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What is systemic racism?
Basically defined, systemic racism, also called structural racism or institutional racism, as "systems and structures that have procedures or processes that disadvantages African Americans." Systemic racism creates disparities in many "success indicators" including wealth, the criminal justice system, employment, housing, health care, politics and education.
Why the need for Police Reform?
Incidents over the past several years have brought attention to the mistrust and broken relationships between police and the communities they are sworn to serve and protect. It is one of the most pressing challenges facing our nation. In communities of color particularly, policing practices are overly harsh, unjust, or unfair, regardless of whether those practices are deemed lawful. This ultimately undermines police legitimacy. When the members of one racial group are significantly more likely to be stopped, searched, arrested, or even shot by the police, maintaining trust becomes immensely more difficult putting the whole community at risk.
“No Justice, No Peace.”
The chant of “no justice, no peace,” leads you to the root of the injustice in policing in the US. Using data gathered by the National Academy of Sciences of the United States showed Black men are about 2.5 times more likely to be killed by police over the life course than are white men. Black women are about 1.4 times more likely to be killed by police than are white women.
The higher risk of mortality is itself a problem but is not the whole story. For many mistakes and negligence occur in all occupations. There are “bad apples.” The most egregious injustice occurs in accountability for the taking of innocent lives by officers. Between 2013 and 2019, 99% of killings resulted in no charges, according to Mapping Police Violence.
The root cause of this is from a doctrine known as “qualified immunity” also protects police from excessive force lawsuits in cases that don’t involve a “clearly established” violation of the law. An investigation by Reuters published last month showed that, over the past three years, police won more than half of the excessive force suits in which they claimed qualified immunity, a sharp increase from prior periods. Qualified immunity was “making it easier for officers to kill or injure civilians with impunity.”
The consequences for black communities and families are severe.
The casualties keep counting.
We remember the names of the innocent lives still waiting for justice. For they were deprived of the self evident truth of their “life” in “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
Fanta Bility, 8
Shawn Morcho, 22
Wendy Spence, 34
Dominique “Rem’mie” Fells, 27
Tyre Nichols, 29
George Floyd, 46
Alonzo Bagley, 43
Andre Hill, 47
Rayshard Brooks, 27
Daniel Prude, 41
Daunte Wright, 20
Breonna Taylor, 26
Atatiania Jefferson, 28
Casey C. Goodson Jr., 23
Aura Rosser, 40
Ricardo Munoz, 27
Stephon Clark, 22
Botham Jean, 26
Philando Castille, 32
Alton Sterling, 37
Michele Cusseaux, 50
Freddie Gray, 25
Eric Garner, 43
Tamir Rice, 12
Michael Brown, 18
Elijah McClain, 23
Antwon Rose Jr., 18
Jamar O’Neal Clark, 24
Walter Wallace Jr., 27
Charleena Chavon Lyles, 30
Fetus of Charleena Chavon Lyles (14-15 weeks),
Sandra Bland, 28
Angelo “AJ” Crooms,
Sincere Pierce,
Marcellis Stinnette,
Jonathan Dwayne Price,
Dijon Durand Kizzee,
Carlos Carson,
David McAtee,
Tony “Tony the TIger” McDade,
Michael Brent Charles Ramos,
Manuel “Mannie” Elijah Ellis,
William Howard Green,
John Elliot Neville,
Ronald Greene,
Javier Ambler,
Sterling Lapree Higgins,
Gregory Lloyd Edwards,
Emantic “EJ” Fitzgerald Bradford Jr.,
Charles “Chop” Roundtree Jr.,
Chinedu Okobi,
Anton Milbert LaRue Black,
Saheed Vassell,
Dennis Plowden Jr.,
Bijan Ghaisar,
Aaron Bailey,
Jordan Edwards,
Chad Robertson,
Deborah Danner,
Alfred Olango,
Terence Crutcher,
Terrence LeDell Sterling,
Korryn Gaines, August 24,
Joseph Curtis Mann,
Bettie “Betty Boo” Jones,
Quintonio LeGrier,
Corey Lamar Jones,
Jamar O’Neal Clark,
Jeremy “Bam Bam” McDole,
India Kager,
Samuel Vincent DuBose,
Brendon K. Glenn,
Walter Lamar Scott,
Eric Courtney Harris,
Phillip Gregory White,
Mya Shawatza Hall,
Meagan Hockaday,
Tony Terrell Robinson, Jr.,
Janisha Fonville,
Natasha McKenna,
Jerame C. Reid,
Rumain Brisbon,
Akai Kareem Gurley,
Tanisha N. Anderson,
Dante Parker,
Ezell Ford,
John Crawford III,
Tyree Woodson,
Dontre Hamilton,
Victor White III,
Gabriella Monique Nevarez,
Yvette Smith,
McKenzie J. Cochran,
Jordan Baker,
Andy Lopez,
Miriam Iris Carey,
Barrington “BJ” Williams,
Jonathan Ferrell,
Carlos Alcis,
Larry Eugene Jackson Jr.,
Kyam Livingston,
Clinton R. Allen,
Kimani “KiKi” Gray,
Kayla Moore,
Jamaal Moore Sr.,
Johnnie Kamahi Warren,
Shelly Marie Frey,
Darnisha Diana Harris,
Timothy Russell,
Malissa Williams,
Noel Palanco,
Reynaldo Cuevas,
Chavis Carter,
Alesia Thomas,
Shantel Davis,
Sharmel T. Edwards,
Tamon Robinson,
Ervin Lee Jefferson, III,
Kendrec McDade,
Rekia Boyd,
Shereese Francis,
Jersey K. Green,
Wendell James Allen,
Nehemiah Lazar Dillard,
Dante’ Lamar Price,
Raymond Luther Allen Jr.,
Manual Levi Loggins Jr.,
Ramarley Graham,
Police are not the jury, judge, or executioner.
