Knee of systemic failures killed Floyd
Require body cameras, stand up to police unions
For decades, we have heard pledges from police chiefs and city leaders that they will reform policing and eliminate the persistent brutality that characterizes far too many encounters between police officers and black Americans.
But the death of George Floyd, graphically documented on video, reveals just how hollow those promises are. His death goes beyond the actions of four cops, and is attributable to institutional failures and systemic racism. It was the knee of the entire Minneapolis Police Department that brought Floyd to his death. Those same systemic failures can be found in departments across the country.
The dramatic step announced by Minneapolis city leaders to dismantle the police department and rebuild it from the ground up is precisely what’s required. It’s way overdue. Every aspect that contributes to the culture, patterns and practice of law enforcement departments needs to be reframed — from the mission to the psychological profile of the officers they recruit; from officer training and discipline to policies and procedures.
Most important is the extent to which leadership holds officers accountable for their actions. Changing the behavior of police and their treatment of people of color starts at the very top and requires a commitment to overcome any barrier, including standing up to law enforcement unions.
Some police chiefs who promised meaningful reforms have been hampered by union contracts that protect bad cops and fail to give the public a transparent view of who’s responsible for grievous misconduct.
For example, the Minneapolis Police Department union contract expired in December. Even if a leader like Medaria Arradondo, the department’s first black chief, wanted to make changes, the union would not bargain for reforms that hold officers accountable.
Derek Chauvin’s eyes
To the contrary, law enforcement unions make a business out of defending bad cops and ensuring that they don’t face consequences for their actions. Had Arradondo been serious about reform, the chief would have stood up to the union and bargained for it. Instead, Floyd died, and America burned.
What we see in the final moments of Floyd’s life was a systemic failure of accountability. If officers know they have immunity, they act with impunity. If officers know they can unjustly take the life of a black person with no accountability, they will continue to do so.
That’s what you see in the eyes of Derek Chauvin, who placed his hand in his pocket and pushed his knee harder into Floyd’s neck, extinguishing the man’s life.
Accountability requires that officers face public consequences for unjustly taking a life, or for brutalizing a fellow American whom they are sworn to protect and serve.
The only reason we know what happened to Floyd is because it was captured on video. The advent of video evidence is bringing into the light what long was hidden. It’s revealing what black Americans have known for a long time — that it’s dangerous for a black person to have an encounter with a law enforcement officer. Given the incidents that have led to this moment, it should be mandatory for police officers to wear body cameras and it should be considered an obstruction of justice to turn them off. Like a black box data recorder in an airplane, body cams replace competing narratives with a single narrative — the truth.
A higher brotherhood
And leaders must insist — and spell out in policy — that law enforcement officers only use the level of force needed based on the level of threat actually posed by the circumstances. We’ve seen way too many black people shot in the back. We’ve seen too many unarmed black men shot and killed. And now we’ve seen a handcuffed black man, face down on the pavement, asphyxiated after a chokehold that lasted for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, though he posed no threat at all. Lethal restraints like chokeholds and strangleholds should be outlawed.
Too often, many officers are silent in the face of evil because of the blue wall of silence — the brotherhood of police officers that fosters systemic racism and abuse.
But there’s a higher brotherhood that God calls us to honor — the brotherhood of mankind, black and white. That’s what we’re witnessing in the diversity of protesters filling our streets. And that’s the brotherhood our police officers must honor above all else.
WANT TO COMMENT? Have Your Say at letters@usatoday.com, @usatodayopinion on Twitter and facebook.com/usatodayopinion. Comments are edited for length and clarity. Content submitted to USA TODAY may appear in print, digital or other forms. For letters, include name, address and phone number. Letters may be mailed to 7950 Jones Branch Drive, McLean, VA, 22108.