Officer Editor's Blog: A Protesting Police Chief?

When Richmond, CA Chief of Police Chris Magnus joined protestors holding a sign that said #BlackLivesMatter he was absolutely right… and perceived as wrong.  How can someone be both? It’s easier than you might think.

He was absolutely right: Black Lives Matter.  Given the mainstream media focus on Ferguson, MO, New York, NY and anywhere else they can find an instance of a police use of force that could be twisted or sensationalized to seem, at best, out of balance or, at worst, a criminally excessive use of force, it’s not a surprise that our nation is seeing a resurgence of “civil rights” marches.  For a Chief of Police to go and join in a peaceful protest, to show his support for the beliefs of the protestors, may be an incredibly smart and strategic move.  Perhaps his presence will be remembered and the next time one of his officers has a complaint filed, or someone is thinking about filing a complaint, the Chief’s presence will make the citizen reconsider.  Or perhaps not. Either way, I still feel the Chief is right: Black Lives Matter.

I also believe the Chief was wrong.  Now, let me preface my opinion with the statement that this is exactly that: MY OPINION.  The Chief may surely disagree with me, as can anyone else in the world.  The beauty of writing an opinion blog is that it doesn’t have to be justified: it’s just a statement of what I believe.  In this case, I believe that the Chief was not only absolutely right but also wrong.  His posted and represented outlook about Black Lives Matter is correct.  His presence in a protest against the police could easily be interpreted as HIM being against the police – and given his leadership role, that would be absolutely wrong.

According to the article cited (http://www.officer.com/news/11789956/northern-california-police-chief-joins-peaceful-protest) the Chief and his command staff agreed that a police leadership presence to convey the outlook that black and brown lives matter, was an important step toward healing the communications rift that exists between police and citizens – of color or otherwise.

I think, had the Chief been holding a sign that said “#ALL Lives Matter” his statement might have been perceived better by those “on the other side of the issue;” the police officers in our nation who feel wrongly targeted for simply doing their job and defending their own lives so they can go home at the end of their shift.  And make no mistake, that’s all Officer Darren Wilson was doing: defending his life.  That Michael Brown was unarmed didn’t make him less than a lethal threat.  Chief Magnus’ presence in a protest against police use of force implies that he feels Officer Wilson acted incorrectly; and that, perhaps, Officer Wilson’s life isn’t of the same value as Michael Brown’s was.  THAT may be a totally unintended yet understandably perceived insult to those officers who support Officer Wilson.

Instead of joining in a protest against police use of force, especially since it was a protest against police use of force but only on “black or brown” people, I think it might have been better for the Chief to lead an effort to educate citizens as to WHY cops sometimes have to JUSTIFIABLY use force and why, in those instances, THE COP IS NOT WRONG FOR DEFENDING HIS LIFE.

I think the Chief missed out on an opportunity to start a dialogue by carrying a sign that said #ALL Lives Matter.  How could anyone debate that?  Anyone who did would automatically offer a chance for the Chief to ask, “What makes one person’s life of greater value than another?"  EVERY American has the right of self-defense.  NO ONE should be legally bound to become a victim, limited in what actions they can take to defend their own lives.  Grand Juries hear evidence to determine whether or not the actions of the defending victim were criminal and to refer charges if they were.  If not, the defending victim gets cleared of any criminal wrong doing.  That’s exactly what happened in both Ferguson and New York.

But let’s consider another point of view as well: that of the protestors.  If the Chief HAD gone out to join them with a sign that said #ALL Lives Matter, would he have been welcomed?  If so, I doubt it would have been as warmly.  His posted outlook that all lives are of equal value might not have been as accepted.  It implies that citizen lives are no more important… nor any less important than police lives.  Many of those protestors, if not most of them, seem to be of the opinion that the lives of citizens are of greater value than the lives of police officers.  The protestors seem to feel that officers should willingly accept their own death rather than defending themselves in any way that MIGHT cause the death, or serious bodily harm, to the attacking CRIMINAL.

Yes, when you think about it that way, the protestors seem to be saying that the lives of criminals, in the midst of committing violent actions, are of greater value than the lives of the cops who go out and risk their lives to defend the lives of innocent victims or themselves.  Do you think Chief Magnus thought about the chance that his presence in such a protest might be construed as a statement that citizens matter more than cops?  That the lives of the people in his community are worth more than the lives of the police officers he leads?

I don’t know Chief Magnus but I can guarantee you that he did not intend ANY implication of reduction in the value of his officers’ lives.  I can guarantee you that he DID NOT mean to imply that black lives are more important than any other lives.  I suspect he was simply doing what he and his command staff thought was a good idea: supporting a group of citizens holding a peaceful protest in such a way as to say, “We, the police, care about you too and you’re right to demand moral and legal treatment.”

Any other assumptions are exactly that: assumptions.  And you know the old saying: If you ASSUME something you make an ASS of U and ME.  Don’t do that.  Take his actions at face value and consider how you’d do things different if you were in his shoes.  If you’re NOT in his shoes, don’t make assumptions and judgments.

Stay safe.