Black United Front, 1968 - During1967, four black men were killed by white policemen
in the District of Columbia. Among the four black men killed was Clarence
Brooker, 19 years old, who was shot in the back on May 1, 1967.
During the first 10 months of 1968, seven black men have already been killed by white policemen.
By the end of 1968, it is quite likely that the number of black men gunned down by white policemen will have doubled over the year 1967. It is clear that official violence against the black community is increasing.
In no instance in the history of the D. C. Police Department has a white policeman ever been convicted, indicted or dismissed for killing a black man.
The Black United Front, the most representative black group in the nation's capital, has been charged with the responsibility of presenting the facts of white police actions and non-actions in the black community with recommendations for change in the form of possible legislation to be enacted by the City Council.
To this end, the Black United Front held public hearings in six police precincts.
Let us emphasize one fact: these hearings were the only public forums in the District of Columbia which sought and obtained a cross-section of public opinion concerning white police-black community relations.
The D. C. white policeman is seen by the majority of black citizens in their communities as the perpetrator of violence rather than as the protector of the peace.
The proposals which the Black United Front presents in this paper is an effort to prevent such a violent confrontation.
The problem starts with the police having no interest in the community which they patrol and no interest in the well-being of the citizens they are hired to protect. When citizens do complain to the precinct structure — the captains and other officers — they are subjected to various forms of harassment, the most frequent being police investigators visiting the complainant at his place of employment to create the impression that it is the complainant who is under investigation.
Testimony during the BUF hearings revealed that in several instances, complainants had actually had their lives threatened by white policemen after complaints had been filed against the police or fellow officers.
During the hearings, these were some of the incidents of police abuse reported: A cab driver stated that policemen have a habit of getting into cabs and ordering the drivers to transport them from one place to another, without payment.
Several witnesses showed scars as the result of excessive force used by policemen during arrests.
One woman in her mid-40's spoke of being tear gassed while sitting on her front steps. The reason? "I was black. " Several witnesses complained of the irresponsible use of the chemical Mace.
Many complained of "false arrests" with no means of rectifying the record.
A local minister stated that he had been arrested three times himself for merely intervening between police and community in those three situations.
One youth complained of officers "talking bad" and taking off their police badges during an assault in order not to be identified.
On black man was picked up and told he should not have been in "this part of town after dark. " The "part of town" was an all-white section of D. C.
Another man was arrested for merely sitting in his car and later released.
During the first 10 months of 1968, seven black men have already been killed by white policemen.
By the end of 1968, it is quite likely that the number of black men gunned down by white policemen will have doubled over the year 1967. It is clear that official violence against the black community is increasing.
In no instance in the history of the D. C. Police Department has a white policeman ever been convicted, indicted or dismissed for killing a black man.
The Black United Front, the most representative black group in the nation's capital, has been charged with the responsibility of presenting the facts of white police actions and non-actions in the black community with recommendations for change in the form of possible legislation to be enacted by the City Council.
To this end, the Black United Front held public hearings in six police precincts.
Let us emphasize one fact: these hearings were the only public forums in the District of Columbia which sought and obtained a cross-section of public opinion concerning white police-black community relations.
The D. C. white policeman is seen by the majority of black citizens in their communities as the perpetrator of violence rather than as the protector of the peace.
The proposals which the Black United Front presents in this paper is an effort to prevent such a violent confrontation.
The problem starts with the police having no interest in the community which they patrol and no interest in the well-being of the citizens they are hired to protect. When citizens do complain to the precinct structure — the captains and other officers — they are subjected to various forms of harassment, the most frequent being police investigators visiting the complainant at his place of employment to create the impression that it is the complainant who is under investigation.
Testimony during the BUF hearings revealed that in several instances, complainants had actually had their lives threatened by white policemen after complaints had been filed against the police or fellow officers.
During the hearings, these were some of the incidents of police abuse reported: A cab driver stated that policemen have a habit of getting into cabs and ordering the drivers to transport them from one place to another, without payment.
Several witnesses showed scars as the result of excessive force used by policemen during arrests.
One woman in her mid-40's spoke of being tear gassed while sitting on her front steps. The reason? "I was black. " Several witnesses complained of the irresponsible use of the chemical Mace.
Many complained of "false arrests" with no means of rectifying the record.
A local minister stated that he had been arrested three times himself for merely intervening between police and community in those three situations.
One youth complained of officers "talking bad" and taking off their police badges during an assault in order not to be identified.
On black man was picked up and told he should not have been in "this part of town after dark. " The "part of town" was an all-white section of D. C.
Another man was arrested for merely sitting in his car and later released.
Among the recomendations of BUF:
All District policemen must be required to live in the District. This is both a logical and healthy requirement. It would have the double effect of involving the police in the protection of their own community and making them more sensitive to the needs of District residents.
All-white patrols in black communities would be prohibited.
Establish Precinct Citizens' Selection and Review Boards. Each Precinct Board will be made up of residents of the respective precincts. The Board members will be elected by the citizens in the corresponding Precincts. These Boards will have the power to
- determine and establish the criteria for the policemen assigned to their Precinct and present such criteria to a city-wide Citizens' Police Personnel Board,
- approve or disapprove the assignment of all policemen in their Precinct (receive applications from the city-wide Citizens Police Personnel Board),
- act as a complaint and review board for all confrontations between the police and citizens and recommend disciplinary action against such officers where it deems appropriate.
Establish a city-wide Citizens' Police Personnel Board. This Board would be
composed of the Chairman of each Precinct Citizens' Selection and Review Board.
This city-wide Board would have the power to recruit, process, approve, and hire all policemen— in
accord with the criteria presented it from the Precinct Citizens' Selection and
Review Boards…and act as a trial board on each case brought before it by the
Precinct Citizens' Selection and Review Boards for disciplinary action.
This city-wide Citizens'
Police Personnel Board would have its own staff of investigators and attorneys.
In each case brought before it for disciplinary action, one of the city-wide
Board attorneys would act in behalf of the complaining citizen(s). The police officer(s)
involved and brought before the Board for discipline would be represented by an
attorney provided by the District Government. Each such case brought before the
city-wide Board would have to be heard by the entire city-wide Citizens' Police
Personnel Board. This Board would have final say on the dismissal of an officer.Establish a mechanism for the selection of each Precinct Captain by each corresponding Precinct Citizens' Selection and Review Board.
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