Latest in a series of posts on the George Floyd killing
Peter Crownfield is officially retired but spends most of his time working with students in his role as internship coordinator for the Alliance for Sustainable Communities–Lehigh Valley.
Very well put, Breena!
I am very glad that the Bethlehem Police Department modeled a calm attitude and, for the most part, ensured that protesters could have their say. However, that is not enough.
The current crisis presented a great opportunity for both the Mayor and the Police Chief to note that Bethlehem does have some racial problems and that they are not new — and to describe what they have done to improve policing and city efforts. Both the Mayor and the Police Chief could have referred to the incidents you mentioned and earlier incidents described back in 2018, when Bethlehem held a forum on racial justice. After the pleasant, reassuring words from the panelists, several members of the audience described several incidents of racial profiling and worse. At that time, both the mayor and the police chief seemed very surprised to learn this was going on. (‘Bethlehem forum on race calls for training, respect’, Express-Times, 23 August 2018).
If you want a ‘powerful statement’, I recommend Tamika Mallory’s statement in Minneapolis! The following link begins with her statement and also includes a deeper interview. [www.youtube.com/watch?v=VI7uvc8-e7g]
Peter
Very well put, Peter! Breena’s words should be supported. The Mayor and Police Chief should be held to a higher standard than they are exhibiting.