Police, racial discrimination, and the community

 
The African American community has suffered greatly because of the war on drugs. Black males are incarcerated for drug offenses, and at a much higher rate than any other race according to the FBI. The conclusion this leads most Americans to believe is that African Americans do drugs more than white Americans. Well, the statistics on this issue might surprise you. According to many recent studies, drug use across the races is fairly consistent, with white people actually doing drugs at a slightly higher rate.

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health says that 3.7% of Caucasians have done illicit drugs, while only 3.5% of African Americans. Why is it that black people get arrested for drugs more often? The answer is pretty simple; discrimination.

“Driving while black” is a phrase that has become popular recently in social media. The numbers seem to back up the African American community’s claim that they get pulled over and searched just for being black. Police patrol in black neighborhoods more often than in white neighborhoods. It’s easy to claim that this is because these neighborhoods have higher crime rates, but why is that? If the police arrest a disproportionate amount of black drug users, then that is going to make it look like those neighborhoods have a higher crime rate. There is a “chicken and the egg” complex that can be solved by looking at the numbers of drug users from each race. The way that our communities are policed is based on racist misunderstandings. This “broken windows” method of policing seems to create the numbers that it uses to validate its tactics.

Is there a solution to this problem? Yes, and it was thought of by the founders of the country. It was in place long before police discrimination was a problem. The answer is The Constitution of the United States of America. The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution is the part of the Bill of Rights that prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures and requires any warrant to be judicially sanctioned and supported by probable cause. Being black or looking like a drug user is NOT probable cause for a search. No judge would ever sign a warrant for that reason. Police officers know this and instead selectively pull people over for minor traffic violations, hoping that they can intimidate and trick the driver into giving them permission to search the vehicle.

Police officers take an oath of service that says that it is their duty to uphold the Constitution. What should police officers do when they are told to enforce a law that clearly violates the constitution?

Locally, we have an anti-sagging ordinance. This is obviously a racist and unconstitutional law. We already have an indecent exposure law. Why should wearing pants below the waist when all of your private parts are covered be illegal? It’s cultural discrimination and violates those individual’s constitutional rights. Law enforcement officers enforce other laws based on discretion, but their hands are tied on this one?

The oath that Law Enforcement Officers take clearly says that they are part of the community. One of their duties is to protect that community from other community members. The other is to protect those communities from an overreaching government that violates the constitution.

 

Here is the oath:

On my honor,

I will never betray my badge,

my integrity, my character,

or the public trust.

I will always have

the courage to hold myself

and others accountable for our actions.

I will always uphold the constitution

and community I serve.
 

Have you upheld the oath that you took?