CRIMINALIZING RACIAL, ETHNIC OTHERS IN CITIES

ALBANY SWAT: CARELESS ERROR OR PURPOSEFUL CHOICE? 


BY MR 

After the class discussion of the Albany SWAT team’s drill in the Ida J. Yarbrough homes last March, it became clear that there is still a good deal of tension present between ordinary citizens, specifically those living in the housing development when the drill occurred, and the police. The idea that there is a strain on the relationship between the police and the people that they are supposed to work to protect was both shocking as well as maddening to me. Trust and discretion are two of the most important factors that affect how law enforcement can operate, without the trust of the public, no police force can be expected to do the work that needs to be done to the best of their ability. The outcry from the people of Albany after the incident at the Ida B. Yarbrough homes suggested that they not only felt marginalized by the presence of the SWAT unit but ultimately threatened by their decision to perform the drill so close to their homes. The publishing of several scathing articles by the Times Union newspaper made the people’s displeasure with the police quite clear, with the neighborhood being predominantly comprised of African Americans, a lot of the discontent appeared to focus around the idea that it was the intent of the police to make the population feel devalued and intimidate them (Stanforth 2013). After reading The Condemnation of Blackness (2011) by Khalil Gibran Muhammad and now being cognizant that at one point in time black people were “written into crime,” it made me wonder if this structural inequality still exists today.

The drill, as it was planned, was supposed to be a SWAT practice raid of an abandoned apartment complex, located near an apartment complex that was inhabited. During the drill, the Albany SWAT unit was using fake bullets, fake blood, flash grenades and other technology to simulate a real raid (Stanforth 2013). The anger expressed by the people interviewed for the Times Union article did not only appear to stem from the noise and confusion caused by the drill, the demeanor of the police was described as impolite, insensitive and overall showing very little regard for the people of the housing community. As stated in Muhammad’s book (2011), black people were often made to feel degraded and devalued by the police. Muhammad provides evidence of how law enforcement throughout much of the early 20^th century, continuously treated the black population as second-class citizens (Muhammad 2011). Police mistreatment, judges enforcing harsher sentences on whites than blacks, and an overall miscarriage of justice imposed by the criminal justice system upon blacks simply because of their race, illustrates that there has been a lot of potential for African American backlash against the police. Perhaps the reason people were so perturbed and bothered by the SWAT drill was because of what Muhammad described happening to blacks decades ago. There is a feeling among these people who were once marginalized but now have a voice that it is their right and their duty to fight back against what they see as a miscarriage of justice. The public outcry and protests that followed the SWAT drill are indicative of the bad blood that still exists between law enforcement and racial minorities. If Albany SWAT had perhaps conducted themselves in a manner more conducive to getting along with the residents, maybe notifying them beforehand, and not being quite as insensitive during the drill, there would not have been as large of a public uproar. However, one is left to question why Albany Police Department, chose this specific housing project in this specific neighborhood, and these questions will always be hotly contested by community members looking to take a stand against injustice?

Following the articles issued in the Times Union, police chief Steven Krokoff issued this statement: “In light of the ever-increasing threats to communities across the nation, I have directed our department to provide the most up-to-date training in a manner that is as realistic as possible. I certainly did not mean to offend the very people that we are training to protect. In retrospect, it was insensitive to conduct this type of training in the vicinity of occupied residences. We will review how we conduct our neighborhood-based training in the future and include the community in evaluating its appropriateness” (ABC News 10). The desire to protect American cities is no doubt a top priority for every police chief in the country during this period in our nation’s history. The Boston Marathon bombings that took place this April, just a short drive away from Albany, put the police department and SWAT unit on high alert of home-grown terrorism. When it comes to attacks pertaining to terrorism most people have a “not in my neighborhood” attitude, so perhaps Albany PD was simply being hyper-vigilant in its preparation. However, this fact alone still does not justify the choice of location. Hopefully, Albany PD will be more careful about their site selection and truly be aware of the neighborhood surroundings the next time they consider performing a drill. In order to avoid perpetuating these racist policies, such as racial profiling and choosing to perform drills in areas that are densely populated by African Americans, Albany PD should make the decision to police with regard to “sympathy and faith in humanity” rather than “scorn and contempt” such as Muhammad suggests in the last lines of his book (Muhammad 2011). No one should ever be made to feel threatened or diminished by the very force that upholds an oath to safeguard them. With open, direct lines of communication, good community outreach, and a level of compassion, it is possible for the community and the law enforcement agency that protects them to reduce tension on both sides and make their relationship stronger. 

References:

ABC News 10. Albany PD chief apologizes after training exercise upsets residents Recorded March 24 2013. 

         http://www.news10.com/story/21779365/albany-pd-chief-apologizes-after-training-exercise-upsets-residents.

Gibran Muhammad, Khalil. The Condemnation of Blackness. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2011.

Stanforth, Lauren. "Anger Over Unannounced Police Drill." The Times Union, March 26, 2013.