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.