The Police Question - Raymond Two Hawks Watson
Raymond Two Hawks Watson, MINDSETTER™
The Police Question - Raymond Two Hawks Watson
From a cultural perspective, law enforcement represents a contemporary form of what indigenous societies refer to as a warrior society. Generally, a warrior society is the collective of individuals responsible for ensuring order, safety, and quality of life in a society and providing protection when threats arise. From a traditional perspective, the warrior is respected for both his achievements as well as the values and ethics employed in making those achievements. As such, the warrior is often viewed as a representation and reflection of the ideals and values endorsed by the society as a whole that the warrior is at service to and protects.
The venerated Chief Tatanka Iyotake of the Teton Dakota Nation, contemporarily known as Sitting Bull, may have said it best; “The warrior is not someone who fights, because no one has the right to take another life. The warrior, for us, is one who sacrifices himself for the good of others. His task is to take care of the elderly, the defenseless, those who cannot provide for themselves, and above all, the children, the future of humanity.” Traditionally speaking, a warrior society, and the individuals that comprise it, are to be respected because they are viewed the physical manifestation of the best that a society has to offer. Who else but the best would the society charge with its protection? Accordingly, because I understand the tradition from which contemporary law enforcement has transformed, and because I understand the ideals that it aspires to achieve, I do not have a problem with law enforcement generally.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST“So why such consistent criticism of local law enforcement? It seems like you always have something negative to say.” Thanks for asking, and I’m happy to clarify.
First and foremost, I view contemporary law enforcement as a branch of the westernized warrior society, imbued with the authority and responsibility that all traditional warrior societies are accorded when empowered to play the part. That being said, local law enforcement has a troubled history with slave patrols and mob riots that should be acknowledged and is subject matter that I plan to address in a subsequent commentary.
Understanding and fully respecting the warrior society tradition from which contemporary law enforcement has transformed and the ideals to which it aspires, I’ll ask one simple question; how should society respond when it is aware of misconduct on the part of any of its warriors who are supposed to represent and reflect the ideals, ethics, and values of that society?
Frankly put, I grew up having a lot of bad experiences with law enforcement and almost all of it went unchecked. Outside of my personal experiences, names like “Crater Face” and “the Jump out Boys” ring bells in neighborhoods across Providence. Speaking to my personal experiences, as a youth I recall being shoved against a wall and searched by an officer because I had laughed at a time the officer thought was inappropriate. I recall being pulled over while driving with friends through Providence. The officers were looking for guns. We didn’t have any, so the officers let us go. When we asked why they had pulled us over we were told “because it’s Dominican Festival weekend.” No one in the car was Dominican. I recall standing in a parking lot of an apartment complex where friends lived. To my complete surprise two officers came running up the driveway alley, guns pointed at us, yelling “Freeze! Don’t move!” The officers were looking for guns. We didn’t have any, so they let us go; but not before aggressively telling us to “Stay out of trouble.”
Potentially my most impactful experience was when I was arrested by an officer for addressing his inappropriate conduct towards a member of the community. This was after informing the officer that I was the Director of the local Community Center. Despite absolutely no misconduct on my part I was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. The charges were ultimately dropped, but only after I agreed to not sue the police department for the officer’s misconduct. These are just some of my personal experiences. These experiences are quite mild in comparison to what some of my family members and close friends have endured.
My concerns aren’t just historical or personal either. The real issue is the atmosphere that allows such conduct to persist. For instance, what about Operation Deception in 2010 when officers were convicted of drug-related conspiracy charges? What about in 2017 when Simone Phoenix, a survivor of domestic abuse attempting to access support services at the police station, was assaulted by police, detained, and “maliciously” prosecuted, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court?
What about in 2020 when officers “followed”—not “chased”—Jamhal Gonsalves into a wall? How about in 2021 when Officer Hanley punched and kicked a handcuffed man in public and then fabricated a story on the stand when defending himself? What about in 2021 when an officer pummeled and spit at a teen suspect upon arresting him? The officer in question was recently acquitted by a grand jury despite testimony from an expert that the officer’s initial strikes were excessive and unreasonable.
2022 has fared no better. There’s the escalation of force by Officer Pichs towards an unarmed youth at Mount Pleasant High School under the failed administration of David Conrady. I’m also aware of a recent incident involving officers tackling a man to the ground and arresting him as he was bringing food into his daughter’s birthday party from his car. Maybe the officers were looking for guns. They didn’t find any, but they arrested the man anyways. He sat in a cell for hours, completely missed his daughter’s birthday party, and had to hire an attorney to defend himself against charges from the officers. Sounds all too familiar to me.
I share this to say that I don’t have a problem with law enforcement generally. I just have a zero-tolerance policy for misconduct on the part of any individual who chooses to take up the mantle of a warrior in whatever form or fashion that may be. So should you. If the warrior society represents and reflects the ideals, ethics, and values of a society, what is society saying when it is aware of persisting misconduct on the part of its warriors and it chooses to do nothing about it?
That’s my three cents.
Raymond Two Hawks Watson