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Ron Jackson's Perspective
The Sunday Journal -
Think
Kankakee, Illinois
May 18, 2003
Past city woes hard
to expunge |
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It should be a very exciting
time for the city of Kankakee as it prepares for its
sesquicentennial observance. Acknowledging 150 years of growth
and progress is cause for celebration. Not for everyone,
though.
According to one elected Kankakee representative,
something hasn't changed in over 40 years. That something,
according to Alderman James Cox, is police harassment and brutality.
Since a black male was shot by a white city police
officer a few weeks ago, a cry of racism has raised its ugly head
again. I guess some things don't change.
In a democratic municipality such as ours, citizens
have the right to cry racism, even if unsubstantiated.
However, that makes it difficult for those who have been wronged to
come forth. For an elected official to lead these charges is
another problem altogether. In 2003 we would hope every member
of city government would work with the police instead of
antagonizing the whole force. The mayor, aldermen and city
police share the same building. It would seem they would share
the same mission to serve and protect the citizens of Kankakee.
Every time a police weapon is discharged, an
investigation follows. That is pretty much standard procedure
throughout police forces nationwide. We should expect nothing
less here. Yet, before the spent casings could be gathered for
testing, we have an elected official acting more like Al Sharpton,
who could turn a delicious vanilla and chocolate swirl ice cream
cone into a race issue, than a leader calling for level heads to
prevail until an investigation is completed.
To indict publicly the entire police force as racist
for one incident is as wrong and irresponsible as it would be for me
to call all black clergy in Kankakee violence mongers because of one
incident, or for any white official to say all black males between
the ages of 18-24 are thugs.
Police harassment of citizens of any color is "conduct
unbecoming a police officer." For a city alderman to resort to
race-baiting and inciting public unrest should be deemed "conduct
unbecoming of an elected representative."
It would be naive to think that there are no cops who
might bring shame to the badge of the Kankakee Police Department.
Citizens who feel they have been mistreated by police should take
the appropriate steps at the right time to have their concerns
addressed.
It would be just as naive to think that out of 14 city
representatives, we wouldn't find at least one with less than
questionable leadership ability. There are bad apples in every
bushel.
If this situation isn't nipped in the bud soon, the
city of Kankakee stands to have its reputation tarnished for another
150 years. The credibility of its government leaders may be
questioned. The perpetuation of police stereotyped as racist
may continue for another 40 years. City public safety hearings
risk becoming like Jerry Springer shows where citizens can make
undocumented allegations against police. A 14-year-old may
hear that an elected official said Kankakee cops harass and
brutalize blacks, and may pass this along to someone who may pass it
along to someone else in 2153.
Much has surely changed in Kankakee in the past 150
years whether some of us want to see it or not.
Let the Sesquicentennial continue. We can't let
one bad anything spoil the whole show. |
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