So I've thought carefully about what to respond to or with because there is so much subjective evidence and different perspectives regarding this incident. But I've decided that I no longer will become part of the public jury in the analysis of the video and case. What I will explain is my original reactionary post and what I do understand about the larger reality around the incidents being publicly released and the conversations flowing from them (i.e. Ferguson, Eric Garner, McKinney, etc.). James and Donny, I absolutely agree - that not every single thing where race is highlighted as part of the issue is helpful or even realistic to consider. But when it comes to incidents with law enforcement and brown people - particularly Black people, the matter of race will likely not ever leave the conversation, or at least be difficult to erase as a possible factor in their mind's eye. This really comes from the historical trauma that black communities have carried coming first from centuries of racism and it's relationship with government and law. For example, emancipation was instituted during the Civil War. Slaves who attempted freedom prior to and even afterwards by escaping into the union states were hunted down by law enforcement, often awarded for their bounty. If you hit the Jim Crow era through the Civil Rghts movement, Law enforcement often worked closely with the KKK to resist and terrorize the movements against racial discrimination and segregation. This was taking place a little over 50 years ago.
Something that has also inflamed this reality is that since emancipation, while freedom was made possible, there was no economic structure and plan to provide education, financial stability and occupational security to millions of people whose only prior option was slavery. And while ingenuity and sheer perseverance led to a heyday during the Harlem Renaissance where for the first time the black community was enjoying economic flourishing, this reality was still built within a society that continued to relegate them as lesser than equal and enforced law to keep it so. This resulted in policies that disenfranchised the black vote in the south. It resulted in exclusion from quality education systems all over the nation, and created a general lack of access to financial stability - leading to poverty, vagrancy and for many, feeling like criminal activity might be the only option to thrive socially and economically. It has entrenched millions of families in a cycle of almost inescapable generational poverty.
So finally, it comes together with law enforcement having to enter into neighborhoods rampant with illegal activity, full of people with a history of trauma, violence and discrimination triggered by those in uniform or those who hold a title of law-enforcer. It doesn’t help when racially-biased incidents still occur between predominantly white law enforcement and black people like the Rodney King incident back in 1992. It also doesn't help when the criminal activity is equally violent and dangerous - putting police and innocent bystanders at risk.
In the past, I might have said things like, “All that was so long ago. What does that history have to do with the realities now?” But what I’ve grown to accept is that trauma for a single person can have long lasting effects. A soldier returning from Afghanistan likely deals with PTSD and people that look like their enemy overseas could be a trigger for anger, paranoia and distrust, just like the sound of an airplane overhead can resurrect instances of trauma in the battlefield. It’s the same for a female rape victim towards men, or an abused puppy towards humans. Some of this trauma is irrevocable for a single person after decades of coping. It is difficult for me to believe that whole communities who have faced such a history of violent trauma can just table the so-called “race card.”
In the past, I might have said things like, “All that was so long ago. What does that history have to do with the realities now?” But what I’ve grown to accept is that trauma for a single person can have long lasting effects. A soldier returning from Afghanistan likely deals with PTSD and people that look like their enemy overseas could be a trigger for anger, paranoia and distrust, just like the sound of an airplane overhead can resurrect instances of trauma in the battlefield. It’s the same for a female rape victim towards men, or an abused puppy towards humans. Some of this trauma is irrevocable for a single person after decades of coping. It is difficult for me to believe that whole communities who have faced such a history of violent trauma can just table the so-called “race card.”
Transversely, I think people whose experience has largely been positive with law enforcement and understand that people in uniform signify trust, safety and control it is natural to defend the police who protect and serve because the history of trauma triggered by law enforcement in the United States has not been shared. It is why I had some mental work to do when I first wrestled with these conversations because I largely trust white people and the police. As a Filipino with a particular economic status, my family and I have the luxury of setting aside discrimination to some degree. That is not true for much of black America (or Latino, Arab & Indigenous America). So yep, I think that the race card gets pulled A LOT. Some of it might not be legitimate/but much of it still is (that's another conversation). Regardless, It is an example of a reactionary response of any trauma victim that is trying to prevent the same thing from happening to them again.
In all this, I also recognize that there has been trust broken on the side of white folks and police. There is a long history of being villainized. There is exasperation because it seems like every time a situation with a brown person comes up, a white person/cop is going to get accused of racism. There is trauma in this too because it involves the same hope that the black community has of wanting to make sure the ugly history doesn't repeat itself. There is trauma in this too because while institutionalized discrimination leading to economic disenfranchisement might not be shared, the emotional barrage of being hated, mistrusted, accused and villainized just for having fair skin or wearing a uniform is frustrating and demoralizing.
