In the wake of a very fruitful and energizing conference on 12 Grand Challenges that social workers are tackling in order to promote a more just and equitable society, our sensibilities are jolted by two fatal and questionable police shootings of black men in Tulsa, Oklahoma and Charlotte, North Carolina that remind us that life in the United States can be very different experiences depending on the color of your skin. We must ask ourselves what policies could emanate from our Grand Challenges work that might have prevented these tragic events? Otherwise, our efforts could overlook critical factors in the lives of many of the individuals, families, and communities most impacted by the social ills we seek to redress.
I am certain members of the immediate families of Terence Crutcher and Keith Lamont Scott, their friends, and neighbors are experiencing agonizing trauma and there are probably social workers on the scene helping them to cope. Charlotte residents have taken to the streets after this latest incident—the sixth fatal shooting by police in their city in 2016—to vent their anger and rage that another individual’s life has ended at the hands of police. However, these shootings are affecting people throughout the country—particularly people of color who know that any of us could well be the next victim in an encounter with the wrong police officer. As a teenager, I had a gun drawn on me by a police officer whose hand was shaking. He stopped me because I was wearing a black leather coat. This was shortly after a nearby hardware store had been robbed. I was taken to the store—which is illegal—and fortunately for me the store owner said I was not the suspect.
Most police officers are well-trained and qualified but some are not. The vast majority of police officers are honorable public servants who often put their lives on the line to serve and protect the communities they patrol. Many of them are underpaid and go about their work not looking for accolades. So it would be unfair to say that police departments are inherently racist. However, there are some officers who are not psychologically fit to be authorized to use deadly force. Then there is a culture of being protective in some departments that allows their bad behavior to be excused. That is when policies are needed to ensure that the public interest prevails. These policies could mandate screening standards and racial sensitivity training.
In the case of Mr. Crutcher, we have seen video recordings from several angles that suggest his shooting was unwarranted. Cooler heads have prevailed in Tulsa as his family has publicly pleaded for calm. In the case of Mr. Scott, the local authorities have not released video from the bodycams and car camera that could shed light on two very disparate accounts of the incident. The police say he had a gun. The family says it was a book. However either of these cases are adjudicated, the bottom line is these men would not have been shot if they were white.
Social workers need to have a sustained conversation about race. It cannot be a symposium, or a teach-in, or even a conference. It will not be easy or short. It could take years. It is not that social workers are going to find the magic formula to eliminate racism in America, but it will be a discussion about what our profession should be doing to ensure that people of color are treated equally in the United States. That the color of one’s skin should not constrain one’s ability to realize his or her full potential. We need to take a hard look at what is discussed in our classrooms and the messages we project to the larger society. Perhaps this is a job for University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work Dean Larry Davis and REAP—a consortium of race, ethnicity and poverty centers. I am willing to put my time and skills toward this work.
I will admit that I have been hesitant to address racial issues with this blog. I have been conscious about CRISP not being labeled a black organization. I strongly believe that the pursuit of social justice is about more than race and that any efforts to pursue a more just society has to be multiracial. I am thankful that Pat White, the director of the Fund for Policy Education and Practice, has not been reticent about affirming that the coalition’s work address policy through the lens of race, equity and social justice. I will admit to giving not much more than a nod to her statement in the past, but these latest incidents have shocked me out of complacency. People are dying and communities are hurting. This is serious business and we need to get moving in a hurry. If social workers cannot address race in a meaningful way, who will?
Written By Charles E. Lewis Jr., Ph.D
Addressing Race—Another Grand Challenge for Social Work was originally published @ Charles Lewis – Congressional Research Institute for Social Work and Policy and has been syndicated with permission.
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I absolutely agree that this dialogue needs to continue to take place. And we have to be patient and recognize that we will not be able to resolve things immediately, but as social workers we have an integral role in the response on all levels, micro, mezzo, and macro. I do question the assumption in this blog that “these men would not have been shot if they were white”. There are white people getting shot as well across the nation, and to assume that had these men been white they would not have been shot seems to introduce a racial slant already, where race may not have been a factor; a dynamic that also plays out across our nation. This dialogue gets especially sensitive when considering that Keith Scott, for example, was shot by Officer Vinson, who is also African American, after Officer Vinson reported a perceived threat to his own safety, probably enhanced by Keith reportedly failing to follow orders. It’s possible race is not why Keith was killed, though it is also quite feasible to believe that this should have had an entirely different outcome, where a father and husband would still be with his loved ones.
Terence Crutcher was shot by a female white officer. Officer Shelby has been found to have “reacted unreasonably” and that her emotions played a factor into this. While race may have been a factor as well, I wonder if gender also is a key factor. Accordingly, I think gender issues should definitely be part of this dialogue.
Interestingly, one very common factor across many of these preventable deaths is the reported failure to comply with what they were being told to do. Don’t get me wrong, if you are being told to do something illegal by an officer of the law, one should probably resist. But. like you, I believe that most of these officers, as you say, are “honorable public servants who often put their lives on the line to serve and protect the communities they patrol”. If this is true, and I assume it is, based on the number of officer confrontations that happen daily across our nation and don’t end in preventable deaths, then it makes a lot of sense for both parties, the officers and the public citizen being asked to stay where they are and keep his/her hands in sight, to be cautious about their every move knowing that these officers face dangerous situations every day.
Hence, these officers have to prepare for the worst, and sometimes, doing so on a daily basis, grinds on the psyche and the repeated intensity of such stress along with the secondary trauma begin to play a significant factor in the decision-making processes of all parties involved. Yes, as MLK put it, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere!” In the first few moments of a tense confrontation, strategies that safely buy time such as utilizing de-escalation tactics or following officer commands, might preserve life. I like this one person’s Facebook post regarding his “confrontation” with an officer that ended positively:
https://www.facebook.com/stevenhildrethjr/photos/a.560555720661154.1073741826.267833853266677/1010278339022221/
These people should not have died.
Race may not have been the reason in these two untimely deaths.
Most officers are good.
Following officers’ commands for a few minutes may seem unwarranted or even illegal, such as in your case as a suspected robber, but it may save ones life in the moment if one happens to be confronted by one of the “bad” officers, then legal action can follow later, working with the system. The system definitely isn’t perfect, but its what we have to work with, and if all parties are open to working with it, we may make greater strides in our efforts to improve it instead of having to spend so much energy on inter-personal conflicts that are not necessary. Every person, no matter their race, gender, ethnicity, religion, etc., has just as much validity in their own hopes, dreams, fears, worries, or aspirations. Yes, more than one person’s life was lost in these unfortunate deaths. Many of these officers spend years in turmoil, lost jobs, prison, trying to address the grief that comes flooding in after confrontations gone awry, and many loved ones are left grieving. This grief that affects all parties often goes unaddressed until it surfaces during some subsequent confrontation and finds an outlet for a moment, which is then followed by years of regret and more grief…or death.
You are very right, this dialogue needs to continue! Thanks for posting! Similar to your hesitance to address such heated issues, I hesitated posting a reply, but like you, decided to help the dialogue stay alive.