Why is police brutality epidemic?
By Monica
Moorehead
The near lynching of Thomas Jones by at least 20
Philadelphia cops on July 12 has once again propelled the
issue of police brutality to national and international
prominence. The Jones beating was captured on videotape for
the whole world to see--just like the beating of Rodney King
by Los Angeles police nine years ago.
Did any of the bourgeois candidates--George W. Bush, Al
Gore or Ralph Nader--criticize the actions of the police,
even in a mild way? Not at all.
This development comes just 17 months after another
horrific case of police brutality: the slaughter of young
West African immigrant Amadou Diallo by four white New York
police.
One difference between what happened to these two Black
victims is that Jones survived this brutal beating, even
though he was shot five times by his attackers.
Diallo died almost instantly after being hit by 19
bullets. The cops were acquitted of all charges.
It will take a tremendous mass struggle to get even one
Philadelphia cop indicted for the savage kicking and stomping
of Jones.
In both instances, the cops and the big-business media
tried to demonize the victims. The corporate media are
painting a negative picture of Jones, saying he has a history
of criminal offenses a mile long and so on.
Some civil-rights spokespersons, although critical of the
police actions, have stated that Jones did exhibit "criminal"
behavior. This is a diversion from the real issue of police
brutality.
The question that should be dealt with at the appropriate
time is what the motives were for his actions. And no matter
what Jones may have done, the police were not justified in
their lynch-mob behavior.
This racist portrayal of a Black man is meant to justify
the estimated 60 kicks and punches that rained down on him.
Who knows what happened to Jones once he was taken to the
hospital and chained to his bed? Unfortunately, there were no
video cameras to document this.
In the Diallo case, the murderous police claimed that the
youth fit the description of a rapist, that he acted
"suspicious" and that they thought he was reaching for a
gun.
In the end, the criminal justice system drew an equal sign
between Diallo and the cops as being victims of a
"tragedy."
Police occupy oppressed
communities
What happened to Thomas Jones, Amadou Diallo and Rodney
King reinforces what millions of oppressed and poor people
already know all too well: that police brutality is the norm
and not the exception.
How could it be otherwise when the police occupy whole
communities of nationally oppressed peoples 24 hours a day,
seven days a week?
The media may criticize police "excesses" and "aggression"
here and there. They may even raise other examples of police
brutality from the past. But what they are not going to say
is that in a capitalist society riddled with inequality based
on one's social status and one's nationality, the police
exist to keep the rich on top in power and the poor and the
oppressed on the bottom, subjugated and terrorized so they
won't resist.
Much has been made of the fact that both white and Black
cops attacked Jones. But the nature of the attack was still
racist in character. Why? The main targets of police
misconduct and violence are historically and socially people
of color and the poor.
It's the same with all forms of racist and class
repression.
Take the death penalty. As death-row revolutionary and
journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal has said, as far as the death
penalty in the United States is concerned, "Millionaires need
not apply." The death penalty is reserved strictly for the
poor and especially those who are not white.
Guilt or innocence is not the main criteria for whether a
person receives a lethal injection or not. The apparent
innocence of Shaka Sankofa, also known as Gary Graham, did
not save him from being unjustly executed at the hands of
Gov. Bush.
Capitalist laws exist to protect the actions of the police
and the entire repressive state apparatus. For instance, if
someone who is poor or a person of color is convicted of
killing a cop, in most states the death penalty automatically
applies.
But in almost every case where a cop kills someone from an
oppressed community, a woman or a gay, lesbian, bisexual or
transgender person, either no criminal charges are made or
the police are exonerated by grand juries.
This shows that the cops are an elite force that stands
above all the laws governing workers in capitalist society.
The ruling billionaire class relies on this force to protect
its private property and the profit system, at the expense of
millions of poor and working people.
The Jones beating poses an immediate dilemma for the
Philadelphia ruling establishment because they have spent
millions of dollars to attract more tourists and businesses
to the "City of Brotherly Love" by getting personalities like
Oprah Winfrey and Bill Cosby to participate in television
advertisements.
And then there's the upcoming Republican Convention. The
Philadelphia police will once again be playing a dual role
before, during and after the convention. They will act as the
protectors of the Republican delegates and repressors of the
protestors coming to Philadelphia to exercise their right to
assemble and their right to free speech.
It will be very important for demonstrators to show
solidarity with the besieged Philadelphia Black community by
demanding "Justice for Thomas Jones" and "Jail killer
cops."
Moorehead is Workers World Party's 2000 presidential
candidate.
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011
Email: ww@workers.org
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