This list is sadly not even close to all the victims of police brutality against Black people and people of color in the United States of America.
Reform is Justice
Through implement the following reforms we can begin to create a public safety structure that keeps residents safe, reduce crime long term, and improves the overall community. Following the killing of Fanta Bility by Sharon Hill Police Officers it is clear that these reasonable reforms are necessary across Delaware County.
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Instead of viewing police officers as guardians of a community, the rhetoric around the police often revolves around a warrior image. In order to build lasting changes and prevent future deadly encounters we need uniform police training that places the community as the teachers and not fellow law enforcement personnel. Such models such as LEAD begin the process of reform. Under this model, office training emphasizes listening and explaining the decision-making process to residents. The key of the LEAD model lies in diverting drug offenses into social services instead of relegating them to the criminal justice system. Funding for departments must be contingent on regular completion of trainings just as doctors and lawyers have to go through recertification processes.
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Community advisory boards along with participation from residents living communities most affected by crime must be the base of review of public complaints. Transparency in daily operations builds a bridge of trust that allows communities to remove bad officers while good officers are protected. Lack of transparency and oversight builds distrust between the community and the whole department. Reform is not possible without community oversight as governing branches have not, and continue to not be responsive to community input.
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No police department in the United States should be given public dollars without providing the following bi-annual detailed reports on incidents of use of force, community complaints, arrests, tickets given, demographics of all arrests, etc. No government department is without waste and inefficiency yet some departments think they are immune to oversight. It must always be ensured public dollars are being used to keep residents safe and that the jobs is being done in the way the community expects.
Police Culture
Internally, police culture continuously creates and perpetuates the problems. In a 2016 Pew Research Center national survey conducted by the National Police Research Platform, majorities of police officers say that recent high-profile fatal encounters between black citizens and police officers have made their jobs riskier, aggravated tensions between police and blacks, and left many officers reluctant to fully carry out some of their duties.
The disconnect between the police officers along racial lines and among the public shows even greater disconnects. In fairness a large shift has been occurring since the murder of George Floyd but initial trends seemingly still persist.
Disconnect of the Severity
Internally, police culture continiously creates and perpetuates the problems. In a 2016 Pew Research Center national survey conducted by the National Police Research Platform, majorities of police officers say that recent high-profile fatal encounters between black citizens and police officers have made their jobs riskier, aggravated tensions between police and blacks, and left many officers reluctant to fully carry out some of their duties.
The disconnect between the police officers along racial lines and among the public shows even greater disconnects.
Evidence of Systemic Racism
It doesn’t end with policing in America either. Structural racism prevents or makes it more challenging for people of color to participate in society and in the economy. While structural racism manifests itself in what appears to be separate institutions, Harris emphasized that factors like housing insecurity, the racial wealth gap, education and policing are intimately connected.
For example with housing, today, a disproportionate number of people of color are homeless or lack housing security in part due to the legacy of redlining. Black people make up nearly half of the homeless population, despite making up only 13% of the population, according to a Department of Housing and Urban Development report presented to Congress in January.
Upper Darby has a population of over 83,000 people according the most recent estimates from the US Census. As of Census 2010, the racial makeup of the township was 56.6% White, 27.5% African American, 0.2% Native American, 11.1% Asian, 1.9% from other races, and 2.7% from two or more races.