Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-20
Police Brutality Due
To Those Higher Up
To the Editor of The Star:

Please accept my appreciation Tor
the excellent editorial which appeared
In The Evening Star Saturday, June
1s, under the caption, Light Penalty
for Police Brutality" 1t Is certainly
high time that full editorial recogni'
ton and publicity be given to the ap-
parently never-ending outrages when
are. almost daily, being perpetrated
upon the law-abiding citizens OF the
District of Columbia by the members
of the Police Department, In uphold
ing what they consider to be the law,
in cases of the most trivial character.
Your analysis, in my opinion,
strikes straight into the heart OF the
situation. There can be but little
doubt. in the mind of any one who
earnestly has studied the situation,
that the reason for the ceaseless as
saults upon the persons and the homes
of the helpless citizens of the District
Of Columbia lies not so much with the
individual members of the Police De-
partment who perpetrate the out
RACES as with those ''in authority"
as your editorial states. There can
be but little doubt but that the atti-
tude Of the members of the Police De.
partment toward the citizenry of the
District of Columbia is a reflection of
tho attitude, toward the citizenry, of
chose in authority" which attitude
is probably fully identified to the in
dividual members of the Police De-
partment in the form Of orders from
"those in authority"
You have commented. in your edi-
RS. sn1 % %11
called fine, which was, presumably.
imposed for the outrageous and un-
warranted instance of high-handed-
ness which your editorial discusses.
Undoubtedly if any hapless citizen
had been brought into Police Court
on such charge of assault. the fine
would have been twice as great, and
would have called for immediate pay
ment thereof-the so-called fine"
which was imposed. in this instance
by the brother officers of the one
accused Is. in all probability, only
an apparent fine-it is probable that
if the so-called fine Is to be paid at
all, it is to be paid in installments
stretched over a long period, so as
to rest very lightly as burden upon
the shoulders of the accused.
If there has ever been an attitude
ilice Department toward the citizens
Of the District of Columbia, that atti-
tude has assuredly not been evident
to the writer during the nine approx
mately) years of his residence in the
District of Columbia. Instead, the at
titude Of the Police Department toward
the citiZenry seems to have become
we'll established as that which a
tyrannical econqueror might have to-
ward a conquered and helpless foe.
There is but little doubt but that
every man is a criminal. in the eyes
of the Police Department. One need
only consider the numberless assaults
without provocation, and the very
frequent killings of negroes, particu-
larly, for the most trivial reasons, to
arrive at valid appraisement of the
attitude of the Police Department to-
ward the supine, voteless, voiceless
citiZenry.
1t is noteworthy that shortly before
a large gathering is to assemble in
the District of Columbia from outlying
and remote districts, bombastic pro-
nunciamento is invariably issued by
those in authority" to the members
of the Police Department, enjoining
the temporary display of courtesy to
the strangers who are to assemble.
For the period of the assemblage,
therefore, the citizenry of the District
Of Columbia may also experience
courtesy, since the members of the
Police Department are unable to dis
tinguish between the citizenry and the
strangers. The return. to the usual
attitude is implicitly effective upon
the departure of the strangers.
The very serious situation which is
apparent with respect to the attitude
of the Police Department toward the
citizenry is. in my opinion. a problem
without solution. Since 1t is fully
obvious that those in authority" are
directly responsible for the attitude of
their subordinates. and since the vote
less inhabitants of the District of Co
lumbia have no means of redress, it
follows that. instead of helpful CO.
operation by the Police Department to
maintain the peace and dignity of the
District of Columbia, the hapless citi-
zenry may well expect that their
every innate and inherent right, both
to their persons and their homes,
shall remain circumscribed and in
vaded by the high-handed and Gar
istic regime which has, for years,
been established by the Police Depart
ment. FRANK NJ. DRYER.