Black Coooop! Black Cop! Black Cop! Black Cop!
In the police murder of Tyre Nicols we have yet another example of white supremacy being upheld and carried out by it’s servants who are also it’s targets.
“Here's what the West and the East have in common
Both have black cops in cars profilin
Hardcore kids in the West got stress
In the East we are chased by the same black beast
The black cop is the only real obstacle
Black slave turned black cop is not logical
But it's very psychological, haven't you heard?
It's the BLACK COP killin black kids in Johannesburg”
On January 7th, around 8:30 p.m., a young Black man, Tyre Nicols, was stopped for alleged reckless driving, and then, sickeningly, we all know the rest. A needless scuffle, a fearful innocent Black man terrified for his life, and the subsequent beating/shooting/choking insert violent act resulting in a murder at the hands of those who are sworn to “serve and protect”. To add further insult to injury, the five officers involved—Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills, Jr., and Justin Smith—are all Black men, three of which were members of a divine nine organization, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. Would this be constituted as “Black on Black crime”? No matter how baseless that idea is, the irony of Black law enforcement officers who are also members of an all-Black service organization being the direct cause of death to another Black body isn’t lost on me or others. Everything around this tragedy is sad, horrifying, and discombobulating.
The termination of the five officers after a very quick investigation was met with a mixed response of both relief and suspicion, seeing that all involved, including the officer in charge, are Black. As well, the very quick and immediate release of video footage showing the gruesome attack, while consistent with many of these types of murders in recent memory, drew extra derision because of how quick it was made available. A strange call for unfairly immediate justice in this case simply because the perpetrators were Black also became a topic of debate. Still others decried the role of “Q’s” (a nickname for members of Omega Psi Phi) in a senseless act of murder against another Black man. Everything around the case has caused anger, confusion, and schisms within the Black community as we watch in horror as brother kills brother and pays the price at the hands of a “white” system.
Broadly speaking, I wish there was never a need to discuss this; police murder, the unfair treatment, and death of a Black body. The usual tropes also have become well-worn ground trodden over again and again. What were the reasons behind the attack? Why? What are the causes? Were these the singular acts of a few “bad cops” or symptomatic of a failed “system”? Is the system “racist” or merely just flawed and in need of correction, be it training, recruitment, or other? Is this the fault of the victim? The community, and its lack of safety leading to over policing? When I see this case, and specifically this case that involves exclusively Black bodies, as both innocent and villain. As target, victim, and the guilty, it reminds me most of KRS’s poignant 1993 song, “Black Cop, '' lamenting his brothers not to be the tools of a system that's only purpose is our elimination. We know that, as KRS alludes to in “Black Cop,” since slavery, the master used us as an enforcer against our own. We know that the history of the police is rooted in slavery and class warfare. We know that the criminal “justice” system is a means and a way to terrorize and incite targeted populations. We know that the negative stereotypes, tropes and profiles as a people we’ve internalized to the extent we have acted against our own community interests. The truth is none of this is coincidence; there is too much empirical, historical, and quantitative evidence that supports these beliefs. And yet, in 2023, mad kids still be getting tense.
So, as always, what’s next? What is the answer? Many aspects of defunding police are misunderstood or misreported; most of all that it would make communities unsafe. My question is, has policing genuinely made us safer in the first place ever? That idea becomes even more perverted when the face leering over a prone Black body is another Black face. The idea and concept of defunding police is to recognize that de-escalation should be the standard modus operandi in all but the most violent and dangerous situations. That regardless of training, implicit bias means that innocent civilians are under threat regardless if the officer looks like them or not. The deeper and harder thing for all of us to grasp, however, and something that comes into clear focus in this case, is that white supremacy is designed to utilize us as a weapon against ourselves, something the Blast Master knew and expressed explicitly in “Black Cop.” If there is anything positive or of note for me to come from this recent tragedy, it would be at the very least to consider what does a community response look like to “criminal” issues that could at least see more of us invested in an alternative idea of “policing”.
KRS-One’s song is a powerful piece that still speaks to us today. The fact that, more than thirty years later, its social relevance still rings true is a wonder. The song detailing the master plan behind white supremacy “policing” our own that dates back to the very days of slavery, with Black “overseers” meant to keep other slaves in line, feels even more relevant now. The thing that needs to be understood is a system which by design was meant for the elimination of one race with the dominance of another can only maintain and thrive if as many people are complicit within it. White and Black. Man and Woman. The officers in this instance did as they were intended, and as intended for them, their race would be a strike that even the shield of their badge wouldn’t be able to withstand. White Supremacy takes no breaks, works overtime, and is perfect in its design. Its purpose and goal is the destruction of Black and Brown people in whole—their hearts, minds, bodies, and spirits. Their humanity is in its control and then ultimately completely and unceremoniously stripped away. No matter what side of the line you are on.
