by Rep. Antonio Parkinson —
There has been a lot of conversation revolving around law enforcement’s interactions in Black communities and with people of color.
While in Nashville, during one of these discussions, I was approached by a Republican colleague, who wanted me to know that she was once accused of shoplifting by a member of law enforcement.
After hearing her story, I asked her if she’s ever had a gun pointed at her face and told, “if you move, I will kill your black ass!”
Her response was, “no, but he did accuse me of shoplifting.”
The response told me that she considered her experience equivalent to the traumas experienced by young Black males in Black neighborhoods.
On my social media page, I asked the question: How old were you when an officer pulled a gun on you for the first time?
While not surprised that it happens frequently, I was surprised at the amount of comments and shares that I received from the post.
The almost 400 comments and more than 200 shares at the time of this writing speaks to the importance of the subject but, more important, gave respondents a vehicle to speak to the violent traumas they faced at ages that ranged from as young as nine years to 30 years of age.
Aside from age, what I found interesting was the demographic information of those who responded. While, it was expected that Black males would be the majority of those who responded, I was surprised to see the number of women that had guns pointed in their faces by members of law enforcement.
This element of the post reminded me that the events that led to the murder of Sandra Bland was not an isolated event, but more common than we know.
Additionally, the mental health aspect of having a member of law enforcement to point a loaded gun in your face, while threatening verbally to kill you, is a traumatic event for most.
In many cases in the Black community these traumas are rarely addressed.
When the seeds of violent traumas are planted in the minds of our babies, those seeds continue to grow over the years and begin to bear fruit.
The distrust, anger and perspective of how that now 20-year-old sees and responds to law enforcement is now that of possible fight or flight because of how their early interactions were with law enforcement.
The policies set forth for many years prior to me being elected to the General Assembly has created a deep framework into the fabric of our state and nation that empowers law enforcement to act in the manor that has become the norm in black households.
The fact that a Black mother has to educate her Black child at a very young age further contributes to the fear and distrust that they associate with the sight of law enforcement.
Most White parents never have to educate their sons on how to interact with officers in their communities.
There is a marked difference in how a Black child or man is treated verses that of White citizens.
(Rep. Antonio Parkinson (D-Memphis) represents District 98. Reach him in Nashville at 615-741-4575 and in Memphis at 901-570-5810.)
