The Nashville globe. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1906-193?, 1908-01-03
BRUTALITY 81 POLICEMAN.
T0f lU4IIf 1JII ITTF-f8 HJIT DI4fHI
An Editorial That Appeared in The
Nashville Banner ON the Recent 4
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An Editorial That Appeared in The
Nashville Banner in the Recent Z
ra Beating Up of William foster. ."
Xix ~ lG,nI, 9La.|cD, 8 ron: - lh''
i"dThe brutal clubbing by policeman
Saturday afternoon of William Foster,
negro of established good character
and notably one of thef most respect.
bfuli and polite negroes in Nashville in
his demeanor toward white people, is
another lone of numerous instances
that might be cited of apparently un-
due and uniustifiable police violence.
against ooloreds people, 1T is not our.
purposeJto discuss this case, which will
be heard upon its merits in the courts,
but the incidents however itfmay he de-
termined, calls for some, common sense
remarks fconNgning the relations of
the police, to Queensland also for some.
better directiqAs and discipline of
the police in this respect by the NUM-
aipal powers that be- niHibs sir iraett
n Policemen are provided with clubs,
and a~llowedJto carry pfstols, solely for
the purpose of defending themselves
k4g&nstr violent and dangerous resist
and assault while undertaking toi
kaiBcharge their duties. IA policeman
As no right whatever toIuse his club
FtQfbeat a person, or his pistol to shoot
a person, whom he. undertakes to ar
rest unless 1T becomes absolutely nee
essary to protect mis- own life ortpro-'
teet, himself from imminently theat-
ened bodily harm. n The right cencep-
ton of the official duty and~orespOnsi-
bility3 of a. policeman requires that he
shall never be}brutal but thatrhel shall
be firm, courageous, calm and consider
ate, even under great provocation. 1t.
lis not his province to punish even the
worst and most fntrattabIeA offender.
lit is simply to arrest, and if he be
compelled to use force it should be
with the least possible violence and
harm.
Furthermore the policeman has no
right or possible excuse for being
harsher or more brutal in arresting a
negro than he would be in a like case
in aresting a white man. AS a public
officer it is his duty to be as Justly
poised and as free from any show of
prejudice or mastership in arresting a
negro as in arresting a white man. Ee
violates the TRUE spirit of his Office
when he treats a negro with contempt
nous 0harsliness simply because he is
a negro. And he shows himself unfit
for his office when he allows himself
to manifest. race prejudice in dealing
with negroes Unfortunately this ace
prejudice has too often been manifest
ed by policemen, and there have been
instances which our readers can read
lily recall when negroes have been shot
by policemen without r. the slightest
justification and what is still worse,
without any official Investigation made
to- ascertain whether the shootingsr or
killings, were justifable, under the cir
cumstances or, were in fact crimes
against the law. ro, s.o-
Policemen when giving instruc-
tons or orders in the. discharge of
their duties should speak to- white men
and negroes alike, and mot change
their tone towards, the latter as if they
were entitled to, only al contemptuous
notice, There are policemen who mani
pfest a proper, official consideration to
all, and, all policemen, should do the
same. Above, all the habit, which has
become too common Of a too ready and
impulsfye VIOLENCE in, artestihg ne,
gfoes sbotld, be- stopped, and in every
case where Hfoiepce on the part, Of The
offoer IS UNNECESSARILY inflicted, there
should BE- alrigfd INVESTIGATION by the
prubepi autRorfaas.H HoIliH '{2'ot e
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,,a MR. METEOROLOGICAL oar
Mr. ), RutKy Nicely gave a most elan.
crate g. O'clock 7dinh4r hthon6ri Of Mr..
John Baffey, ofOCReago3 Wednesday,,
DecebfbefG 25.ialdTRe dinPhgf66m was
beaidi fully decorated with Ferns and
eut, blowers. ,mThea color scheme was
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