PLATFORM : Brutality by Fiat

If one would look back over our nation’s history, the evidence would reveal that not much has changed for the black man on American soil. In 1951, a delegation led by Paul Robeson presented a petition to the secretary-general of the United Nations. The petition was a brief that exposed the “crimes of the United States government against the Negro people” vis-a-vis the police. The petition was replete with cases much like the Rodney King incident.

From my experience investigating police brutality complaints (in the 1960s and 1970s)--one of a very few African-Americans to have that kind of position at that time--I know segments of police departments continue to violently manifest racist feelings toward blacks by fiat. In other words, the criminal-justice system condones this behavior. Police guilty of brutality lie in court. Judges let them commit perjury in the courtroom.

There’s no accountability because judges are afraid to take on the police. Prosecutors are also afraid to take on this problem. It’s the “old boy” network in action--and it works within police departments because many black officers are willing to sit idly by and allow these incidents to happen for the sake of jobs and camaraderie.

The message is this: If you’re a black member of the police department and you speak out against wrongful action, other officers will come after you and try to find a way to get you out of the (police) force. And, if you’re a white officer who believes in justice and fair play, they will destroy you too.