In all this, I also recognize that there has been trust broken on the side of white folks and police. There is a long history of being villainized. There is exasperation because it seems like every time a situation with a brown person comes up, a white person/cop is going to get accused of racism. There is trauma in this too because it involves the same hope that the black community has of wanting to make sure the ugly history doesn't repeat itself. There is trauma in this too because while institutionalized discrimination leading to economic disenfranchisement might not be shared, the emotional barrage of being hated, mistrusted, accused and villainized just for having fair skin or wearing a uniform is frustrating and demoralizing.
But there is a distinct difference in how each group is coping. It is not about reliving the history of trauma over and over again for cops and white folks, it is about denying the gravity and impact of the messy history of a nation that is desperately attempting to move on and be proud of itself. So each 'race card' - each accusation becomes a frustrating reminder that the conversation isn't over yet. It's like every time I'm convinced I've conquered a personal flaw and find myself making the same mistake it crushes my world! It's like the middle child whose trying to earn the favor of their parent by acing their tests, but is told that they are still not good enough. So like the soldier who has PTSD, trauma manifests in anger, depression, delusion and so much more. It creates broken trust with people they love. It might instill fear because of outbreaks of suppressed rage or involuntary responses to their triggers. Inevitably, it creates more distance and brokenness because of great misunderstanding with the community around them. It's what happens every time another police-related incident blows up on the news.
With a trauma victim, the restoration takes owning that there is something wrong. It involves experts committed to finding the root of the trauma and unpacking the experience. It also involves a loving community committed to the long journey of healing, humble enough to learn and be transformed by new understanding. Another key aspect of restoration in trauma is that their reality and experience is not invalidated. It is why we thoroughly investigate any possible sign of sexual abuse towards a child, taking them at their word. Finally, whether we are comfortable with it or not, trauma not dealt with can have decades/centuries/generations of impact. Just think of family feuds and grudges caused by a single incident.
We are a nation that's trying to cope with trauma on a massive scale - scrambling to move on without doing the hard work. Instead we are invalidating one another's narratives - breaking more trust, and refusing to own the impact that centuries of such violence from our past has on our society today. We have no interest in choosing the restoration process because for both sides, myself included, it's easier to be mad, sad or indifferent rather than do the work of healing.
We are a nation that's trying to cope with trauma on a massive scale - scrambling to move on without doing the hard work. Instead we are invalidating one another's narratives - breaking more trust, and refusing to own the impact that centuries of such violence from our past has on our society today. We have no interest in choosing the restoration process because for both sides, myself included, it's easier to be mad, sad or indifferent rather than do the work of healing.
My post was an attempt to raise a red flag that we are still yet to deal with our trauma and spur on conversation. It is why I am saddened and grieved as I watch people tear one another apart on Buzzfeed, FB, wherever. We relegate "those people" to scum rather than approaching one another in love. It is why I prefer to have these conversations privately because I know my own tendency to be quick to speak and be about winning an argument, projecting bitterness and spewing hate because it feels good to put someone down, or post angrily because it doesn't require relationship. I commit myself to stepping back and think thoughtfully about how to approach people who share vastly different opinions than mine with love, respect and understanding. I force myself to see the humanity of each person especially when I disagree. That won't always mean that I won't be direct and call things out, but I refuse to allow social media to become another forum to break trust and create greater divides.
This all just barely scratches the surface and doesn't even address what it will take to restore trust and bring healing - that's honestly for another day and another thorough conversation. But I Look forward to your responses. I continue to welcome your feedback and perspectives.
P.S. Full disclaimer here - I am no expert on trauma. I am drawing fully from my personal experiences and little learning. I am also just a student of sociology and a voracious reader of social psychology and matters regarding racism and human rights.There are far more learned people who have given all of my "ideas" a publication date fleshed out and backed up by pages of scholarship and study. Let me know if you want any of those resources. I am also fully open to be corrected if I present something incorrectly or I'm just not making any sense. It'll be a tough pill to swallow, but I'll receive it!
P.S.S. To my fellow Asians and Asian American brothers and sisters who might read this post - you might have noticed that I didn't list you (us). because there is a distinctness in this conversation of our experience in the U.S. and that alone is so vastly different depending on which people group you are talking about. I just couldn't figure out away to nuance that reality in a speedy manner. Please forgive me if you were miffed!
