Police response to the recent protests about law enforcement officers’ interactions with black and brown men has been spectacularly disappointing. Disturbingly, police have been strategically attempting to silence the speech of those who are protesting the officers themselves and the criminal justice system they uphold.
The grand jury’s decision in Ferguson, Mo. to not indict police officer Darren Wilson for the murder of Michael Brown, an 18-year-old black teen, led to a resounding call from black communities across the country to rally for racial justice.
On Saturday, an estimated 10,000 marched in Washington D.C., and several thousands in other cities, including Los Angeles and Berkeley, staged demonstrations as part of what was dubbed the Millions March. L.A. protesters staged a “die-in” and a flag burning in Hollywood, and rallied in Pershing Square.
Protesters also marched from Berkeley to Oakland on Saturday. Protests have occurred for several days in Berkeley, engaging a wide variety of participants that included hundreds of University of California, Berkeley students and faculty.
But the kinds of tactics used by the police in response to acts of protest and civil disobedience have only damaged the trust and understanding police should aim to build with the community they serve. Earlier in December, officers of Berkeley Police Department used tear gas and rubber bullets on a crowd of about 1,000 after declaring an unlawful assembly. BPD also kettled the demonstrators and arrested more than 200 protesters blocking Interstate 80 on suspicion of being a public nuisance or obstructing a public place.
Protests about recent police interactions have been large and widespread because there is a great urgency for change. Excessive police force, along with the criminal justice system’s general flaws, have to be addressed.
Countless other recent police encounters highlight these problems. To list a few that have garnered more attention in the press, in early December, another grand jury in New York failed to indict a police officer for the murder of Eric Garner, who died in the officer’s chokehold. On Friday, the death of Tamir Rice, a 12 year-old who was shot by a police officer while holding a toy gun in late November, was ruled a homicide by a medical examiner in Ohio.
Black activists, who have been fighting for racial justice and the liberation of their communities and people, have been silenced repeatedly, their concerns ignored at the cost of black lives. Protest and civil disobedience are tools they have against the much more powerful opponent of racial inequality.
While public safety is always a valid concern, it is too frequently used as an excuse by law enforcement to forcibly quiet voices of dissent.
Civil disobedience is an important and powerful protest tactic with a historic role in American progressive movements. It is a tool that draws and even demands attention to social ills, creates more robust dialogue about solutions and catalyzes tangible change by urging public officials to respond to the public’s needs.
Protesters should have meaningful avenues for raising substantive concerns about their civil rights. And they should be able to expect significant response from public officials and law enforcement officers that demonstrate a commitment to justice rather than a catastrophic denial of blame and responsibility.