Profiling, Prejudice, & Papa Ho

A THIN (NON)BLUE LINE or GOD BLESS PAPA HO:

Those who think they know me are aware that I work in law enforcement. They are aware that my father was once a police lieutenant. Thus, in any situation involving alleged police brutality or misuse of power, they assume I will always side with the man with the badge and gun. Those that really know me are aware that I don’t walk a thin blue line. The line I walk has no color.

Prior to being a police officer, my father was a soldier. He fought in Viet Nam. Prior to being an emergency dispatcher, I was a Captain in the United States Army. This background comes part and parcel with lots of moving about all over the world. In such an environment one interacts with persons of all races, creeds, cultures, sizes, shapes and religions. Guess what: People are people pretty much everywhere.

Some of my fondest childhood memories center around a little elderly Chinese man I knew as Papa Ho. I attended the first and second grades at Taipei American School. Papa Ho was our landlord and ran a small store off the rear of the home our family rented from him. I’m really not sure how old Papa Ho actually was at the time, but While Martin Luther King was preaching about racial equality and hopes for peace between whites and blacks in this nation, a runty little American boy who was so small for his age people barely thought he should be out of the house, was learning about culture by riding around the Peoples Republic of China on the back of a little motor scooter behind a little old wizened Chinese man. Boy, the stares we did get – especially after I contracted a rare foot disease there and ended up in a cast unable to walk for over a year. I marveled at giant Buddha statues where, as with a particular lady in a harbor, one could walk inside and climb to the top to look out the eyes. Giant dragons in street parades. Open markets with produce and goods laid out all over – including meats and fish hung and festooned with buzzing flies. I also experienced many stares of flabbergasted Asian persons who couldn’t figure out for the life of them what that tiny American boy was doing with Papa Ho. I loved Papa Ho unequivocally and with all my heart – May he Rest in Peace.

Still, Taiwan was not all sweetness and light. Our family had two small dogs we named Dixie and Bullet. My siblings and I rescued these two little fluff balls from a construction site where they were dumped and huddling under a pile of wood and trash. Those dogs were family. Eventually that family expanded when Dixie had a litter of pups. One day when our family was out someone climbed our fence and poisoned that litter of pups, all of whom died. As you may know, most Asian cultures don’t differentiate between dogs and other animals. Dog to the average Chinese person is a meat animal just as is a cow or pig to us Americans. It’s a cultural difference. Still, despite any problems a crippled little white boy had with what he considered the “murder” of his puppies, I know that my guardian angel is just as likely a little Chinese man with a twinkle in his eye and a ready smile as it is anyone named Michael or Peter.

After a few years back in the good old USA my father was deployed to Germany. I attended 4th and 5th grade in Frankfurt Germany. While I freely admit that Germany’s recent history is checkered, I had no trouble there. I think the Nazi party thrived more here after the end of WWII than it did in Germany. That aside, the Germans build gorgeous castles, brew fantastic beer, make great gummi candies and are generally wonderful people.

Admittedly, I was still quite young when my father retired from the Army and became a police officer in Florida. I lived in the retired old-farts state from adolescence through college. Then came my own military experience. After college and being commissioned a lieutenant in the Army, my first port of call was a year in the mountainous terrain of South Korea. I was stationed less than 35 miles from the DMZ – Demilitarized Zone – which separated our ally South Korea from its troublesome neighbor North Korea. During that year I lifted many a beer with Mama San and Papa San. My wife even came over for a three month visit. We shopped in Itaewan in Seoul, Korea. I had friends that were Korean, and still do. South Korea, like Taiwan, has a fascinating culture, albeit an economically depressed one. Mind you, that was late 1985 through 1986. I watched the Challenger Shuttle blow up on AFKN – Armed Forces Korea Network.

After Korea, and some time back stateside, I returned to Germany as an adult. This was during the original Desert Storm in the early 1990’s My unit spent a lot of time in the field training reserve units prior to their being deployed to Iraq. Still, I did find time to explore the land, meet its people, and learn its culture at a more adult level. Germany has some of the greatest architecture I’ve ever seen. I wish we had castles like that here and some actual variety to our architecture. Whoever coined the term “Anytown USA” was right.

So what do I know of prejudice, you ask? Well, I have been the victim of it in every single one of the places and cultures mentioned above as well as some others. You think white Americans are universally beloved in Korea? Certainly not. In Taiwan? No. In Germany? Better but certainly not the best. As a perceived rich (don’t I wish) white American in a poor Asian world I was the object of scorn and hate from many in Korea. I have been cussed at for being white. I have been pushed on and abused due to being white. I have also been befriended and loved – not for being white, but for being a fellow human being. Always, my mind returns to Papa Ho. That wonderful little man happily ignored the stares, ridicule, and sometimes scorn of his fellows because he was emotionally attached to a runty little wide eyed American boy. I met some Koreans who reminded me of Papa Ho, and some who reminded me of those who would glare at him because of his association with me. Koreans are human. Like every other culture, some are nice and some aren’t. And yes, there are some Germans who most certainly don’t like Americans either. There are also many who do. And there are many more that don’t care what country you came from as long as you’re a good guy. None of that though, matched my true introduction to being the victim of racial prejudice.

