people they must continue to support, maintain, and promote that race perception. In doing so, they must perceive others as not normal and inferior. The problems manifest themselves when common sense, logic, reason, and reality come into play. First, the concept of biologically different races defies all scientific data beginning with Linnaeus in 1735, right up to today, and the study of DNA. Second, the word race has never been defined because data identifying a fixed race does not exist, and skin complexion varies individually. Third, the idea of a group of people all having the same characteristics, physically and mentally based on skin color is illogical and irrational because that would imply that these characteristics were biologically fixed, which we know to be false. Yet, this is the concept that Americans have been conditioned to accept as believable. However, to accept and believe all the aspects associated with the concept of race would render individuals mentally delusional.

To be specific, the word race id based on a myth, and myths are invented from mystical and magical elements not based on facts, for example, like the Tooth Fairy. The word racism comes from the word race and implies a belief in the concept of race. This belief in racism now becomes a form of superstition which the Oxford Dictionary defines “the belief that particular events happen in a way that cannot be explained by reason or science” and that has a direct impact on the believer’s life and sense of reality. The Oxford Dictionary defines a delusion as “an idiosyncratic belief or impression that is firmly maintained despite being contradicted by what is generally accepted as reality or rational argument, typically a symptom of mental disorder.” Americans who accept and embrace the concept of race, in effect, suffer from this mental condition that is generally supported by the government and society.

One of the problems facing America today has to do with how the concept of race has and continues to influence our everyday lives. European Americans, Anglo-Saxons, Caucasians have all been conditioned to view themselves as privileged, which carried with it the elements of arrogance and authority. They have been conditioned to believe that their comfort and security should never be compromised by the presence of other people especially by people of color. If and when such a comprise takes place, they simply have to call law enforcement or take matters into their own hands. Either way, they look to receive satisfaction because all the powers of society and government reside with them.

For all intent and purpose, the word race still exercises its power, influence, and control in America today despite the many social changes that have taken place. Taylor Lewis in an article in The Nation over one hundred and fifty years ago wrote about the power of the language:” Even when we advocate the cause of the African, we do it in a manner that would be thought insulting and utterly undemocratic in any other case. We use the language of the masters and the owners.”He later noted that “The way in which we speak to the colored man, and of the colored man, shows an unconscious yielding to the anti-christian prejudice we are striving to overcome.” When we do not challenge the language, we simply acquiesce to its influence. More specifically, whenever the word race is used in any form socially and especially relative to African Americans, an advantage is given to European Americans. The word race serves to entrap the uninformed into thinking that it is legitimate rather than the bogus invention that it is. All the social gains made via civil rights legislation are taken back by the use of the word race because with its use, the concept becomes viable.

Michelle Alexander in her book, The New Jim Crow, shared the power the word race has today in our criminal justice system: “The dirty little secret of policing is that the Supreme Court has actually granted the police license to discriminate.”In essence, the court gave the police the right to stop and search anyone based on race; however, race could not be the primary cause for the stop and search. Therefore, when a person of color is stopped by law enforcement, any reason other than race will suffice. Little wonder that police officers are usually deemed within their rights to stop and search anyone. Unfortunately, the fact that an excessive number of people of color are the victims of stop and search is apparently of no consequence.

During the Obama presidency, much attention was paid to the injustice in the criminal justice system, but the present administration has tried to undo the good that was accomplished. Because of the rapidly changing demographics in America, the opportunity for improvement in our criminal justice system will come in time. When that time comes, we must be very careful in how we choose our words. The word race, which has yet to be defined, should not be used in a social context involving identity if its power is to be neutralized.

Paul R. Lehman, The safety and well-being of African American males and all people of color are a constant concern

