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Lucy T's avatar

I watched the documentary John McWhorter mentions after hearing him and Glenn Loury discuss it on their podcast. It's a film with powerful resonance that raises many questions and provokes much thought. Among the reactions I had was that the bodycam footage to which McWhorter refers is the best argument to be made for de-escalation training. Loud voices, abrupt orders, cursing--as I remember some of it, "Hands on the wheel! Hands on the wheel! Get your hands on the fucking wheel!"--could only have further upset an obviously confused and frightened Floyd. So yes, I agree. Perhaps things could have been different.

That said, I think there is more to be said. Several friends, both of them white, middle-aged to elderly, middle- to upper-middle class women have complained to me during the past few years about being barked at by police during a traffic stop. One said she thought the cop, a woman, was afraid. I noticed a drawn gun at the edge of the bodycam frame from which we first see Floyd in his car; once Floyd puts his hands on the steering wheel, the gun disappears, presumably holstered. A bit later, Floyd pleads, "Don't shoot me!" and a cop replies in much more normal, calmer tone, "No one's going to shoot you." I suspect the level of tension felt by the cops, the need to see both of Floyd's hands, came out in their tone and language. Given the vast array of weapons freely available in this country, how much does working on a daily basis with the possibility of violence affect police behavior towards all citizens? This is not to excuse harshness, but it is to argue that trying to imagine what it's like to do their job is important. The world in which cops work is a often a four-letter world. Emphasis on politeness and non-confrontational communication skills is in order, but it won't take the guns off the streets.

On a more positive note, I was in one of the downtown Philadelphia train stations this morning and noticed a uniformed cop, presumably there for extra security. A man went up to him, maybe to ask a question, maybe they knew each other. They talked for a while. As the man left, the cop waved and called out a friendly comment. The cop was black, the man white. It's important to encourage change, and it's important to remember that when cops meet the public, it isn't always ugly.

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LV's avatar

Thank you for this. I have seen my share of reality cop shows and videos, and they typically scream at the top of their lungs, all at once, things like “get the fuck down on the ground!” “Don’t fucking move!” It’s the “i’m the more dangerous thug than you” shock and awe approach, which hardly conveys any kind of care or professionalism.

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