WHY HAVING BLACK POLICE OFFICERS DID NOT MATTER FOR TYRE NICHOLS
On Jan. 7, what should have been a “routine” traffic stop culminated in the brutal beating of Tyre Nichols involving five Black Memphis, Tennessee police officers.
Attorneys for Nichols’ family indicated the “savage,” three-minute beating that resulted in the 29-yearold Black man’s death was reminiscent of the infamous beating of Rodney King. In a very graphic description, they said the officers had treated Nichols like a “human piñata.” As one who has watched the videos of the encounter, I agree. On Jan. 26, it was announced that those officers had been charged with murder.
Can it still be called racism?
The speculations of many echo in my mind: “This could not have been due to racism, since all five officers were Black.” Such an assertion totally discounts the ways institutional racism negatively impacts how Black officers see themselves and Black citizens. In local police departments across the country, some Black officers have internalized racial biases and stereotypes concerning Black citizens. This complex psychosocial phenomenon is called “internalized racism.”
In her 2008 thesis, Keisha Unika Williams defined internalized racism as “the subtle, often unconscious, processes by which racial inequality shapes the way that the oppressed think of themselves and other members of their group.”
At the core of internalized racism is a hatred of oneself. As a mental health clinician with over thirty years of experience, I have seen the deleterious effects of self-hate on peoples’ behavior. Those struggling with racialized self-hate often become instruments of oppressive systems. Obviously, this includes
law enforcement. Steve Biko, the late South African activist, said, “The most potent weapon of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed.” For centuries, we have seen clear evidence Biko was right.
Within the system of chattel slavery, slave masters would often use enslaved persons to capture escapees. These enslaved persons were loyal to such an extent that they would betray their own people to curry favor with slave masters. Starting in the 18th Century, “slave patrols” became the major mechanism for eliciting terror and deterring slave uprisings. Many historians contend modern American policing finds its origin in the slave patrols.
What was done to Tyre Nichols, as brutal and dehumanizing as it was, is tragically not new. From the Jim Crow Era forward, Memphis has had a long history of racist police practices in which some officers of color have participated. In 2021, it was reported that Memphis police had used force against African American men seven times more frequently than white men.
Many will call into question a charge of institutional racism within the current Memphis Police Department. Some will note that the current Chief of Police is a Black female, and that over half of the 2,000 commissioned officers are Black.
While there are outward signs of institutional diversity and inclusion, there is clearly not equity in terms of how Black citizens are engaged by officers. This can be the case even when the persons doing the policing are Black. Why? Because institutional racism in law enforcement entities is not merely about the color of the persons doing the policing, but the culture of the entity employing the officers.
Racism is not only manifested interpersonally and intrapersonally, but also, institutionally.
Don’t forget that three Minneapolis, Minnesota officers were complicit in Derek Chauvin’s murder of George Floyd. Two of them were not white: J. Alexander Kueng, who is African American, and Tou Thao, who is Hmong/asian American.
When it comes to policing, the color blue trumps all other colors. To address historic racial disparities in policing, the culture of “blueness” in police departments must be changed. Having Black and Brown faces in key positions will not by itself make the culture more equitable. We’ve seen that nationwide in the years since our first Black president took office.
Devaluing of Black bodies is as American as baseball, apple pie
This devaluation is so endemic in police departments that Black officers are swept up in it. By participating in oppressive policing, Black officers are often deemed “acceptable” by their white counterparts. This incentivizes misconduct by Black officers. Sadly, many communities of color have concluded that Black officers can be among the worst offenders in terms of excessive use of force.
I suggest police departments inculcate certain “non-negotiables” to address institutional and internalized racism.
Some call these core values, and others call them guiding principles. These would be used in screening officer candidates and in the ongoing training of those who took an oath to protect and serve. Each sworn officer would be held accountable to them.
At the top of the list would be a commitment to affirm the intrinsic value of every human life. Every person, regardless of background, must be seen as a human being and treated humanely.
Second, officers must conduct themselves as partners with the community, rather than warriors within the community. The militaristic, “us against them” mentality exemplified by so many departments is antithetical to a true police-community partnership.
Third, officers must operate as facilitators of public safety, rather than an occupying force primarily focused on power and control.
Finally, officer self-awareness must be promoted, since all human beings have both conscious and unconscious biases. Left unchecked, these biases have a detrimental effect on policing.
When police agencies intentionally inculcate these non-negotiables, we will begin to see fewer tragedies such as the one that claimed the life of Tyre Nichols.
A native of Detroit, Michigan, the Rev. Joel A. Bowman is the founder and senior pastor of the Temple of Faith Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky. He is also a licensed clinical social worker and public intellectual. Reverend Bowman and his wife have three children. You may follow him @Joelabowmansr.*