Are Police Officers More Racist Than the General Population?

I read an article this week in the local paper here in Burbank about a major discrimination lawsuit against the Burbank Police Department being filed this week. The lawsuit is being brought by about five officers, three Hispanics, two males and one female, as well as an Armenian man and I believe one Black man. They allege that over the years they have been subject to numerous cases of ugly racial statements, discrimination, retaliation and general mistreatment. I don’t even want to repeat some of the stupid things that were supposedly said to them and that they had to listen to. Just suffice it to say that they were often the typical slurs and ethnic innuendos. If what they are saying is true, and frankly it is hard to imagine five people deciding to come forward with this kind of lawsuit if they weren’t sure of their case considering how hard it would be for them to keep their jobs otherwise, that I believe it must be true.

One of my initial thoughts upon reading this, is wow, can this be in my town, Burbank, in California? But it is a reminder that racism doesn’t stop at the borders of certain cities and towns. Look at the cops in New York City that viciously beat up that black man a few years ago, think about Rodney King and Mark Furman. So little Burbank is not immune and I should not be surprised.

My second thoughts were what is up with cops? Is there a certain breed of person that chooses to be a cop? Does it attract bullies and small minded people? I don’t think that is true overall, because I have met some really cool police officers and I do believe what these people do on a daily basis for all of us is indeed heroic and remarkable. But somehow these incidents happen, from one side of the country to the other and in police departments large and small. For the most part I’m going to stand by the belief that police departments only reflect the larger society. That a small percentage of them are racists, reflective of the society at large. But equally so, many are fine people.

But there is no getting around the fact that it is incredibly scary to think that in the case of a racist police officer, they are licensed to carry a gun and can legally mess with you whenever they feel like it. It is not harmless bigotry. So if the facts of this lawsuit are true, I hope the Burbank Police Department is made to pay a high price and as a result forced to make some serious adjustments to the force and in the mindset of its leadership and officers. Only then can all the people feel safe.

How To Decide If You're Black

An interesting article is highlighted in the sidebar to the right, which I am providing the link to right here. A very interesting, short read about how the writer is tired of people who wish Obama were identified as Mixed or "bi-racial" instead of black. He details in his piece the criteria he uses to determine if a person is black.

In a nutshell, though you should read the piece, he thinks if you are perceived as black then you are black. A very simplistic notion, but nevertheless, one that many people use.

Let me say again, as I have before on that argument, the only problem with that is that it would also mean it is o.k. to call yourself anything you want if you look a certain way, say Mariah Carey, can say she's white since she looks white for the most part. And that thinking is also problematic because it means others will decide for us who we are and why in the world would anybody give up that kind of power to strangers?

I don't get it. But read his piece here.

A Very Good Week So Far

This has been a great week for me as a writer. First I must say I am proud to announce that I was selected by Shirl Whitfield to receive the "Shades of Black and White Award," which was created in honor of her outstanding blog of the same name. It is given, I am told "to deserving bloggers who are comitted to bridge the gap of racism due to their passionate writing, their excellent communication skills, their courage to "put it out there" and because they truly care about the only race that matters, the human race."

I am deeply honored. One request for those who receive the award is to pass it on, so I will be doing that in the next week. I definitely know there are many deserving writers out there.

I also wanted to pass on that I made my debut today as a new featured writer for TheLoop21.com, an online community, a place for conversation, about the progress of people of color. I will be writing twice weekly, Tuesdays and Thursdays, a blog called Hollywood and Vine:The Intersection of Entertainment and Black Culture. My first piece is called "Tyler Perry As The Chosen One." Check it out.

Thanks for reading this and caring about the issues of what most call "race."

A Real ‘Inter-Racial” Relationship

I went and saw the new Star Trek movie last weekend with the family. We all loved it. Even the kids who don’t really know Star Trek. My wife and I of course were raised watching Star Trek so it was wonderful to see this updated version of the story.

But the best part of the story was the new relationship that was portrayed of Uhura, played by the beautiful Zoe Saldana, and the young Spock, played by that guy from Heroes, whose name I cannot recall. The fact that this was a relationship that none of the original series ever hinted at, it was surprising and a bit of a stretch since die-hards know Spock as having absolutely no, or certainly very little emotion. So a love relationship seems not likely. But nonetheless it was a nice addition to the story. And the best part about it was that their affair certainly showcased a real “interracial” relationship for all to see and enjoy.

So I loved it and salute the film’s writers and makers for doing it and allowing a beautiful black female to get such an important romantic relationship on the silver screen. Though it just occurred to me that this is not Zoe Saldana’s first time playing a character involved in an interracial or inter-ethnic relationship. She also starred opposite Ashton Kutcher in the comedy remake a few years ago of “Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner?” So maybe she has an affinity for these relationships and situations. If so, good for her.

So if you haven’t seen it, you should. It is fun on many levels and this special relationship, which does not spoil any of the story with my telling you this since it is alluded to in the trailers and whatnot, makes it even more interesting. I think when we do think on a galactic scale, our petty cultural differences become really small.