“When we ask who polices the police, the response should be — the police.”–Chad Dion Lassiter, Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission
by Sharyn L. Flanagan, Philadelphia Tribune Staff Writer
For Chad Dion Lassiter, this week’s conviction of former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin for killing George Floyd strikes a personal nerve.
“This verdict also brought some pain out of me because I was a victim of police brutality at the age of 12 and again at the age of 14,” said Lassiter, the executive director of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission and a national expert on race relations. “I didn’t know to get badge number in 1984. No one told me what to do.”
Lassiter said that what is happening around the country since George Floyd’s death has allowed him to share his story.
Floyd’s death last May sparked protests across the U.S. and demands from activists and others to rethink the role of police or “defund” departments.
Lassiter said some changes must come from within police departments and among their own ranks.
“We have to stop saying, ‘It’s not all cops.’ We have to stop the blue [police] status quo of not telling. It’s time to start snitching,” he said. “When we ask who polices the police, the response should be — the police.”
Jerry Jordan (above), Philadelphia Federation of Teachers president, said fear of the police is justified for Black and brown people.
“Racism is so deep seated in our society that sitting in your apartment, that walking down the street, that driving with a broken tail light — can be death sentences at the hands of the police,” he said in a statement.
“Racism is so deep-seated that our society deems school funding as negotiable in districts that educate primarily Black and brown children,” Jordan said. “So while the conviction of Derek Chauvin is a step towards justice, let us never, ever forget that so many of the systems of oppression and inequity are firmly in place.”
Lassiter agreed that the Chauvin guilty verdict was not a full victory.
“I was overwhelmed with a moment of sadness — a moment of sheer sadness. No matter what he [Floyd] got in the civil remedies, he shouldn’t have died. His family will always experience those death and dying episodes,” he said. “I am very mindful not to be celebratory because there appears to be no real justice.”
Lassiter went on to name other Black victims over the years: Daunte Wright, Tamir Rice, Breonna Taylor, Sandra Bland and Eric Garner.
He cautioned that this case can’t be expected to end excessive force by police or end systemic racism.
“We have so much work that lies ahead and we can’t rest on this particular verdict,” Lassiter said.
“We need anti-racism training for police and a national repository so if you’re a bad cop in one place, you won’t get a job in another place,” he said. “We need more trauma nurses, more social workers and more activists.”
Many are saying Chauvin’s conviction is a step toward restoring trust in the criminal justice system and a step toward repairing police-community relations.
Lassiter said that along with City Councilmember Curtis Jones Jr. on the state human relations commission they have targeted police and community relations as part of the commission’s Social Justice Committee. Through that state-level committee they provide training on unconscious bias for police departments.
Recognizing that some police departments around the country have instituted changes — such as banning chokeholds — and many state legislatures are debating police reform bills, City Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson, D-2nd District, has introduced police reforms for Philadelphia.
“I was the lead sponsor of a new law last year called ‘Let Philly Breathe,’” which bans chokeholds and similar restraints that were used against Floyd. The law, which is in effect now, was supported by the Philadelphia Police Department, SEPTA Police and the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office.
“Let us honor the life and memory of Mr. Floyd by … advocating for police reforms nationwide,” Johnson said. “I feel that the unanimous guilty verdict is a small step towards the fight for police accountability and reforms throughout the nation.”
Council President Darrell Clarke, D-5th District, also said that the verdict opens up a bigger discussion about police reforms.
“It is gratifying to see that justice prevailed in this case. However, the jury’s verdict does not end the discussion about policing, and the need for real reform in how police officers treat suspects in their custody or control, particularly persons of color. There is no time to waste. Let George Floyd’s murder be a catalyst for reforms in policing in our country,” he said.
“This case should be a spark for other changes as well, as we confront the multiple inequities we have endured for far too long in our society, from housing to employment to education and other issues,” Clarke said. “We need a more equitable society, free of systemic racism. Let us recommit ourselves to those goals as a city and as a country.”
sflanagan@phillytrib.com (215) 893-5762
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