Writing for RealClearPolicy, Mark T. Mitchell pens the most even-handed, sensible analysis I’ve seen of the tension that exists between black Americans and the police. It is really worth your time to read.
In essence, he concludes that each group’s perception of the other is based in reality. That cops’ paying attention to black young men is justified by their much-greater-than-normal involvement in violent crime. That black Americans’ nervousness about police is justified by the increased vigilance police demonstrate toward them.
Each party in this tense relationship, he believes, is behaving rationally given the behavior of the other group.
Fear tends to short-circuit good judgement. We all know from observation and personal experience that frightened people don’t always act rationally. When a person is suddenly confronted with what he perceives to be a life-or-death situation, the fight or flight mechanism kicks in. If this is not quickly suppressed, the situation will escalate. The officer will escalate in response and in the process may make fatal mistakes. The competing narratives nourish one another. The likelihood of violence increases, and when violence breaks out, the narratives of each side are reinforced. The game is set for the next round in another neighborhood, another city, or another state where everyone is amped up on social media and self-righteous anger.
There is no easy way out of this tense stand-off, which Mitchell describes very well indeed.
