President Obama speaks at the Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center during a visit to Camden, N.J., May 18. Obama also banned the federal government from providing some military-style equipment to local police departments and put much stricter controls on others. (Amy Newman, The Record via The Associated Press)
As President Obama’s recent remarks in Camden, N.J., underscored, the police drama playing out on the streets of America may have a single root cause: lack of trust. Many black citizens don’t trust the man (police, government, the media), and the man in some cases doesn’t trust black citizens.
As zen master Phil Jackson, erstwhile coach of the Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls, often told his players about carrying guns, “Like attracts like.” In other words, the violent potential energy latent in those guns actually magnetizes violence rather than repelling it. The same can be said for distrust. Few people, under the agitated gaze of suspicion, will endeavor to be worthy of trust, but will likely live up to expectations and behave badly.
If police officers can extend the benefit of the doubt to everyone they encounter, reduce racial profiling and reach out to have genuine conversations with residents, that spirit will in turn attract more benevolent attitudes and behaviors from the public.
David Scott, Denver
This letter was published in the May 27 edition.
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