Are the protests against the killing of unarmed black men leading to a movement? It’s a question some are asking as the demonstrations against police homicides escalate around the country. It’s not clear. But the incidents and the responses by both protestors and the supporters of police officers accused of wrong-doing are leading many people to discuss their personal relationships with law enforcement. WGBH’s senior reporter Phillip Martin has been exploring the fall-out from two controversial grand jury decisions. He covered the protests that took place during the city's Christmas Tree lighting and this story begins there.
At Thursday night’s tree lighting ceremony on the Boston Common, Dominique Jones, her four young children and her 11 year brother, pivoted between watching the performers on stage and the protestors holding signs behind them—reading “Black Lives Matter”.
“I mean I know it’s Christmas time but voices have to be heard. How do we explain this to our kids? My daughter just asked me ‘mommy why are they saying that?” It’s hard to explain to a five year old what’s going on in the world. They’re not even paying attention to the Christmas music. They’re more worried about what’s going on over here and wanting to join in.
Her 11-year-old brother, Darelle, was particularly eager and said that he felt the Staten island grand jury decision not to indict the accused officer was “unfair.”
I mean I know it’s Christmas time but voices have to be heard. How do we explain this to our kids?--Domique Hooker.
On a quiet street in Brookline, far from the clamor of the demonstrations and even further from the scenes of police killings in New York and Missouri, Brendan Saunders is deeply impacted by the discussion. This black father has two young black sons.
“One of the things that I think is particularly important for me to educate them about is that number one it exist [racism] and what it is that exist and that is the exploitation of power from a racial profiling perspective. And you know it’s a really fine line. It’s hard to say because no matter what, if there’s an officer out there who’s got an agenda, no matter what you do, you can’t really stop that.”
And even one of the most powerful men in the state –who just happens to be African American –says that the dissuasion has also placed the issue of police –minority relation’s front in center in his mind. Governor Deval Patrick:
“Well, you now I’m not the father of boys but sure I think we’re all still conscious of the fact that sometimes we’re seen differently if we’re doing perfectly innocent things that we’re thought about differently and we need to compensate for that. “
I asked him if he even thinks about that as governor?
“ Of course,” he replied.
And it’s a similar story for Chiquita Hooker pushing one of her sons in a stroller in Somerville. She worries about the other son.
“Well like my seven year old, I try not to discourage him away from the police. Like I don’t want to let him know that they are bad people when they are actually there to help us, but if this is going on and he sees that he’s going to get the wrong message.”
Personal relationships with law enforcement spurred by the Ferguson and Eric Garner incidents are not just taking place in black or brown households.
At a white working-class diner in Roslindale, the Pleasant Café, Tony Caggiano says that discussion that he’s had with his sons has come up again in recent days.
“You know I grew up, my parents were very strict. You respected the police because they were they’re to protect you. And that was the way I was brought up. And so I have no qualms about it. I tell my son the same thing. ‘If you get pulled over or something or someone stops ya. You know I go by the rules and that’s it”
But Lisa Thurau, who heads Strategies for Youth, a group that trains police how to deal with young people, says the one message that black kids and their parents are getting from the news of late is that it may not matter what they do to try to defuse a potentially volatile situation with cops. Thurau points to Ferguson as an example:
“The parents of a teenage African American boy, I don’t know what advice they can give anymore. In this case Michael brown put his hands up in the air. I don’t know what other sign of submission, acquiescence and agreement police officers expect from kids.”
Meanwhile, back on the Common, John Millspaugh from Medford –a Unitarian minister walking with his three-year old son—holds up a sign with the photo of a 12 year old black kid shot by a policeman in Cleveland who had been fired from another police department.
The boys’ name was Tamir E. Rice. He was killed by the Cleveland police officer while allegedly reaching for a toy gun.
“I’m here specifically because of this 12 year old boy, but I think in our national conversation we are getting caught up in the specifics of the accounts of how black young men and men are being killed rather than paying attention to the overall pattern, and that’s what I hope that we as a nation can be paying attention to.”
At Thursday night’s tree lighting ceremony on the Boston Common, Sheryl Sneed of Malden said nothing is normal for her any longer. She came to the tree lighting ceremony, as she does every year, to take in the sights and sounds of Christmas, but ended up holding a sign she borrowed from protesters reading “black lives matter” "This just seemed more important," she said with tears in her eyes.
