URBAN LEAGUE TAKES A WRONG TURN

I admire the Urban League because it has, unlike the NAACP of recent years, taken an optimistic approach to solving the problems of race in this country.  [Note: In the interest of full disclosure a good friend of mine is president of one the Urban League's chapters in this region.]  The great equalizer in America is economic opportunity and the Urban League has worked hard to open that door and keep it open for black Americans.  However, the Grand Rapids chapter has taken a turn in the wrong direction with its report alleging that local black residents are targeted by area police departments for arrest under obstruction charges.

There are two problems with Grand Rapids Urban League issuing this report.  First is the report itself.  Correlation is not causation.  An apparent lack of proportion in two sets of figures says nothing in itself about what may be the cause for the difference.  Few statistics in American life yield to proportionality in terms of race and ethnicity.  This is unsurprising and uncontroversial.  Therefore the mere fact that the percentage of blacks arrested for obstruction (e.g., resisting an officer, making a false police report, failure to move on) is about three times the percentage of blacks residing in the Grand Rapids area does not tell us a thing about why this may be so.

Unfortunately, the Urban League and other leaders of the black community have leapt to the conclusion that the disporportionate obstruction arrest figure is the result of institutional racism in local police departments.  But I don't see the facts that would support this conclusion.  Yes, there are problems with the police driven by race, but if they are systemic in any way, it is a lack of professionalism not genuine racism at the root.  Even if we take that into consideration, there are the tragic and indisputable facts of the disporportionate violence and criminality in the black community and a culture of hostility to the police who must suppress it that would seem to be the most likely explanation of the high arrest figures for obstruction that concern the Urban League.

Second is the backward step this report takes.  I don't expect the Urban League to be pollyannas when it comes to the lingering problems of racism, but America has cleared a crucial threshold in race relations.  Institutionalized racism, segregation enforced by law, and a culture of apartheid have disappeared over the past four decades and been replaced by a great well of goodwill.  The barriers of race have fallen even if there remain reprobates and fools who futilely try to raise them again.  We'll never be shed of bigots, but we are shed of the cover our society once gave them.  Once reason why residual racism is slicker and smoother is because the last bigots among us know they can no longer be open about their shameful beliefs.

So, we have passed through a threshold where now our black fellow Americans have the means more than ever to address the difficulties they face.  We've come to the point where it is patronizing to blacks to identify "The Man" as the only source of their problems and enlightened whites as the only source of help.  In this sense the Urban League report was a retro feel to it.  It smacks of a helplessness that is uncharacteristic of this organization dedicated to bootstrapping black Americans to success.  More worrisome, the report has the effect of discouraging the self-examination that is truly needed at this late date to remedy the pathologies rampant in the inner city afflicting us all.

Comments

[Dan In Rockford]

I can only say one thing to this Mr. Tingley...AMEN! Can I also add thank you?
The folks in the inner city still refuse to live up to a certain fact of life that is patently obvious. There is a certain criminal element in their community. Its there, its real. But instead of attacking the criminals in their midst, and they know who they are, they attack the police for doing their JOB! Gee, who calls the police to these incidents? THEY DO! And when they show up they come out of the woodwork and start trouble that quickly escalates out of control. Seen it when I was younger and it ain't pretty.
This is just another sad fact of the city and shows why real people of all colors need to take up the banner of stopping crime and criminals NOW. But it won't happen.
Me? I've moved farther away as have tens of thousands of taxpayers in the city.
As ye sow, so shall ye reap.
Dan In Rockford

[rod brown]

My dear friend Bill, not withstanding that there are many issues that we can focus on in addition to the GR police and race relations with the Black community, the fact is that the arrest rates, police stops and general harrassment that the GR police engages in with the black community of Grand Rapids is over-reaching and in most respects very unneccessary. If we follow your logic in much of what you are posting in your newsletter, the police activity would be just as well served if not better served trakcing the white-collar crimes that are taking place in GR on a daily basis. Situating and stationing the police in low-income neighborhoods where many black residents reside would surely drive up the number of "touches" the GR police would have in coming in contact with Black residents. My suggestion would be to disperse the GR police throughout the downtown GR area and through our suburban communities and have them work as diligently on tracking down and prosecuting these white collar crimes, sexual deviances and spousal abuse and then we may see more equitable policing and arrests among the diverse racial communities.

[The Executive Director]

Hi, Rodney.

It's been too long since we talked last.

My disagreement with the G.R. Urban League is citing institutionalized racism as the cause of the problem when the statistics do not bear that out in the first place, and even if there were a correlation, more research would have to be done to establish racism as the causation. I admire the Urban League for having a positive and sophisticated approach to the race problems in this country, but I thought this particular action was a step backwards. I am willing to be proven wrong, Rodney, but I think while bigotry remains a problem at the individual level, politically and culturally entrenched racism is a thing of the past.

Does that mean no problem exists between the GRPD and the black community? Obviously there is one, but the information I have been getting is over-the-top rhetoric from one side and mealy-mouthed defensiveness from the other. If you and I were the kings of the world, we'd have these problems solved in a snap. But then we not stuck on agendas.

I look forward to hearing more from you, my friend.

Best regards,
Bill

[rod brown]

Sure Bill, if you and I were calling the shots, we would get to the bottom of all of this garbage and nonsense and get past the rhetoric and emotionalism that so plagues the debate around race and diversity in the community.

The fact is though that based upon where the GR police are doing most of their policing activity, this is where many blacks live, so based on this, yes, many of those stopped by the police would be black. And the data provided by the GR Police does confirm this point.

