The Under Covered Story in the Oakland Police Shootings

 [Click on the image for the video.  The Youtube discussion thread should give pause regarding race relations in America.]

Many of us heard about the deaths of four Oakland police officers in March after a relatively routine traffic stop went bad.  Two motor (motorcycle) police offers stopped a car near downtown Oakland.  They were killed during that stop.  As the Oakland SWAT team attempted to find and arrest the suspect, two more officers were killed and another slightly injured.  But fewer people have heard about the "after story" that provides greater context to the killings.   The after story is the adoration and praise being conferred upon the man who killed the officers.  Further, an older man who attempted to help the officers is now being threatened. 

The four Oakland police officers that were killed were:

John Hege

Mark Dunakin

Ervin Romans

Daniel Sakai

The individual suspected of killing the police officers was 26 year old parolee Lovelle Mixon.  He apparently killed the firt two police officers execution style by shooting them in the head and face after initially injuring them.

Lovelle Mixon had been arrested in the past on forgery, identity theft, grand theft auto, assault, and was more recently suspected of raping a 12 year old girl.  Yet despite his career criminal credentials, he is considered a martyr and soldier in a just war against the police in Oakland.  The fact that someone who had such an impressive record of undermining the community could conjure so much affection from that same community deserves greater attention.  Either way, it speaks of the police, the community, or both in substantially negative ways.  It's important for the media to lay out the facts to determine what's going on.

But despite the significant community protest regarding police oppression, the resources that the government was attempting to provide Mixon were apparently not enough.  The resources afforded to Mixon are outlined as part of the record of his parole officer contacts where numerous job placement services were made available to Mixon.  These services may not have been enough or adequate, but the state was clearly doing more than just releasing Mixon into the wilds of society.  Based on the support Mixon was getting after being put on parole, it's unclear what more the community expected he deserved.

More confusing (and disturbing) are the threats that Clarence Ellis has received from members within his own community.  Mr. Ellis saw the two motor officers lying in the street immediately after the shooting and attempted to offer first aid based on his past military training.  Now, youth in his community where the shooting took place have threatened him and have labelled him a "snitch."  

Soon after the shooting and during the SWAT activity, young people were taunting the police and encouraging folks to celebrate in the streets if the officers were declared dead.  Such antipathy toward the police has to have roots somewhere whether these sentiments are justified or not.  If they are justified, then the reasons need to be squarely explored and addressed.  If they are not justified, then the community has no one but itself to blame for its enfeebled condition.  Negative sentiment toward the police stems from legitimate issues that originate decades ago.  However, to what extent are those issues still relevant?  These types of questions should be answered.  

Common reasons given regarding the Oakland Africa American community's antipathy toward the police include:

 

1.  The fact that none of the 4 police officers killed lived in Oakland and, therefore, were oppressive ousiders,
2.  44 of the last 45 police shootings involved African-Americans or Latinos despite these minorities comprising only 56% of the population,
3. 20% of the population lives below the poverty line and is both frustrated and disenfranchised,
4. Only 60% of police shootings involve cases where the person shot by the police ends up having a gun, and
5. Oakland Police Departments implementation of "broken window" policies.

But many of these modern reasons for police anti-pathy have counter arguments worth exploring:

 

1. The Oakland Police Department is unable to recruit local labor because the police department is not perceived to be an attractive career path by members of the community,
2. Most violent crime in Oakland occurs in West Oakland with relatively low crime in more affluent sections such as Rockridge,
3. 20% of the population of Oakland receives some sort of government assistance and 14% lives in some form of subsidized housing.  In the case of Mixon himself, a substantial amount of post parolee support appears to have been provided,
4. Given the killings of 4 police officers as part of a routine traffic stop, officers are likely to move even more aggressively to a "shoot first" policy, and
5. The "broken windows" approach to law enforcement does go after minor infractions but has led to the revitalization of New York City with few complaints.   

Alternative media interpretations of the events of March 21st lay all or at least nearly all blame for the incident at the feet of the police department.  Such lack of introspection reveals a shocking degree of hypocrisy.  Folks in this camp want the police to reexamine their approaches, want more help from the government, and want greater social justice.  Yet they provide no alternative to the actions the police should have taken.  Should the police not enforce traffice laws?  Should parolees be able to ignore the terms of their parole?  No clear alternatives or solutions are explored in either concept much less feasibility.  The "alternative" media ridicules the mainstream press of knee-jerk cop glorification, but they themselves are guilty of similar knee-jerk responses of cop-killer diefication.

 

Whatever the truth, it must be uncovered.  Too much of America is either victim of or ruled by "snitch" culture - whichever is your perspective.  That culture is either a self-defense evolution or some sort of social devolution, and we as a country better find out which of the two it is and address the issue.  We complain that Pakistan has poor control of part of its territory...that Waziristan is ungovernable.  The US may have a hundred Waziristans pock-marking its geography already. 

  

 

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