A Long Train of Abuses

The possible racial bias of the San Diego Police department has reared its ugly head again and it cannot be tolerated. Video from the incident, reported in the Union-Tribune on May 4, 2020 (Woman’s arrest at beach prompts ‘equity in enforcement’ questions), shows an African American woman being violently arrested by San Diego police on the beach for doing what a lot of white people were apparently also doing. No white persons were accosted, detained, assaulted and arrested. No one who recorded the event seems to know what she was arrested for. Nothing in the video seems to suggest the level of violence used by the police was justified. Audio in the video suggests she was just minding her own business. What was the threat that caused the officers to single her out and treat her so harshly?

Police officers are public servants and their behaviors, as well as department policy, must conform to public expectation. The police department and its officers cannot engage in “a long train of abuses” without it reflecting negatively on our city, county and society. Do you think you would be treated fairly by the police in Venezuela or El Salvador or Syria? The lack of comfort you might feel there is the way Black people are made to feel in San Diego. Police officers put themselves at risk for the sake for the rest of our community. We appreciate and applaud those officers who comport themselves with honor. They deserve the same protections that all citizens should have. However protecting officers from public reprisal should not shield them from justice for their inappropriate actions. 

Respect for Own Mothers of the Movement - Part 2

Excessive Use Of Force By San Diego Police

The most troubling aspect of these excessive force cases with the police is that they could be avoided and are not needed by police to operate effectively. Seeing Toby Diller’s mother reminded me that you really can have your child shot in the head and killed by San Diego Police - and all racial minorities are at greater risk for meeting this fate.  And the offence that led to Toby Diller’s death on January 24th, 2020?  Drinking from an open container, typically an infraction equivalent to a parking ticket. That started a police pursuit that looked like they were hunting down a runaway slave and then you can see them shoot him in the back of head while he is face down.  Police officers have the discretion to observe, walk slowly, talk gently, and even retreat and call for support when needed. When they are not trained and held accountable to this standard, then you get the type of wild- west shoot- them- first culture we currently inhabit in San Diego.

My heart and prayers go out to all of the Mothers of the Movement, but I also want to end with a plea to the community to give them respect through your commitment to actions that will stop police brutality and death.  In the San Diego area we can certainly say not enough has been done to end excessive use of force cases with police - not even in the area of mental health calls and how we still have police using lethal force on these calls.  The current cases, like Diller and Carolino to name only two, suggest we have a lot more work to do and we have to increase our public protest numbers and our public government pressure.  There is more our elected officials can do to ensure our safety and security and there is a lot of room for improvement with police procedures and policies that can come from our pressure to force Police Chief Nisleit to make these changes.  I do not want to meet another woman like Toby Diller’s mother and know that we have added another Mother of the Movement to our group of Black, Brown, Yellow and Red mothers and family members that have lost loved ones at the hands of law enforcement.  Please come to the next Public Safety and Livable Neighborhood City Council Meeting on the third Wednesday of each month at 9a.m. at San Diego City Hall - 202 C. Street, and help us raise our collective voice to end this law enforcement brutality and death 

Darwin Fishman, Ph.D.