April 17, 2020 at 4:18 pm | Posted in African American, American Bigotry, American history, amygdala, anglo saxons, Bigotry in America, black inferiority, blacks, Civil Right's Act 1964, Civil Rights Ats, Constitutional rights, criminal justice, discrimination, Disrespect, equality, Ethnicity in America, European Americans, fairness, incarceration, justice, justice system, law enforcement agencies, minorities, Police, police education & training, police force, Race in America, racism, respect, skin color, skin complexion, social conditioning, social justice system, The New York Times, white supremacy, whites | 4 Comments
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African American men specifically and men of color in general, put their lives on the line every day when they walk outside of their residence or simply appear in public. For the people that are not of color in America, this statement might seem somewhat amusing or offered in jest. On the contrary, the statement is not an opinion, but a fact. The reason for this experience comes directly from the social conditioning of European Americans generally and law enforcement agents specifically. Society and by extension, the governments, local, state, and national have given the law enforcers the power to exercise total control of its citizens without fear of reprisal; that is, they have no fear of repercussions for their actions against citizens. The attitude and action of many of these law enforcers seem to be that people of color have no rights that the officers should respect. For the people of color, once they are stopped by officers, they lose all their rights and privileges while the officers exert total control over the individuals.
The criminal justice system works in favor of the officer, not the citizens of color because the word of the officer is taken over that of the citizens. Historically, the relationship between the African American community and the European American one has been one of dominance and control by law enforcement. According to Danielle Sered, “The racially inequitable legacy of policing stretches back to the formation of this nation, and police have not only failed to protect communities of color from harm, but they have enacted enormous levels of harm.” She continued by noting that “This [harm] is not simply or most importantly about individual police officers, many of whom have the best intentions and even behavior in their work. It is about an institution with a history of enabling and enforcing the worst disparities in our country’s history.” More specifically, she added that “It is about officers who returned escaped people to the plantations they were fleeing, officers who publicly announced the times of lynchings to be carried out in the backyards of their own precincts, officers who drove black residents out of neighborhoods where they had bought homes,” and finally, “officers who continue to arrest, assault, and shoot black people at glaringly disproportionate rates.” So the question of trust in the criminal justice system has never been one that people of color readily embraced.
Americans have been socially conditioned to fear African Americans generally, but especially one with whom they are not familiar. According to one source, new scientific research provides some data into how African American men are perceived: “When people see black men they don’t know, they have a physical response that is different from their response to other people. Their blood pressure goes up and they sweat more. When a white person sees an unfamiliar black male face, the amygdala, the part of the brain that processes fear, activates.” (American Values Institute, March 2013) When European Americans join the criminal justice system they do not leave their fear of African American males at home, but bring them to their workplace. This fear might explain why many European American law enforcers become excited and aggressive when engaging with an African American male.
Fortunately for the Law enforcement agents, their actions against people of color are not often questioned, so the fear of having to suffer any consequences for their unreasonable treatment of people of color is not usually scrutinized. The public record of their actions speaks for itself and supports the fact that officers are not held to the same standard of behavior as other citizens. So, they often misuse and abuse the power granted them by the system. A recent incident underscores the power given to law enforcers who are free to profile, stop, and detain men of color without offering any reasons for their actions. A recent New York Times article noted that an African American man wearing a protective mask and working outside near a white van when a Miami police officer drives up next to this man. Next, “The officer steps out of his squad car. Words are exchanged. Then the officer handcuffs and detains the man, Dr. Armen Henderson, who was recently featured in a Miami Herald article about volunteers who provide free coronavirus testing for homeless people in downtown Miami.”Rather than seeking information from the doctor regarding his actions, the officer ignored the doctor’s informing him of who he was and what he was doing. The doctor did not have any identification on him and would have been taken away had he not called for his wife who came out of their home and confronted the officer. Once the officer realized that he had made a mistake, he removed the handcuffs from the doctor and left the scene without any word of his actions or an apology.
What this incident shows is the vulnerability of African American males to the justice system that ignores everything but skin color in administering their control. The fact that Henderson is a doctor, a volunteer risking his life in helping to fight the coronavirus or the fact that he was working in front of his home wearing a protective mask made no difference to the officer who did not take the time to inquire about or grasp the nature of Henderson’s presence at that location. One wonders what kind of education the officer received at the academy regarding the treatment of citizens.
If society can benefit from this crisis of the coronavirus it should be in the fact that to the virus we are all one. The virus does not discriminate on the bases of ethnicity, age, economic or educational status, social position, religion or health. We, hopefully, understand that by working together even though we are sometimes put in harm’s way, that our combined efforts and sacrifice will help us to finally successfully control and manage this crisis thereby contributing to our mutual survival. We must learn that our strength is our unity.

