You wouldn't expect Jordan Miles to be the kind of kid who'd be beaten beyond recognition by the police. When his mother let him out of the house 10 days ago, she probably didn't think that her well-behaved son would return home with a face looking worse than a prize fighter who'd been knocked out.
Jordan Miles is not a thug, drug dealer, hustler, thief or killer. He's just a studious teenager who plays the viola for a jazz band and orchestra at the highly prestigious Creative and Performing Arts High School in Pittsburgh, Pa.
On January 12, at approximately 11 p.m., Miles was leaving his mother's home and headed to his grandmother's, where he spends most of his nights. As he walked up the street, he noticed three men in a white car. "But I thought nothing of it," he told the Associated Press.
The men then jumped out of the car and allegedly yelled, "Where's the money? Where's the gun? Where's the drugs?"
"It was intimidating; I thought I was going to be robbed," Miles said.
Miles then stated that when he tried to get away from the men, he slipped on the sidewalk. That is when the officers attacked him. According to Miles, they proceeded to beat, kick, choke and punch him, yanking out one of his dreadlocks and beating him mercilessly. In fact, Miles claims that he didn't even know that the men were police officers until he saw other uniformed officers arrive on the scene. Up until that point, he thought he was being abducted.
Of course, on any case, we must wait until the facts are all released. I am going to speak today with Rev. Al Sharpton on his radio show, and I will share more of my thoughts at that point. But based on what I know about this case, and what I know about police in general (my father was a high-ranking police official for 25 years), I have the following thoughts:
1) This case looks very bad for the police: There is nothing about Jordan Miles that indicates that he would be in any situation in which he deserved to be attacked by police. The Pittsburgh Police Department has a PR nightmare on their hands, and I hope they are intelligent about how they manage the situation. If Jordan Miles' story is proven to be accurate, then it is my greatest hope that he and his mother sue the pants off this department for the irresponsible behavior of its officers.
2) Jordan Miles' sacrifice may help a lot of people: Too many Americans want to believe that every black man who gets beaten by police somehow earned the beating that he received. That's not always the case, even for men who have a criminal record. Eith Jordan Miles being an outstanding student and a violinist with no apparent history of this kind of behavior, though, perhaps he can help shed light on how all of us are vulnerable to police brutality and racial profiling.
3) It is not inconceivable that the officers were trying to rob him: Many police officers across the country have a long history of robbing drug dealers. While most officers do not engage in this kind of behavior, many officers quickly realized that no jury is going to believe the word of a drug dealer over that of a law enforcement officer. So, some officers get away with robbing drug dealers for the same reasons that some men get away with killing prostitutes: Nobody cares about drug dealers or prostitutes. If we are serious about weeding out corruption in law enforcement, though, we must ensure that the rights of all Americans are protected, not just those whom we feel are truly innocent. The deep-seated disdain that many Americans have for police is largely due to the fact that our nation has never thought about the dangers of allowing unquestionable power of the state over its citizens. While I didn't join the band wagon on the Henry Louis Gates Case (I thought Obama made a mistake on that one - if only he would speak up for Jordan Miles the way he did for Gates), I could certainly agree that Gates' situation was indicative of the fact that many police officers feel that they can verbally and physically abuse citizens without any significant repercussions. But if I didn't do anything wrong, then you have no right to yell at me, detain me or mistreat me. I don't care if you are a cop or not.
4) Take your time when evaluating police brutality cases: The most effective challenge to police brutality is to ensure that every case is carefully evaluated before we jump to conclusions. Although I am absolutely outraged by what appears to have happened to Jordan Miles, I want to learn all of the facts before passing final judgment. In spite of what we might see on the surface, there can always be another side to the story. In this case, however, I am truly skeptical that the officers can justify what they did to this young man.
5) Let's not forget the good officers in America: Even those who claim to hate the police are always the first ones to call the cops when they need protection. Good law enforcement officers are critical to our nation's well-being, and they should be respected. At the same time, officers must earn the respect they expect to receive from the American public. A long history of abusing authority has led to millions of Americans not trusting police officers, and for good reason. So, if these police officers did illegally beat Jordan Miles, it is critical that the Pittsburgh Police Department do everything in its power to prosecute these officers to the fullest extent of the law.
 Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here. |
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