Like some sickening reality show, the fatal shootings of young black men by white peace officers seem to go on and on.
Dash camera video footage released Tuesday shows a Chicago officer firing 16 times at a teenager who was carrying a 3-inch knife.
In the video, 17-year-old Laquan McDonald first sprints, then walks briskly in the middle of a four-lane street as police approach, but away from the officers. Suddenly, Officer James Van Dyke exits his car and almost immediately opens fire. The teen crumples to the pavement as puffs of smoke rise from his body. Of at least eight officers on the scene, Van Dyke is the only one to shoot.
Troubling questions
The incident isn’t new; only the video is. The shooting occurred 13 months ago, but the city of Chicago had refused to release the footage until a journalist sued and a Cook County judge ordered that it be made public. It’s deeply disturbing for many reasons: Van Dyke alleges that he fired because he feared for his safety. Yet, during 13 of the 15 seconds it took him to shoot McDonald, the teenager was lying on the ground. The city already has paid $5 million to McDonald’s family. Yet, the Cook County state’s attorney didn’t file first-degree murder charges against Van Dyke until this week.
To be sure, McDonald was no model citizen. He was suspected of breaking into vehicles and had punctured the tire of a police car. An autopsy revealed the drug PCP in his system. Both none of this merited a death warrant.
Lessons for us
What does this have to do with Greensboro? More than you might think.
Obviously, the continuing lack of public access to police video throughout North Carolina, by law, hurts openness and trust. The Chicago footage forced an indictment and laid bare both that city’s foot-dragging on the case and the officer’s flimsy defense. But the video might not have been revealed this week if not for a whistleblower in the police department. And if it had been recorded in this state we might not see it ever.
More important, the city of Chicago has the worst of both worlds — epidemic gun violence and a police force with a long history of abuse. God forbid that we ever see such ingrained enmity and corruption here. But Greensboro made national headlines of its own in a recent New York Times story that revealed disproportionate stops and searches of black motorists. This phenomenon isn’t unique to us. Still, it’s a serious problem that requires serious attention.
The Times story adds a sense of urgency to public dialogues about police in Greensboro, especially where race is concerned. A community group convened by Mayor Nancy Vaughan and a frequent critic of police, the Rev. Nelson Johnson, has suggested changes to police policies following eight months of meetings, including an end to “contact policing.”
The best answer
But the most effective solution remains community policing, not only in word but in practice. Friction between officers and residents is less likely if they aren’t complete strangers. Traffic stops would be less necessary as an investigative tactic. It’s a proven approach that Chief Wayne Scott has pledged to implement. While other ideas may be useful, a strong and lasting commitment to police knowing the neighborhoods they patrol and building relationships there will cure a lot of what ails us.
Finally, some givens are worth repeating as our dialogue about policing continues. The vast majority of our officers are honorable and decent people who do dangerous and often thankless work for less pay than they deserve. But all of them are human, and occasionally, some of them make mistakes.
Our attitude toward police shouldn’t be that we’re either with them or against them. We can support our police and hold them accountable. And we should, for our sake and theirs.
Because one of the worst enemies of a good cop is a bad cop.
