by Jesse Handy
"F@*k the police!" and "Cop Killer," when written by N.W.A. and Ice-T, respectively, expressed the seemingly never-ending tension between America's black community and law enforcement officials.
Ever since there have been rich and poor, there have been police to ensure that the poor keep their hands off that which belongs to the rich. Occasionally, police abuse their power (when you regulate your own behavior you virtually have a license to) and harass the poor. Ever seen an old guy in an Italian suit spread-eagle on the hood of his Rolls Royce as one cop searched him and another held a .380 to his head? Neither have I, and I'll wager neither of us ever will. Cops are in a position where they can treat the poor like crap (and some do), and in that many of America's blacks are poor, they tend to view this as mere racism. Racism is and will always be out there, but you're more likely to be harassed by a cop because of your socio-economic background than your race. Still, there is the perception that many police departments are havens for racists, and some are. Poor whites and Hispanics are also given a hard time by certain police departments, so why do blacks seem to complain more than anyone else?
Ever since there have been police departments, there have been the odd rogue cops giving blacks a hard time with groundless arrests and merciless beatings. Blacks have always reported these incidents; however, in most courts of law, blue beats black, and the incidents were justified because the person beaten (or killed in some cases) was charged with resisting arrest. It was not until the now-infamous Rodney King incident that there was tangible proof of police misconduct, and some were not even convinced by that.
Why do blacks treat cops with animosity and mistrust? Because of little incidents like Rodney King, Eleanor Bumpers (a 79-year-old woman beaten to death when NYPD mistakenly raided her home) and more recently, Malice Green, who was beaten to death by Detroit police.
Young black men have a sense of paranoia whenever they simply take their cars out of their driveways. That sense of paranoia is elevated if the car in question is either fairly new or, God forbid, expensive. Certain laws seem to specifically target black men (reminiscent of the old southern "black codes"), such as laws that carry more severe penalties for crack than powdered cocaine. Crack is a menace to urban America, but you can't make it without powdered cocaine, so why not just give harsh penalties on all coke possession? We can't -- that would mean there would be someone other than young black men in America's prisons. We might actually have to save real prison space for white guys in suits as opposed to comfy beds in rehab centers or in country club-like minimal security prisons. American blacks have always felt as if they were under more police scrutiny, and the way things are going, I don't see it changing anytime soon.
Handy is a senior RTV major with no felony convictions.