And no doubt that there are many other issues that can be addressed as oppossed to this issue. This issue though is an "easy" issue to stoke the flames of division and an organization like the Urban League is simply providing some statistical and social analysis to an issue that is very real and definately serious to the many of people who feel as if they are harrassed by the police. Our esteemed mainstreem media (Ahem...), actually deals the greatest diservice by how they frame-up this discussion. And to this point, this is not just a black issue, I recognized people of all racial and ethnic persuasions voice a displeasure about the police services.

And, individuals getting over their personal bigotry and racism is where we have made great strides. Institutional racism and the institutional memory that is carried through individuals more times than not really overpowers the good will and good conscience of individuals who have worked to overcome their own personal racism and bigotry. This is powerful, very unfortunate but true. This is why so many good, honorable people in law enforcement are painted with a broad brush, because of the institutional memory and the negative actions of a few.

I miss our dialogue. We'll talk soon, my friend!

--Rodney

[Luke]

If you messed around with the colors of your lettering a little, it would be easier to read. Just found this site. You guys should advertise, I don't think too many people know about you. Thanks

[The Executive Director]

Hi, Luke.

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll have Bridget our editor take a look at the colors. As for advertising, our budget's limited but we do some radio and direct mail.

Regards,
Bill Tingley
Executive Director

[william]

i am a new visitor to your website, but i find it very interesting and will be a regular visitor from now on.

[The Executive Director]

Welcome to L.A.W., William, and thanks for the thumb's up.

Regards,
Bill Tingley
Executive Director, L.A.W.

[Marsha]

I do believe that each community is responsible for first looking at its own community to correct its ills, however to state that the barriers of racism have fallen over the past 40 years is a bit much.

It amazes me that whenever rasism is brought up by black people how easily it is for some to reject it as not having any validity. I wonder what people would find if they examined the facts that the Urban League and many other African American Leaders state. Trust me instutional racism is alive and well in the United Stated. This is not to say that all white people are racist or that all black people are lazy, and criminals.

It seems to be a lot of denial about race issues, with not many people wanting to walk in the others shoes, just wanting to criticize a group for speaking against the way they are being treated.

[Jenny G.]

Reduction in racism has taken a sizable step forward in recent decades. It can be seen everyday in the millions of black Americans who have moved into the middle class, upper middle class and wealthy groups in this country. Black, Asian, Latino and other classes have moved freely into areas once barred such as in schools, universities, medicine, law, insurance, business, politics and more. Of course there will be some remnants of discrimination to be found here and there no matter how hard we all try to erase it completely. We are human and humans are far from perfect. Credit is rarely given by the black community for all those generations of Americans of all types who in the past, today and well into tomorrow continue to work for a better world for all of us regardless of sex, age or skin color.

An important question that never gets answered is when will reverse discrimination end? Who determines enough is enough? Who says today and tomorrows generations are done with paying the price of mistakes made by those decades in the past?

Those who refuse to acknowledge the substantial progress made are part of the final problem. Many actually stand to benefit from continued victimhood as without victims you don't have a powerful movement to whip up passions of dissent (Muslim Brotherhood, Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, ACLU and others).

At least those are my thoughts to Marsha's note above. I see where the l.a.w. piece was coming from and agree with it.

Jen

[Bridget Dupont-Tingley, Editor, L.A.W.]

Hello Marsha & Jen,

We appreciate both of you reading our site and having thoughts of your own about this important issue.

Jen's points above are sound ones. Some of us do more harm than good, like Sharpton and Jackson. They only show up to make a problem ten times worse than what originally started something. With their checkered pasts and questionnable conduct, they should not be the poster boys for better human relations and race relations.

I stand with Bill on this Urban League article. We have come a long way in fairness and equality. Those who cannot see it perhaps don't want to. We may not have erased bigotry completely, we may have more work to do, but let's not overlook all that has been done to date by so many.

Regards,

[Holly]

I moved to michigan 5yrs ago. Moved to West Mich 4yrs ago. I have a severely handicapped black child. Live Kent Count/Montcalm schools. (doesn't go to school) I have lived many places across the US. Believe me when i say racism is alive and well- just with a smile and a bible now. West Mich has been one of the most bigoted places I have ever live. I am white. I ask my child forgiveness for moving here. The black don't like it because i have one of thier children and the whites have been taught not to deal with anything out of thier circle. Schools and churches. As long as this is taught the cops/teachers/doctors will not change. Anger will win.

[Bridget Dupont-Tingley, Editor L.A.W.]

Dear Holly,

That's very unfortunate that you have experienced both anger and bigotry in our area due to your child's color and physical status. Under no circumstances and in no place is this acceptable. Including West Michigan.

There is no doubt caring for a substantially handicapped child and in a family of mixed origin can be difficult at best. You clearly took on this challenge because it was one you knew would be worth it, both on its best days and its worst days.

I'm sure your situation is complicated and let's face it, our public and private systems for handling handicapped children is not always the best it can be. Continue to reach out and I'm sure you'll find some help as time goes on both at the city, state and religious levels. Hopefully, you also have a network of family, friends and co-workers that can ease the burden too.

On another note, please don't lump everyone into the handful of people that you have encountered in a negative way. For every person who turns you away, another will take you in. For each person that treats you with disregard and disrespect, another will honor and treat you with the dignity you and your child deserves. To each, there is a counter point and for most of us, we need to look a little harder and work a little harder sometimes to find it. But, it is there.

Make sure that you keep up the good fight and don't let anger, disappointment, hardship and bad luck take its toll on you. We receive what we give. Keep giving all you have and in time, it will be returned to you ten fold.

Regards,

Bridget

[Dawes]

It cracks me up when someone says they don't think all white people are racists but they believe institutionalized racism exists. Institutionalized racism is the concept that all whites are privileged racists under a racist government founded by all white men. Some even throw out the lie that the founders were all slave owning white men.