What's the Appropriate Response?

John,

I think you've hit the mark that the source of polarization in issues with policing communities of color revolves around trust.  These communities that are out protesting in the streets have lost trust in their local police departments to the point that the presence of police officers actually destabilizes the community's sense of security rather than allaying their fears.  On the flip side, I think that conservatives tend to put a lot of faith in the police as the guardians of order and safety in their communities and are willing to give them the benefit of the doubt when they clash with citizens.  Part of why right-leaning folk chafe at being dismissed at racists for opposing these protests is that most believe they would still back law enforcement if the races of the officers and the deceased were reversed, because they fundamentally support the institution of law enforcement.

Reuters-Lucas Jackson

But to respond to the questions you posed at the end of your post, here they are again:
1) What is the appropriate response for outraged communities?
2) How do we seek an appropriate solution for these situations?

First, as a white-male who grew up in predominately suburban area and has not had anything but banal encounters with police officers, I neither have the liberty or arrogance to propose an "appropriate response" for these outraged communities.  For the most part, I think the protesters have responded with more dignity and grace given their circumstances than the national media is willing to give them credit for.  However, it shouldn't be controversial that the leeway for appropriate responses ends when protesters stoop to retributive violence.  To lash back violently at law enforcement is not only unethical (justice is never satiated by more violence) but it also lacks pragmatism.  If protesters yield the moral high ground back to the government, then their "movement" will be remembered just as unfortunately as the LA riots in the early 90's.  The heartbreaking assassinations of officers Ramos and Liu in Brooklyn in response to the Eric Garner case derailed the good-will afforded those protesting in New York in what seemed like a clear case of police brutality.  Actions in Baltimore are threatening to do the same.

As for solutions that these communities can seek, that's where we can be a little more concrete.  My first suggestion is to advocate that their sons and daughters become police officers.  Unfortunately, because of the rough relations these communities have had with local law enforcement, the profession of law enforcement has substantially lower prestige than similar service professions like firefighting and the military.  The line "be the change you want to see in the world" could not be more poignant than now.

My second suggestion is: Get Political.  If you want things to change, these communities need to lobby their local officials with concrete demands, vote out any bums, and have people run for office that they trust.  The only problem with public policy solutions is that for every good idea posed, a counter-example seems to quickly arise to squash the hopes.  If you'll let me be a little wonky, I'll spend the rest of my post detailing some of the proposed solutions that people should fight for, even if there are still problems.

Ready?  Here we go...

A response to "why is the public so polarized about these incidents?"

I think the polarization of this issue comes with a fairly obvious answer that most people will point to and say "race."  But I'd like to take it a step further and say
that these issues transcend race and become more about an issue of trust.

John Dalberg-Acton coined the phrase, "power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely." In this situation I fear we've found ourselves in a scenario where people are no longer trusting in regards to the people that are in place to 'protect and serve.' In the case of Tamir Rice a blogger for daily kos wrote a great piece (albeit very opinionated) about police corruption in Cleveland and the murder that ensued. And I'm sure many people in Ferguson, Cleveland, NYC, Baltimore, Detroit, et cetera don't even feel safe in their own homes at times. Charlie LeDuff did a great report with a lot of humor mixed in to such a serious topic about this problem in Detroit. And when you strip someone of their feeling of safety you're depriving people of a basic need. According to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs safety is just above physiological needs. I would be inclined to agree with that sentiment and when you're talking about large populations feeling unsafe, it's only a matter of time before that unrest translates into problems for the community, the people of authority, and a movement for policy change.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Do not mistake my previous paragraph as defending the people that are rioting and looting local businesses, that is MUCH DIFFERENT than peaceful protests. In fact, I would even go as far as saying that these actions is causing a larger problem instead of a solution. But that begs the question Mike, what is the appropriate response for outraged communities? Or, if you prefer, how do we seek an appropriate solution for these situations?

Why is the Public Polarized About Issues with the Police?

John,

Because we didn't start this thing to talk about petunias or tulips, let's start with an issue that has (figuratively and at times literally) been burning since August of 2014.  Michael Brown, John Crawford, Tamir Rice, Eric Garner, Freddie Gray, and Walter Scott are just a few of the names of black males (here are more names) whose deaths at the hands of law enforcement have sparked nationwide unrest and city-closing protests by communities who feel these incidents occur too often and with too little accountability.

Ferguson, New York City, and Baltimore are just a few of the cities in which the reaction to these events has resulted in sustained protests with bursts of boiling tension and opportunistic looting and vandalism.

Chip Sommerville-Getty Images

While each of these specific incidents have been tragic, what is perhaps most disheartening is that there is little chance anything meaningful will be done prevent these events in the future because public opinion has split decisively along stereotypical partisan lines.  With liberals lining up behind the victims and protesters and conservatives quickly coming to the defense of law enforcement, there threatens to be gridlock in addressing public policy reforms.  But the debate has gone off the rails with some liberals going as far as defending the vandals and looters as simply "expressing their grief" to conservatives creating online fundraising campaigns to financially support the officers who took the lives of these men.

So my question is: why is the public so polarized about these incidents?

~Mike