Capitol Report
By State Representative, Leon D. Young
Leon D. Young
Many Americans labor under the false notion that 2008 marked some kind of seminal moment in terms of race relations in this country. After all, a Black man had just been elected president for the first time in this nation’s history.
Proof positive that America was finally fulfilling its promise to be a multicultural society, where any child (regardless of his/her race, religion, culture or ethnicity) could realize their ultimate dreams – including the White House.
But, the tragic shootings of last week coupled with the civil unrest that has ensued nationwide, should take the air out of this Utopian fiction that universal acceptance has been achieved in this country at long last, as evident by Barack Obama’s election. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Black communities around the country are up in arms following the shooting deaths of two Black men in Baton Rouge (LA) and St. Paul (MN) last week.
And, many in the Black community now hold fervently to the belief that Black men are being systematically accosted by the police without legal accountability or reprisal. Let’s be real.
There is no question that Black and Latino Americans are treated vastly different in this society, and the criminal justice system is just one of the many manifestations of this festering conundrum.
To further illustrate this point, according to a recent national survey, 1 in 5 Blacks say they have been unfairly treated at the hands of the police. While, only 1 in 30 white Americans hold the same view about being mistreated by law enforcement.
Moreover, there is something inherently wrong, and speaks directly to the moral corruption of a particular society, when certain demographics (Black and Latino) must have “the talk” with their children in an attempt to avoid possible fatal encounters with the police.
Not to mention, the stereotypical impression that most in this society have about young men of color: criminal thugs and extremely dangerous.
Make no mistake about it, there is a clear and ever present racial divide in America. By most economic and social metrics, Blacks and Latinos find themselves at, or near, the bottom.
Policing in communities that are depressed and under-served is just the tip of the iceberg.
In order to bridge this racial divide, America must be willing to extend the full array of its economic bounty to communities of color as well.
The police are just the agents that this society uses to maintain the status quo. With that being said, America still has a long way to go.