Why black cops are now racist

a meta-examination of media narratives

Van Jones recently penned an opinion column at CNN entitled "Opinion: The police who killed Tyre Nichols were Black. But they might still have been driven by racism"

What happened?

Police in Memphis, Tennessee released graphic footage of four officers beating a man in their custody to death. The officers involved are no longer on the force, and have been charged with murder. With the release of the footage, cities braced for unrest, and many media outlets have framed this as another example of the systemic racism and white supremacy found in American Police. This is being argued despite, all the officers involved were also black, as well as the Memphis Chief of Police. Let's examine how this can be.

From Rodney King to Tyre Nichols

Jones opens his piece by remembering the LA Riots and the televised beating of Rodney King by four white officers before pivoting to the case of Tyre Nichols killed by four black officers. According to Jones,

"the narrative “White cop kills unarmed Black man” should never have been the sole lens through which we attempted to understand police abuse and misconduct. It’s time to move to a more nuanced discussion of the way police violence endangers Black lives."

He goes on to say that anti-black opinions can be held by black people just as easily as they can be held by white people. This is to say black people can still be victims of white supremacy and racist thought concluding

"At the end of the day, it is the race of the victim who is brutalized — not the race of the violent cop — that is most relevant in determining whether racial bias is a factor in police violence. It’s hard to imagine five cops of any color beating a White person to death under similar circumstances. And it is almost impossible to imagine five Black cops giving a White arrestee the kind of beat-down that Nichols allegedly received.

In short, racial animus can still be a factor, even when the perpetrators are all Black. And that’s especially true if these actions are a part of a broader pattern and practice within the Memphis Police Department.

It’s a sad fact, but one that’s old as time itself: People often oppress people who look just like them. The vast majority of human rights abuses are committed by people who look exactly like the people they are abusing."

Jones ends his piece arguing more oversight is needed in police departments regardless of the race of their officers or else "we’ll continue to see stomach-churning acts of police violence against Black men — by cops of every color."

Black Lives Matter speaks out

A similar sentiment though more radical conclusion was found in a statement from The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation:

"Five police officers brutally beat Tyre to death. Although the media has spent a great amount of time drawing attention to the fact that the police officers are Black, as if that is important, let us be clear: ALL police represent the interest of capitalism and impel state-sanctioned violence. Anyone who works within a system that perpetuates state-sanctioned violence is complicit in upholding white supremacy. Assimilation into a system that is anti-Black is one of the most dangerous weapons stemming from white supremacy.

This moment affirms what we’ve known all along: Reform doesn’t work. Incremental progress is too slow. Diversifying a police department will not work. No police department, no matter how diverse, can ever overcome the reality that it is a direct descendant of slave patrols. Police will never keep our communities safe. Our call to defund the police includes ending traffic stops for minor traffic violations and removing police from traffic interactions."

Narrative Discipline

If you've been subscribed to BeenAwake.com you should be familiar with the concept of narrative discipline where

"The boundaries of debate are clearly set so players know where not to tread. When those boundaries prove to be inaccurate you may change them, but only by establishing new boundaries that no one may step outside.” This is to say, narrative discipline is the means by which the press and government set what an “acceptable opinion” is."

The beating of Tyre Nichols, with the evidence available, seems to show an unjust killing. While the trial of the officers will give us a fuller picture - it is at least understandable why people would be upset. There's just one problem - it doesn't seem to fit the broader narrative. After all, if White Supremacy and racism are to blame - how can the offenders be black? Jones and BLM expand the parameters of acceptable opinion while maintaining ideological coherence by removing the "blackness" from the officers involved. Per Jones - they are themselves a kind of victim turning on their on. Per BLM - by being police officers they no longer have claim to oppression and therefore are perpetrators of it.

Commies gonna commie

I'll admit, the video of the beating was difficult to watch. There's very little fun in watching a seemingly innocent person being beaten within an inch of his life by police. What I find even more distasteful is how in the current media climate one can't even feel sorry because someone died. Both Van Jones, and BLM are heavily influenced by a Marxist perspective that sorts everyone between oppressed and oppressor. While often times this is put in racial terms - it is not a betrayal of the underlying philosophy to expand the category. It matters very little whether people see through the ruse, your belief is not required only your compliance.

As I quipped to a friend who sent me the BLM statement "commies gonna commie."