Bunmi Aina
Director of Communications
communication@nbda.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Of Ferguson, Police Brutality And Deaf People Of Color
WASHINGTON, D.C. — August 25 — In the short space of 2 weeks, two different Police departments aligned to or in the area of St. Louis, MO, shot and killed 2 young, unarmed African American males, Michael Brown (18) and Kajieme Powell (25) in questionable circumstances which were tinged, at first sight, with an extrajudicial flavor.
As advocates of and for issues pertinent to a double agenda –Black and Deaf—these incidents are concerning because they promote the theses that Black lives do not matter in 21st century America and that the Black experience is one of disempowerment, racism, oppression and disenfranchisement, all phenomena of injustice which affect Black males disproportionately. They also promote justifiable fears within the Black Deaf community as to how police might react to a Black Deaf person who, being unable to hear, naturally cannot respond to their orally-delivered commands.
Incomplete FBI data which was based on self-reporting by 750 out of the 17,000 law enforcement agencies in the United States who participate in the program shows that, during the 7-year period ending in 2012, 2 Black men were killed every week by police. Needless to say, if all police jurisdictions reported their fatalities to the FBI database, the true genocidal numbers would be clearer.
Trayvon Martin. Eric Garner. Michael Brown. Kajieme Powell. Amadou Diallo. Sean Bell. Timothy Thomas. Oscar Grant. Rodney King.
Individually and taken together, these events have important implications for race relations in America. There is no question whatsoever that all races currently constituting the demographic of the United States are here to stay, and that the racial complexion of the United States is changing irrevocably and will be radically different half a century from now than it is today. Consequently, as we head towards that future, it is important that efforts are made to promote constructive race relations as well as relationships between citizens and the various police forces created, employed and maintained by their taxes.
We at NBDA, Inc. take on board the implications of the Pew Research Center’s national survey of attitudes to Ferguson and its meaning (see http://www.people-press.org/2014/08/18/stark-racial-divisions-in-reactions-to-ferguson-police-shooting/) which shows a stark disparity in attitudes between Blacks and whites. Bearing in mind that white policemen come from the demographic group which does not see Ferguson as raising important issues of race, it is, we think, appropriate that steps should be taken now to institutionalize cultural sensitivity training –which covers race and disability, including Deafness—as part of the police training and qualification regimen.
We also encourage all chiefs of Police and police departments to take part in antiracism training by attending one or all of these conferences:
a. Whites Confront Racism ( https://www.trainingforchange.org/workshop/whites-confronting-racism?_ga=1.168517923.342924994.1408549581 );
b. European Dissent ( http://www.pisab.org/programs?_ga=1.168517923.342924994.1408549581 );
c. The White Privilege Conference ( http://www.whiteprivilegeconference.com/?_ga=1.226052888.342924994.1408549581 ); or
d. The Facing Race conference ( https://facingrace.raceforward.org/?_ga=1.168387875.342924994.1408549581 ).
About National Black Deaf Advocates (NBDA): NBDA is the official advocacy organization for thousands of Black Deaf and Hard of Hearing Americans. For more than three decades, NBDA has been at the forefront of advocacy efforts for civil rights and equal access to education, employment, and social services on behalf of the Black Deaf and Hard of Hearing in the United States.
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