NC protests show police should temper their force. It’s working.
No matter how many terrible videos surface of police using excessive force, there’s always another. It’s followed by calls for reform, official reviews and changes in training.
Then it happens again.
In instances around the nation, the police response to protests over the death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis has taken that circular pattern to a new level: People protesting police brutality against black Americans have been met with excessive force.
But now there’s a glimmer that what doesn’t change is changing. Violent clashes between police and protesters in Raleigh and Charlotte earlier this week became peaceful demonstrations later in the week after police shed their riot gear and dropped their combative approach. Some officers have knelt with protesters in sympathy with their cause. Raleigh Police Chief Cassandra Deck-Brown went to Capitol Square on Wednesday night to speak with protesters who were defying an 8 p.m. curfew. She gave them extra time and they later dispersed without incident.
Those results contrast with the hardline tactics being advocated by President Trump and echoed by U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton in a controversial op-ed.. Those tactics were carried out in the rough clearing of peaceful protesters in Lafayette Park near the White House. Trump, who told governors to “dominate” protesters, prefers heavy use of force, including the use of the U.S. military, to clear protesters. That approach will disperse the people but inflame their grievances.
Police need to respond when protesters attack police or others or damage property. But showing force against boisterous yet still peaceful groups can incite the very violence police are trying to prevent. That’s why protesters around the nation have chanted at police lined up in battle-ready armor: “Take off your riot gear. We don’t see no riot here.”
Police in Charlotte and Raleigh early in the week offered vivid examples of why police efforts to forcefully disperse groups lead to chaos and more bitterness toward police.
In Charlotte on Tuesday night, police blocked both ends of a street and fired tear gas and pepper balls on trapped protesters. In Raleigh on Saturday and Sunday, peaceful protests turned ugly after police in riot gear used tear gas and flash-bang grenades and fired pepper balls to disperse crowds.
Both cities plan reviews of these incidents. One change that should result are clear and more restrictive rules on the use of chemical agents and projectiles against demonstrators. The cities should also assess whether the military gear used by police undermines their mission.
The abhorrent behavior of police in the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis over a counterfeit $20 bill, along with the heavy-handed response of some police departments to the protests that followed, demonstrate that change needs to happen. The ability of officers to defuse a tense situation should be more important – and more rewarded – than their willingness to get tough. The police should be what they’re supposed to be – keepers of the peace.
Police forces in Charlotte and Raleigh and cities across the nation certainly have dedicated officers who do essential and sometimes dangerous work. And many cities, particularly Durham, have had protests without conflicts with police. But too many police forces are caught up in a culture of toughness and a code of silence that fosters brutality. No other changes will matter unless de-escalation becomes more important than confrontation and police feel free to hold each other accountable.
Perhaps the video from Minneapolis showing a black man pleading to breathe while a white officer kneels on his neck will help break the cycle of excessive force. The changes in police tactics in Charlotte and Raleigh this week offer reason to hope.
