From my early days as a wide-eyed Bed-Stuy newbie, I recall the brigade of police officers that manned the street corners daily.
Clad in blue, with their batons resting and guns holstered, they said, “We are here,” without having to utter a word.
The corners no longer look like occupied territory. But I often see them leisurely walking about the neighborhood. Back then, officers told me it was a “high-impact zone.” But the neighborhood's residents offered an alternative explanation: Gentrification.
As Bed-Stuy becomes more racially and economically diverse, residents report a more visible police presence. Do police increase enforcement because the demographics have changed? Are there greater incentives now to make Bed-Stuy safer and more attractive for newcomers? Or does the way Bed-Stuy residents engage law enforcement play a significant role?
One officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, argued that “gentrifiers” have higher expectations for the neighborhood and engage police differently than most native residents:
“People moving in are far more educated and in positions where they can reach the higher-ups,” said a 16-year NYPD vet.
“When white people come in, they bring more money, which gives the city more resources. They also complain, write, speak up, and say ‘we have a problem over here.’ White people are going to file complaints; black people aren’t.”
“If black people would stand up for themselves instead of waiting for someone else to speak up, instead of thinking, ‘I’m not going to snitch,’ things could be better. White people are like, [forget] that no snitch business.”
But is it as easy as this officer makes it seem?
Historically, black people in urban communities have had an adversarial relationship with police, which explains why they do not engage the cops in the same manner. Additionally, black men have been and continue to be stopped and harassed at a disproportionate rate.
Even the officer acknowledged this reality. He admitted that there are good cops and bad cops, and that the academy training has a lot to do with the way police officers engage the community.
“The first thing you learn is, us against them – the blue wall. You get brainwashed into thinking that everyone is bad," he said. Recognizing the seeming invincibility of officers he admitted, "As a cop, you have a lot of power-- the power to take someone’s life. You can get away with anything, if you can articulate it properly. Probable cause is everything.”
He recalled an incident where he was making an arrest in plainclothes and it was called in as a robbery-in-progress, and the suspect was a black male, 6’1” with a gun. As armed officers approached him, he shouted, “Plainclothes unit on the scene!” Stating his name, he was forced to explain, “It’s me!”
A fellow officer, who he went to academy with and worked out with frequently, pointed the gun at him and prepared to shoot.
“All he could see was male…black…gun…immediate threat,” the officer recalled. Once the situation diffused, his colleague said, “I was going to shoot you.”
As he sat there telling the story, wearing a t-shirt, dark hoodie, blue jeans and sneakers. I could see how the black, plainclothes cop turned into a perpetrator.
So if Bed-Stuy residents find themselves on the other end of unwarranted harassment, what should they do?
“If a police officer stops and searches you without probable cause, get the badge number and file a complaint with CCRB (Civilian Complaint Review Board.),” he said. Following through with a complaint is the key, he advised.
Achieving a successful community-policing program in inner-city neighborhoods has proven difficult. How do we heal the wounds of division that reside between communities of color and the police?
Do we all have the power to hold police accountable, yet only some of us use it? Are police in Bed-Stuy to protect and serve all, and is the “no-snitch” rule hurting the community far more than it is helping it?
Sylvia A. Harvey (SAH) is a freelance journalist: she can be reached at www.sylviaaharvey.com
Anyone who finds themselves being harassed or targeted by the police should file a report. They don't like these blemishes on their records and documenting problems will help prove these problema can sometimes get out of hand. Additionally we should be letting our elected officials know what's going on. The more people speak up and do so with an attitude that demands results, the more things will change for the better!
Bottom Line, my car was profiled. The same as a young black male is profiled in a poor neighborhood. They don't care about your story or circumstance, you will be stopped and frisked. You're a suspect on sight and automatically guilty. The police know what they are doing - they prey on the poor and disenfranchised - they know you are uneducated and don't know your rights and no one is going to fight for them when they're violated. When "Whitey" comes and the "Educated Negro" comes, you have a "Police Presence" because they are trying to PREVENT crime. When its just the niggas, they are engaged in the "WAR" on crime. .
From the point-of-view of the precinct, they have trouble reconciling the demand for greater police presence and the oppositional relationship towards the police. They think: "Why do they ask for help, and then they don't want to testify?" The police can't distinguish between groups within the community. They have limited political consciousness and sense of historical context. This is a real problem
When it is unsafe, we say police are unresponsive; when they harass us personally we call them aggressive and racist; and when they make our neighborhoods safe, we call them gentrifiers... If you want to stop 'gentrification' - stop cashing in and selling your home so you can move to atlanta and miami.
Before moving to Bedford Stuyvesant from Boerum Hill my interaction with the police had been amicable however; since moving here I have found the police to be 25% of the time aggressive and hostile even on occasions where I had called them for assistance. I did not change, the way I communicate did not change, only my neighborhood. I have been stopped by the police as well as almost every male member of my family. These men are college educated doctors, lawyers, architects and business men, none of whom dress or act like a "thug". Most never received an apology at the end of the incident, just a “you can go now”. I can’t explain to you what it feels like to see your father or uncle nearly in tears because they were terrified and humiliated.
If they're liking it being more safe now, lean into the change. Dwelling on the past isn't going to get you anywhere.
By the way, the word "picnic" predates lynching in the United States; claims that it is derived from a shortening of 'pick a nigger' are false.