Bodycam footage from the Milwaukee Police Department
The best thing about the violent Milwaukee police tasing arrest of Milwaukee Bucks rookie Sterling Brown over a minor parking violation was the widespread reaction in the community that the action was an inexcusable way for police to treat any human being. The worst thing is most people never hear about such incidents, which take place regularly in minority neighborhoods, until they happen to talented, well-paid sports celebrities.
It’s a valuable reminder that, no matter how much success racial minorities achieve in our society, their lives could be ended in an instant by police authorized to use deadly force on our streets. That concern rarely crosses the mind of anyone white, but it always has to be in the thoughts of black and brown folks in encounters with police. That’s why black athletes have every right to publicly protest the unequal treatment of racial minorities by police. They never know when that racial hostility could threaten their own lives. That hostility was undeniable in the embarrassing police body-cam video of Brown’s tasing widely viewed across the nation.
Start with Brown’s offense: parking across two shopping center handicap spaces outside a Walgreens at 2 a.m. when empty parking spaces are abundant. Brown politely responded to aggressive questioning from a single officer, who immediately called for backup. Brown knew not to say or do anything to provoke the officer. Brown’s father worked as a police officer when he was growing up in the Chicago suburb of Maywood, Ill.
But “backup” for a Milwaukee police officer questioning a black man at 2 in the morning turns out to be six squad cars screaming into the parking lot with lights flashing carrying seven more officers. The aggression toward Brown for his bad parking immediately multiplied. Eight officers circled Brown swearing at him and barking orders. One yelled at Brown to take his hands out of his pockets… “Now!”
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Life-Threatening Moments
Anyone aware of the encounters between blacks and police that end tragically knows this was the most frightening, life-threatening moment. Police officers, already hyped up on adrenaline and fearful of a black man suspected of who knows what, can mistake a wallet or a cellphone or something imaginary in someone’s hand for a weapon and open fire. That’s why Brown said, “Hold on. I’ve got stuff in my hands.”
Fortunately, there wasn’t a barrage of gunfire. Instead, the officers rushed Brown throwing him to the ground. One yelled, “Taser! Taser! Taser!” electrocuting Brown with a taser gun as he was lying face down on the ground under the officers.
Brown has since made it clear the issue is not what happened to him as a nationally known athlete, but the life-threatening violence routinely employed by a gang of police who saw him as any other black man and treated him accordingly. “It’s common,” Brown said. “It happens literally every single day in our community.” In a public statement, Brown promised to take legal action against the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) to “do my part in helping to prevent similar incidents from happening to the minority community in the future.” Brown said he was speaking for unarmed black men killed by police across the country—including Dontre Hamilton, the mentally ill black man shot 14 times in a Downtown Milwaukee park in 2014 by a police officer, later fired. That incident led to the MPD requirement that officers wear body cameras.
A Powerful New Voice
An unexpected benefit of out-of-town billionaires buying the Bucks is the team has become a powerful, new voice speaking out against racism in the community. It had little choice. Two of its current African American players, John Henson and now Sterling Brown, have been subjected to ugly racist incidents in the community. Three years ago, you may recall, Henson was locked out of a suburban Whitefish Bay jewelry store when employees cowered in the back and called police. They feared Henson was a black man planning to rob their store instead of a millionaire looking to buy an expensive watch.
After Brown’s tasing, the team issued a statement: “The abuse and intimidation that Sterling experienced at the hands of Milwaukee police was shameful and inexcusable. Sterling has our full support as he shares his story and takes action to provide accountability.”
Once again, minority citizens are hearing words from police and city leaders promising to do better. The new chief of police, Alfonso Morales, apologized for his officers acting “inappropriately.” Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said, “As a human being, I am offended by what I saw on the video… I think it’s an opportunity for us to do better. We have to do better.”
But the only consequence for life-threatening police actions has been minor suspensions for three officers. Racial minorities are still waiting for enforcement of a simple rule: that police treat black and brown citizens with the same respect for their lives as they do citizens in white neighborhoods.
