Its not about obedience to laws, its about privilege. While Police Cpl. Jason Barthe may mean well, the Breathe Easy: Dont Break the Law t-shirts that are causing so much discussion (and anger) completely miss the point. The issue is not about whether people break the law. Was Tamir Rice breaking the law? Its not about whether, to put it in Cpl. Barthes words, The police are here to protect and serve. 99.9% of us have the greater good in our hearts each time we strap on our uniforms and duty belts. I have good friends who are police and I believe that they do, indeed, want to serve the public good. No, its about privilege and the fact that those of us who benefit from it are largely blind to it. Its about how most people who are white (and I obviously include myself here) are oblivious to what it is like to walk through this world as a black or brown person. One of my best friends is an African American male who is in his 40s. He has shared with Dawn and me a number of times that when he goes shopping, it is not unusual for him to be followed, checking to see if he is shoplifting. It doesnt happen every time, but it does often enough that he is used to it and is not surprised when it happens. I can attest to the fact that if someone has ever followed me in a store, I was completely oblivious. But that is how it works. The Breath Easy t-shirts assume that we are all equals. That we all experience life in the same way as citizens of the US. That if we simply obey the law, we have nothing to fear. But this view completely ignores the realities that so many live under. The fact is, the systems of power and privilege in place benefit whites. The fact is, when I go out in public, I dont have to worry about whether I will be seen as suspect (or a suspect). The fact is, parents of black and brown children must have difficult conversations about race and how it affects the way their children will be approached, not just by law enforcement but by society at large. Dawn and I have already had to start this process with our son and have asked for help from African American friends because it is definitely not a conversation our parents had to have with us. The fact is, people who are black and brown must walk through this life differently just to survive. And as long as thats the case, Cpl. Barthe, lets not breathe easy just yet. Read more: washingtontimes/news/2014/dec/17/indiana-police-evoke-outrage-with-breathe-easy-don/#ixzz3MGoPyUxu Follow us: @washtimes on Twitter
Posted on: Thu, 18 Dec 2014 17:39:20 +0000
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