By State Representative, Leon D. Young
Leon D. Young
In last week’s column, I talked about President Obama’s poignant remarks in the aftermath of the George Zimmerman trial. Mr. Obama spoke passionately about some of his own travails of having been the victim of racial profiling, and then provided some historical context for the collective mistrust and frustration that many Black Americans feel when it comes to the blatant duality of criminal justice system in this country.
But, Mr. Obama didn’t stop there. He went on to acknowledge that the criminal code is traditionally the province of state and local government. And law enforcement is traditionally done at the state and local levels, not at the federal levels. He then asserted that we, as a nation, can do some things that he believes would be productive in this instance; and laid out some possible Capitol Report – Page 2 responses.
Number one, the president thought it would be productive for the Justice Department, governors and mayors to work with law enforcement about training at the state and local levels in order to reduce the kind of mistrust in the system that all too often exists.
Number two, Mr. Obama also thought it would be useful for us to examine some state and local laws to see if it – if they are designed in such a way that they may encourage the kinds of altercations and confrontations and tragedies that we saw in the Trayvon Martin case. Granted, the “stand your ground” law in Florida was not used as a defense in the case. But, as the president rightfully questioned, “if we’re sending a message as a society in our communities that someone who is armed potentially has the right to use those firearms even if there’s a way for them to exit from a situation, is that really going to be Capitol Report – Page 3 contributing to the kind of peace and security and order that we’d like to see?”
Number three, as the president readily admitted that this is a long-term project; we need to spend some time in thinking about how we bolster and reinforce our African American boys. He asked rhetorically: And there is more that we can do to give these youth the sense that their country cares about them and values them and is willing to invest in them?
And finally, Mr. Obama thought it’s going to be important for all of us to do some soul-searching. We must be willing to convene a real conversation on race in our families, schools, churches and workplaces.
The president closed by making one last point, “I don’t want us to lose sight that things are getting better. Each successive generation seems to be making progress in changing attitudes when it comes to race. It doesn’t mean we’re in a post-racial society, because we have a Black man as president. And it surly doesn’t mean that racism is eliminated.”
History will be the ultimate judge as to whether President Obama’s foray into the snake pit of race and the criminal justice system, in the wake of the George Zimmerman trial, had any discernible impact. But, the president said what needed to be said; and for that I’m extremely thankful.