‘Back the blue’ proves divisive to some
It was just about 35 seconds after Russell Coleman stepped to the mic to declare victory in Kentucky’s attorney general’s race that he said the words that are so divisive.
“We will defend your family, we will defend your rights and we will back the blue,” Coleman said.
Back the blue?
If you’ve paid any attention over the past four years, you’ve heard Coleman’s predecessor, Daniel Cameron, say the same thing over and over.
We’ll all be better off if Coleman stopped.
Talk about defending people’s families? Fine.
Protecting people’s rights? You bet. Say you’ll stand up for law and order? Great.
But “back the blue?”
That’s not your job. Especially when “the blue,” at least in Louisville, has a track record of abusing people of color by doing things like pulling them over and subjecting them to unwarranted searches, lying to judges to obtain search warrants against them, and shooting first and asking questions later.
Some of “the blue” have even humiliated Black residents by throwing slushies at them as they walked down the street minding their own business. The city’s police chief didn’t even think it was a firing offense for some of the officers who took part.
Yeah, yuck it up.
Are you really going to back the blue who do those things?
If the answer is “yes,” then you’re not qualified to be Kentucky’s chief law enforcement officer.
If the answer is “no,” then stop
saying it.
We know where Cameron stood on this issue
When it came to the officers who sought the no-knock warrant to enter Breonna Taylor’s apartment on the night she died, he refused to allow the grand jury to even consider charges against those officers. And then he lied about it, saying he didn’t have authority to investigate that.
And according to three grand jurors who sought to impeach him, Cameron lied when he held a news conference to announce the grand jury had filed only minor charges against one officer.
At that news conference, Cameron said his office “presented ‘all of the information’ and walked the grand jury through ‘every homicide offense’ before the grand jury came to its conclusion.”
The grand jurors said they were never presented with homicide charges.
He protected the cops at all costs. It took the feds to come in later and charge the officers who told untruths to get permission to carry out the deadly raid. If it was up to Cameron, who backed the blue, they would still be on the force and would never have been charged, much less convicted.
The best thing to come out of Tuesday’s election is that Cameron is no longer attorney general.
Simply put, Coleman should stop using language that is designed to divide the police from the people they are supposed to protect. If he doesn’t, how can he even be involved in future cases that involve police.
Doesn’t he have a stated bias? Saying that he “backs the blue” is doing nothing more than poking a finger in they eye of every Black man or woman who have suffered at the hands of police who have targeted them because of their color.
I asked Coleman if he was going to continue to use the term and how he squared pledging his support to always “back the blue” with statements in his speech that he would protect everyone’s rights and that he would “represent all of you.”
Through his campaign spokesman, he replied, boasting about his record as U.S. attorney and citing his membership in an African American-led group that is trying to stop violence.
“I will continue building relationships between law enforcement and the communities they serve. That means establishing trust and holding accountable anyone who fails to respect Kentuckians’ rights. Upholding the rights of my fellow Kentuckians and backing the blue – much like my privilege of having served on both the Kentucky State Police Foundation and the Chris 2X Game Changers Boards at the same time – are not mutually exclusive. They are both essential to preserving law and order in Kentucky.”
The problem comes when Coleman’s friend and his predecessor used the term “back the blue” and clearly didn’t believe in protecting the rights of individuals when the police were involved.
Using the trite expression over and over again didn’t help Cameron get elected governor.
It would be better if the incoming attorney general would say, “I will protect the weak and the vulnerable who are victims of crime, and I will hold responsible all those who violate the law.”
That is what our laws and our Constitution expect, isn’t it.
Sure, it’s not as catchy as “back the blue,” but it sure would go a long way in creating trust in the community Coleman will soon be charged to protect.
Maybe, he just needs to say he’ll back the Black and the blue.
Joseph Gerth can be reached at 502582-4702 or by email at jgerth@ courierjournal.com.