The Detroit tribune. (Detroit, Mich.) 1935-1966, 1944-04-08
CURRENT
NOTES
POLICE BRUTALITY
cLosTER B. CURRENT


terence this past Weekend
zone 81 the cancerous eating
sores IN every urban area in the
country and common to Detroit is
the lack II confidence and rapport
hetweeni he Negro community and
The police department Too fire.
Qnenily police heat and shoot
first and question after. where
Negroes are involved"
The validity o. Mrs Rledsoe's
statement is unqaesrioned Never
iheless. pollye officials have been
unable 20 understand why Ne
srocs and their organizations con-
stanily protest the action Of po-
icemen Even Negro officers have
fallen info the habit OF drawing
general conclusions about their
own people They TOO fe,l that
processing organizations do not
understand the dangers q their
Jobs or know how bad those Nc
gro people are"
The police department Is the
most important contact The Negro
community has with white peo-
re Walled IN by artificial diyid-
ine lines we live in veN defined
rhe'ios 0vsrgrowdlnT and other
soeio.cc nomic factors ~ poor
holsirs unemploymenf health
tend 20 make these islands q
Tie population stand ont Ike sore
hnfs Na'arally ne crime and
deinGasrey rates are highest IN
'he eh'it and nolico Work IS
more a.,'''''.' i''''e ''"''' e
s'f'ai Nis q 'Ne s"'''s ''''''"
i'F
SerreEafon has made complete
M esi'ncf black nelehhornooas
no maintain ofder IN these
recshtrhcois. falls 70 ne police
Impairment r. men who have TO
anoNif aes ~ social 'a',Pls ~"
possess 'H'ie sf'nla'lN -, '"os
WHO sANrr '''," ~ ieia'''s ''''
di'ians
The averars con" IS white
There are only about 40 Negro
policemen on the entire force OF
over $500 Tho ccp IS the symbol
e "ohiie authority in the Negro
conmlnry In carrying on his
daiv The average policeman
walled n bg The Negro area. SER
ing on every mana NOSE WON ~
has cause 2 neiieVe maze n''H' =
scared
He knows from experience that
Nc has ne hacking ~ the courts
\ Negro arrested by pa'rolman
and brought before early sessions
courts has little chance 20 nrove
NE innocence ~ his word
sTalns' Tho cops The COP Is us
ually right 10 court
The cop is frustrated Too often
no comes from a background of
economic exploitation. The stick
and gun sre more authority than
he has ever possessed IN his
ne Moreover he has deluslons
~ grandeur Neefoes 20 him arc
Interior Seeing nothing hu'
lslualor and poverty crime and
delinquency IN the area he pa
trolls his conclusions become 70
him an established TACT
His saperlors have added n
This thinking hv setting examines
before him of how 70 trea, or
mlstreat Negro prisoners
Yes no 10 .csrod p.,o,,,r
hsat IN ~ MAJ ~. ~ .aroA,
MIN ,bs, ~ rsta a, arros, a.
,olvirv xeeroo, 4. lito dr.oina
fi!es 10 molasses A crowd viii
quickly gather when white con
makes an arrest often thew will
Interfere. Therefore he aitempts
20 get Il over with as quickly as
possible by using force first. ask
INK questions later
Negroes fear the police They
know IN The number az Negro
pa,roimen is dispronortionaic
Promotions within the ranks don't
happen As many Dciroliers do
they blame the southern infln-
eace' This ia n mistaken con.
clusion Out Of 37i0 svorn-ln o.
fcers on the force in 1893. only
$50 we're Southern born" Rec
ords show that recent cases of
police brulailt. reported 20 The
4 Commissioner involved officers
horn and oducafod In tho North