Paul R. Lehman, Addressing the problem of Jail and Prison overcrowding should begin with examining the police Officers

June 17, 2019 at 11:59 pm | Posted in African American, American Bigotry, Arizona, Bigotry in America, blacks, criminal justice, discrimination, equality, Ethnicity in America, European Americans, fairness, justice, justice system, law enforcement agencies, Police, police education & training, police force, Prejudice, Race in America, respect, skin color, skin complexion, social justice system, whites | 2 Comments
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Another in the continuing series of videos involving police officers and their actions relative to African Americans and other people of color show police officers in Arizona assaulting a young African American family. We have heard the excuse that these officers represent only a few “bad apples” and should not be seen as representing all police officers, but the frequency of occurrences and the lack of reactions from the “good ones” lead us to recognize that bigotry is part of the culture of law enforcement in America. If the criminal justice system is to be examined for the numerous problems related to community relations and the incarceration of people of color, then the examination should begin with the police officers, the police unions, and the local court systems.

When we look at the videos of police officers interacting with people of color one of the first things we notice is a lack of respect given to a fellow human being. The language and tone of voice is usually laced with profanity and bellowed or shouted at the citizens. In many cases orders are issued to the citizens so quickly and inconsistently that the citizen cannot comply in a reasonable and timely manner. When citizens ask questions as to why they were stopped or being detained or arrested, the police usually ignore them and disregard anything they might say. Rarely do we see on these videos officers speaking to citizens of color in a calm, civil and respectful manner, the opposite is generally the rule.

Another element of the videos that calls attention to the police officers is their physical demeanor and body language when engaging with an African American or person of color. Their initial contact with the citizen is one that assumes guilt, and the posture suggests high emotional tension, fear, and general uneasiness similar to that of a combat zone. Any physical contact between the citizen and the officer is usually instigated by the officer. The citizens are generally treated as though they are wild animals that need to be restrained because they are very dangerous and vicious.

Another element the videos show is the number of police officers participating in an incident that could have been resolved by one officer asking a few simple questions and getting an assessment of the situation. The recent video of the young African American family in Phoenix, Arizona that was harassed by local police is a prime example of unnecessary escalation of negative action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaqjO5cWJeo the actions of the police were so outrageous that the mayor of Phoenix issued an apology for the city and promised to have this incident investigated. Had it not been for the alert and timely action of a bystander who captured the action on camera, the case would have been the word of the citizens against that of the police. We know the history of how many police reports do not coincide with the videos and create doubt in what officer’s report.

After calling attention to the language, demeanor, and physical actions of police in general, one has to wonder about the education and training would-be-officers receive and the continued training officers are required to receive. A common excuse given by officers or their supervisors regarding accusations of excessive force or physical abuse is that they were simply following training procedures. When officers show general disrespect for citizens of color in their use of language and their excessive physical force in their dealings with them, one has to wonder about the education and training they receive from the academy or source of training. When and where are they taught to treat each human being with dignity respect regardless of their skin complexion or social and economic status?

The young father from the Phoenix video mentioned that he had been teaching his five-year-old daughter to respect the police because their job is to protect and ensure safety. However, after her experience with officers point a gun in her face along with those of her mother and father, he would have a difficult time getting her to believe that the police are our friends.

Focusing on the negative and outrageous actions of some police officers are not meant to cast aspersion on all police officer, but to underscore that regardless of the complaints and claims against the police regarding their experience with the communities of color, little to nothing has changed. The lack of any significant change can be attributed in part to the Police unions because of their power and prestige within city government. The union has worked hard to foster the idea of the police officers being extraordinary because they put their life on the line supposedly for the citizens. If law enforcement is viewed as a profession, then many other professions involve individuals putting their lives on the line every day as well, but they are not viewed as extraordinary as law enforcement. Why? The unions have a lot to do with this image because it supports and empowers them. Some mayors in cities across the nation are subjected to the power and influence of the police unions in how the police departments are operated.

So, if the many civic groups and organizations working to address the many problems concerning jail over-crowding and excessive incarcerations in the prisons, then the first place to seek redress is with the element in the criminal justice system responsible for supplying the individual to the system. Attention should be given education, experience, the background of the individuals that want to serve as law enforcers. In addition, education and training are both important requirements of law enforces with education receiving equal or more attention to those who want to serve and protect the community. We have to stop the supply of individuals to the jails and prisons if we want to have any impact on the problem of over-crowding.

For all intent and purposes, controlling the supply pipeline to the jails and prison are essential to addressing any of the other problems with reference to correcting the criminal justice system. Once a citizen is arrested a whole new set of problems come into play—the court system.

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