Upon exiting military service, some plans fell through due to the state of the economy at the time. My family found itself in some very tight straits. Due to this, for two years my family lived in government subsidized housing – in areas that were predominantly populated by African Americans. At first I didn’t worry too much because my personal experiences with people of all types, races, cultures, and beliefs, had been by and large positive. What I knew in my heart was simply that people were people regardless of their color. That was, unfortunately, an overly optimistic – even naïve –outlook. Some of those people in the neighborhood were very nice and I have some good memories. Most of that experience was, suffice to say, horrible. During the two years I lived in a poor black neighborhood my children were bullied relentlessly. My seven year old son was constantly called cracker and other names and pushed around. A sixteen year old black girl who was as tall as me thought it was her God given right to continually smack my little boy on the back of his head. Why? Because he was white and because she could. A group of black women tried to force their way into my home once because a child claimed my wife had said or done something she had not. If she had not dialed 911 while trying to hold the door against what was actually an attempted home invasion, she probably would have ended up in the hospital. I was asleep at the time because I worked nights. When I was awakened by my wife I walked up the street to speak with the parents in question. Again, my naïve outlook was that I could talk reasonably with these people, parent to parent, despite our skin colors. Silly me. Shortly, I found myself surrounded by a group of black persons who were throwing stones and skates and other such items at me while cussing at me and calling me every name but Andy. A much larger group of black persons stood around and watched, doing nothing until one courageous man “rescued” me from that situation. Yes, my “rescuer” was also black and escorted me back to my house for my own safety. I walked away bleeding despite the fact that I did not raise a fist back to a single one of them. Possibly because I doubt I would have survived had I done so. Why did this occur? Because I had the temerity to ask the mother of a black child to please speak with her son about the racial slurs he constantly directed at my children. What did the cops do? Nothing. Fifteen or so African Americans said the white guy was lying.

My brother was visiting us one day in this same neighborhood. Yes, he’s as white as me. Standing in the front yard of my own house, my older brother was speaking with some neighbors. A pleasant chat it seemed. A young black male ran up, snatched my brothers gold chain right off his neck, breaking the clasp in the process, and ran off. Our bicycles, which were kept chained to our porch railings, were stolen. A couple of young African Americans got true joy out of riding mine and my wife’s bicycles up and down the street in front of our house while laughing at us. What did the cops do? Deputies told me that despite the fact that my Social Security Number was scratched on the frame, they couldn’t do anything about my flagrantly stolen bicycles because I didn’t know the serial numbers.

When we moved out of the neighborhood, vandals in the area demolished our car. On the first night we spent in our new place in a slightly, but not much, better neighborhood, our car was left next to the old place overnight. They took sledge hammers to the roof of my family car and caved it in. They wrecked the engine. They flattened all four tires. They turned a fairly reliable decent car to a pile of scrap. Why? Because we were white and had the temerity to move into their neighborhood. When asked later by a police officer why we never bothered to report the vandalism of our vehicle I told this officer that what police had told me repeatedly over the previous two years still held true. There was nothing they could legally do when twenty or more black persons all swear the one white guy is the liar. Yes, I do know something about being racially profiled and discriminated against. I know something about being the victim of racially motivated violence. I also have some experience with not being protected by the cops whose job it is to do so, despite the fact that I worked for a police department. This was all during 1994, 1995 time frame.

Know what was fascinating? During this time I was dispatching for a police department across the river. One morning I was pulled over by two deputies… Cops. You know - badges, guns and all that? These two white deputy sheriffs told me that I must be selling or buying drugs because otherwise I wouldn’t be in such an area, even to live. When I told them I worked for a police department and was on my way to work they still accused me of being a drug dealer and said I was lying about it because I worked for a police department and was afraid of losing my job. They even searched my car. To be fair I gave them permission for the search since I had no reason not to. Upon finding a candy wrapper they told me they believed it was the corner of a baggy which had probably contained drugs. All this despite the fact that the white dress shirt I wore for work prominently displayed a city police department patch on the sleeve. What thin blue line?? Admittedly, they did not push me around or beat on me but they most certainly racially profiled me. A white man in this area must be a criminal. Sound familiar?

