The Protesters and the Police

I spoke these words at an LFUCG Council meeting this past Tuesday (06/16/2020). In the face of rising tensions and rising polarization, I post them now.

I see a danger that people might feel they have to choose between the protesters and the police, as if you have to support one or the other, as if supporting one means you are opposing the other. There is a different way to think about the issues that have been raised and how we should respond to them.

We can support our police, and at the same time establish policies and practices that hold them to the highest possible standard. We can support them and call for increased transparency and effective discipline when appropriate. We can support the best work they do while calling out those who violate the rights of our citizens.  We cannot ask them to protect us in volatile situations and be unable to protect themselves, and we cannot allow the need to protect themselves to be used as an excuse for discriminatory practices or the excessive use of force.

We can support peaceful protest and the calls for justice, and at the same time condemn any form of violence, intimidation, or bullying by protesters. We can listen carefully to the demands they make, and at the same time make our own judgments about the virtue of those demands and our ability to meet them.

We all share an interest in ensuring that policing, like all other aspects of our community, is fair, effective, and committed to the sanctity of human life and the dignity of each person. That is basic for a great community. We need to take every action that will make that possible. Drawing sharp lines and choosing sides is not necessary in that effort, and ultimately is not helpful.