I was talking to a long-time friend of mine last weekend about a project that I am currently working on.  This is a project borne out of what I have experienced and continue to experience in my work with young men of color (particularly young black men).  I have previously blogged about the impact that police violence has on young black men’s psyche. In particular, I have underscored the fact that “the daily harassment at the hands of the police is often experienced by young men of color as micro-aggressions that they have little power to resist without suffering potentially lethal consequences.  This takes a toll on their physical and mental wellness.”

My friend was interested in the fact that I am developing new curricula to address police violence with youth of color.  He shared with me that at 40 years old he still finds that his heart starts pounding when he sees a police officer approach.  It doesn’t matter if he is on the bus taking his children to school or walking home from work late at night.  He still experiences profound anxiety in his interactions with the police.  I thought that it was brave of him to admit this because black men are not rewarded in our culture for sharing their vulnerabilities and for expressing their fears.  And yet, I know that these vulnerabilities and fears exist.  I have seen them in my male family members (brothers, cousins, nephews).  I have heard them expressed by past and current partners.  I have talked about them with my male friends.  I have had them confided to me by young men with whom I work.  The threat of potential violence from the police is enough to pierce young men of color’s cloaks of invulnerability.

Recently the issue of Stop & Frisk has been in the news again.  I’ve blogged about this issue in the past. But police violence against people of color goes beyond stop and frisk. Marc Lamont Hill was just recently dragged out of his car during a routine traffic stop.  He has filed a suit alleging that his civil rights were violated.

Then just last week, I saw this video and I became even more committed to completing my curriculum project.This is video of a 16 year old young man being beaten by 12 police officers.

Apparently students who were filming this beating were repeatedly threatened and told to stop. Thankfully at least a couple refused. What justification is there for the use of this much force on one 16 year old boy. There were 12 white police officers involved in this incident. Here’s a press release for a press conference and demands in the wake of this beating:

Boston, MA – Local Community Organizers and Activists join with clergy and members of the NAACP and National Action Network to address the latest incidents of violence and police brutality.  In light of recent acts of violence as well as the worldwide release of video depicting the Boston Police in an act of excessive force and police brutality committed against a 16 yr. old African-American male, community groups are joining in a call for the Mayor and Police Commissioner of the City of Boston to listen to and implement the suggestions and recommended strategies of the community.

Jamarhl Crawford, one of the organizers of the group stated, “This press conference has been called after repeated attempts and pleas for the Mayor and Commissioner to open the table to new ideas from fresh voices in order to combat all violence in the city, which includes criminal activity, gun violence as well as police brutality.”  Crawford continued, “We have asked publicly at meetings and privately through emails, letters and staff. We have demonstrated our sincerity and commitment through hard work which is documented and cannot be dismissed. We are community members and we have families that live, work, vote and pay taxes in Boston. Each time we are ignored another incident occurs which only highlights the problems and proves the importance and urgency of the message.”

The group calls for Mayor Menino and Commissioner Ed Davis to immediately take the following steps:

A. Reinstate the CO-OP (Community Ombudsman Oversight Panel) as well as create a Community Civilian Review Board and grant both bodies subpoena powers as well as the ability to initiate their own independent investigations.

B. Thoroughly follow through on past public promises in other cases of questionable police actions ie: Police shooting of Manuel DaVeiga (age 19) in which the results of the investigation were promised to be made public and to date have not been released.

C. Commit to a Public Town Hall style Community meeting to discuss the relationship between the Boston Police Department and communities of color in order to promote healing and restore public faith.

D. Implement the recommendations of MAMLEO (Mass. Assoc. of Minority Law Enforcement Officers) which include 1) appointing officers of color to positions of authority within communities of color as well as 2) utilizing officers of color in both the police and public response to high profile crimes in communities of color.

Contact: Jamarhl Crawford cell: 617-297-7721   email:  [email protected]

This weekend I read a study that 6 million Americans a year have involuntary contact with the police (excluding traffic stops).  The article did not specify how many of the 6 million individuals were people of color but I would bet that it is more than half.   Based on our actual numbers in the country, this would be a disproportionate amount of contact with law enforcement for people of color.

I am very interested in hearing from people who have developed effective interventions and curricula to address the issue of police violence with youth of color. Please send me an e-mail with any helpful resources and ideas.