Again, however, there were good people in the same area able to look beyond skin color and befriend us. When I took my family to Georgia to see my dying mother, it was a lovely African American woman from a couple doors over that watched over our house for us. She came to us prior to our departure professing worry about the safety of our property during our absence because her teenagers had overheard some of the neighborhood teens planning a break in while we were gone. This wonderful black woman kept our home and belongings safe for us while we were out of town visiting my dying mother. Yes, there are good persons all over, as there are bad. Still I have seen prejudice and been racially profiled. I don’t care if you want to call it “Reverse Discrimination” – prejudice is prejudice.

Throughout all the above I have had friends that were American, Korean, Chinese, German, yankee, southerner, black, white, Asian, Hispanic…., etc. I have friends that are Christian, friends that are Buddhist, and friends that are Jewish. Point is – they are all friends of mine and never have I seen any difference in their humanity based on where they came from or what color their skin is. Even today, three of the best friends I have ever had in my entire life are black. On my wedding day, the rather large man standing next to me and standing up for me – the one known as the best man – was a black man. They are not my friends because they are black. They are my friends because they are wonderful people who, like me, are able to look beyond race and other dividers and see the individual behind it. This outlook still governs the manner in which I view the world. When I look at a person I see a person. I don’t see a white man. I don’t see a black man. I don’t see anything but an individual.

Yes, I still dispatch police. That doesn’t mean I have lost my life long affliction - color blindness. Perhaps that should be labelled as race blindness. I still don’t care what your race, national, or religious background is. I never will. I will, however, respect said backgrounds. Those that respect me, have my respect in turn. Those that don’t, I just don’t associate with. That color blindness includes blue. When a cop is wrong, he’s wrong. When a cop is right, he’s right. And when he’s just trying to do his job to the best of his ability and protect citizens who scorn him because he’s of the blue race… well, what can you do? Yes, there are cops who don’t like black people. Yes, there are cops who don’t like white people, or Hispanic people, or Native Americans, or Asians… whatever. But, in my twenty six plus years (39 if you want to count when I was the child of a cop) of experience with law enforcement I have found the same thing with cops as I do with most other demographics. They are human. Most do their best to protect and serve. Some don’t. Some abuse their power. Most don’t.

So, a while days back I saw a very dear friend of mine share a post about the death of Eric Garner. I replied to said post with what I believed was an unbiased opinion based on the sequence of events I saw occur in what is now a very famous video. My dear friend replied to me with a statement that he does not believe he could have a reasonable discussion on this topic with me. I wonder why? Because I’m white? Because I work in law enforcement? Or because this dear friend had made up his mind totally already and was warning me that he would not be willing to have a reasonable discussion on this topic with anyone whose opinion didn’t match his? Yes, this friend is a black man who lives in New York. A black man that I love like a brother. His family I consider family to me. Most likely, I should have just shut up completely. Still, I prefer to maintain an open mind and encourage open discussion and the airing of opinions in a nonjudgmental way. So I have made several posts on the subject of the current racial tension that had been brought to a head by the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner.

The problem, it seems to me and in my direct experience, is that the predominant mass of African Americans , at least in lower middle class and poor communities, do not affect color-blindness. They certainly didn’t when my family was profiled and reviled for being white. They look at a video involving a black man being injured or killed during arrest and that’s all they see. Cops and a black man. They should see police officers and suspects. Judge the events themselves, and come to a reasonable conclusion. No, I’m not here to defend the cops and swear they never profile blacks or commit abuses of power. Of course it happens. That has never been in doubt. But, I have recently been told several times that “It’s never the white man holding the chips and soda who gets shot.” Interesting quote of a man whose opinion I happen to value highly. It has been said that police abuses of power and profiling NEVER happen to white people. Well, guess what, it happens to persons of all races. It’s not only blacks who have been beaten or killed resisting arrest. Trust my over 26 years of direct experience to attest to that. If not, then look up all the pertinent statistics yourself – not just those where a black person was hurt. Does it happen more often to blacks than other races? Yes it does. Probably because there is statistically a higher rate of violent crime in poor black neighborhoods as compared to most others. Where there is more violent crime there are more scared cops as well as people who hate cops and anyone representing law enforcement. Where there are more persons who hate cops there are more nervous and paranoid cops who sometimes overreact and get overzealous. Also, yes, there are indeed some cops who just don’t like black people. There are some who do too. Most just want to enforce the law regardless and try to serve their community.

Witness some of the recent posts about atrocities that occurred during the race riots in the 1960’s as well as earlier. Many horrible atrocities were committed against the black race by the whites. Absolutely. But, millions of white persons also put their lives and livelihood on the line to fight against that same discrimination. Many white people fought and marched alongside the blacks. That was a part of The Dream. But all that was a long time ago. The earliest date I recall seeing posted was 1969. Okay, 50 years isn’t that long in the larger scheme. But, can a 20 year old black man claim to have the right to hate all the white race because of history that is at least 50 years old and most much much older?

