By Reginald Williams
The death penalty, also known as capital punishment, is a state-sanctioned punishment imposed upon a person arrested, charged, tried and convicted of a crime deemed so serious that death is considered the appropriate sentence.
A death row inmate waits, on average, 15 years from the day they are sentenced till the day they are executed. But for Black men, non-threatening interactions with law enforcement could end in a death sentence in less than 15 minutes for a violation as minor as a busted taillight or the suspicion of selling single cigarettes.
Reginald Williams is the author of A Marginalized Voice: Devalued, Dismissed, Disenfranchised & Demonized, a seminal read that exposes the nuanced behaviors of young Black boys and the iatrogenic practices of alleged professionals. (Courtesy Photo)
On April 4, 2015, the death penalty was executed during a routine traffic stop when Walter Scott was fatally shot five times in his back by a North Charleston police officer. Scott’s offense was a non-functioning brake light. Three months later, the death penalty was accelerated against Samuel Debose, pulled over (off-campus) by a University of Cincinnati police officer. Debose was fatally shot once in the head. His offense, a missing front license plate. In contrast to jurisprudence, it took a Minneapolis police officer all of 13 seconds to “unanimously” decide that Philando Castile should be sentenced to death by gunfire. Castile’s crime, obeying the officer’s command to produce his license. Black men are subject to on the spot state-sanctioned sentences that result in modern-day lynching by the hands of white jurymen in blue uniforms, using black guns or a knee as their weapon.
The angst Black men feel when being confronted by police is warranted. No matter the reason for the encounter, internal psychological warfare takes place, trying to conceptualize and process the what, why, and the potential outcome for the encounter.
Recent footage recorded by a home security system of an African-American boy playing basketball alone in his driveway went viral. The video showed the boy dribbling a basketball in the driveway. When he spots a police cruiser driving down the street in his direction, he hides behind a parked jeep. When the car clears his line of sight, he re-emerges to shoot baskets. The boy’s reaction to police presence was a demonstration of the trauma incarcerating the spirit of people of color. If a boy, innocently playing in his yard, runs and hides at the sight of police, Black men also wish to conceal their presence when confronted.
Police encounters create instant anxiety for Black men. The fear or dread of a situation triggers an adrenaline rush. That causes the heart rate to gallop. Subsequently, an increased flow of blood enters the muscles and brain. Anger swells. It makes little difference if Black men respond to an officer in a cool, calm and collected fashion just trying to survive the encounter or if they vocally stand firm in their Constitutional Rights refusing to cower to servants whose salaries are paid with their tax dollars; in either situation, stress prevails.
Too many police officers armed with their “qualified immunity” are intoxicated with power, and police with a criminal immorality. In Houston, Texas, an African-American couple called the police to investigate a theft at their home. When the officers arrived, the husband was asked if he had any warrants. Far too many officers view Black men as suspects rather than citizens.
The exchange with police is a real struggle for Black men.
When pulled over by police, what is generally routine for white folks, is too often incompatible for Black men. Black men fear false narratives created by white officers that gives them the authority to go on fishing expeditions. It’s typical for brothers to be ordered out of their cars, leaned over the vehicle’s hood, and searched. And are asked: “Can I search your vehicle?” The probable cause – smelt weed. Even before a stop occurs, the sight of police in the vicinity of one’s car creates a level of anxiety, similar to what was felt by the boy playing basketball. Once pulled, if the truth be told, as Black men we instantly dial-up our implicit biases. It’s difficult not to believe the stop has some nefarious intentions. Our thoughts occupy a space wondering will dude demonstrate professionalism and respect or will he be drunk on his assumed power ready to major in some minor nonsense. No matter why we are stopped, on most occasions, the infraction is minor, but for police, it’s yet another opportunity to flex their muscles; one more opportunity to gain a “that-a-boy” badge from their crew.
What should be a small inconvenience, too often, is polluted by power. The power is a means of execution without being arrested, charged or tried. The hue of a Black man’s skin must stop being a crime where death is the punishment.
Reginald Williams is the author of A Marginalized Voice: Devalued, Dismissed, Disenfranchised & Demonized, a seminal read that exposes the nuanced behaviors of young Black boys and the iatrogenic practices of alleged professionals. It brings to the surface the duality in criminality that exists in a broader sense to include those emotional crimes committed against young Kings. He can be reached at bookreggie@reginaldwilliams.org
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