As pointed out above, I have personally been the victim of racial discrimination as well as abuse of police power. It’s in the past where I prefer to leave it. My own experiences don’t give me the right to go out and blatantly abuse the rights and property of black persons just because of what I went through before. And I certainly don’t have the right to commit property destruction and random violence on innocent persons because somewhere back in history some ancestor of mine was either enslaved or an indentured servant. And yes, while not in the USA specifically, there are many historical instances of white slavery being a common practice. The atrocities being touted all over the internet and other media outlets such as photos of black persons horribly mutilated and murdered by whites during race riots in the 1960’s… Yes, they happened. I didn’t do it. I don’t know anyone who did. Neither do most of the persons who are using those historical facts as an excuse to commit current crimes.

Eric Garner and Michael Brown? Their deaths were tragic. Were they victims of abuse of power by law enforcement? Maybe. I personally don’t think so – not those two particular instances. Apparently grand juries, and even many black persons including some of the witnesses to the two deaths, agreed. Those particular acts were deemed legally to not be criminal. But the officer that choked Eric Garner was fired. He lost his job for violation of policy in that he used a choke hold. Mr Garner died of an asthma attack brought on by the choke hold. That’s a horrible tragedy. Still, I wonder if he would be alive today if he had put his hands behind his back when the officer went to cuff him. He could have had his say in court.

Eric Garner. An overzealous police officer used a choke hold on a man who was not being actively violent. But, that was a very large man who was indeed resisting arrest. Police didn’t shoot, taze or beat Eric Garner. The officers were trying to get him to the ground so they could handcuff him. Given the sequence of events I saw on the video tape, it is my own opinion that the officers would not have acted differently had the very large suspect been pink, purple, white, or yellow either. Did the choke hold contribute to this man’s death? Undoubtedly, in that it precipitated the asthma attack which ultimately killed Eric Garner. Do I believe the officer had foreknowledge of Eric Garner’s medical condition? No, I don’t. I don’t believe that officer intended to kill Eric Garner. That officer had no possible way of knowing that his attempts to subdue this suspect would lead to the man’s death. This was a tragic accident. But in my opinion, it was not murder. The grand jury agrees. The other instance – Michael Brown – I believe the facts of his case should speak for themselves. Mr. Brown robbed a store and attacked a police officer. Mr. Brown attempted to grab the officer’s gun and was in the process of trying to charge said officer with obvious intent to commit grievous bodily harm on the officer when he was shot. The officer repeatedly tried to get Michael Brown to STOP attacking. I really doubt that anyone would have had any problem with that officer’s actions had Michael Brown been any color but black. Just my opinion, but my experiences seem to justify that opinion. Despite the fact that this officer acted out of avowed self- defense and was not found guilty of anything, not even violating department policy, the officer quit the force and moved. That career was ended. This was a personal decision albeit a hard one. But I believe it was the right one for that officer as an individual. The target painted on that officers face was so huge and glaringly fluorescent that I doubt he would have survived very long. Or, if not hurt or killed by a vengeful person, the officer still would not have been able to perform his duty to protect and serve. The populace would not have allowed it.

Just because in these two particular instances the actions of the police officers involved were not deemed to be criminal acts by the grand jury – are you going to tell me that no officer is ever indicted and tried, and even convicted, in cases of racial profiling and abuse of power? Many have been. Open your web browser and your mind and look.

Let’s arrest, try, and convict those who commit the crimes – be they regular citizens or cops. I’m fine with that. My thin line isn’t blue. I will happily convict a cop whom I believe has been shown to be guilty of any such abuse of power. I will also happily acquit one I believe was making an honest attempt to do his or her job to the best of their ability and did not intend harm.

Instead of focusing on the past and following the political agendas of glory seekers who wish to profit from overblowing such tragedies and taking them out of context, let’s focus on finding peaceful ways to achieve a truly united United States of America. Let’s try to figure out better and more peaceful means to end the prejudice and discrimination we all deal with daily. Meanwhile, let’s not destroy the livelihood and property of innocent business owners and their employees in wanton acts of destruction. I’m pretty sure that all those destroyed stores and businesses I’ve seen demolished in rioting were not owned by law enforcement officials guilty of abusing their power. Continuing to perpetuate the violence for which they are stereotypically blamed continues to perpetuate the stereotype… End the cycle.

IF WE CONTINUE TO HOLD TODAY HOSTAGE TO THE ABUSES OF YESTERDAY THEN TOMORROW HAS NO CHANCE.

I walk a thin NON blue line. What color is your line? God Bless Papa Ho – RIP.