Valley black leaders say discussion on race needed

November 26, 2014 at 12:01a.m.

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

While violent protests turned Ferguson, Mo., into a war zone, some Valley black leaders called for more discussion about racial struggles in the U.S.

“Bringing about change is from the inside,” said Lock P. Beachum Sr., a former longtime Youngstown Board of Education member and a retired city school principal. “We have a legal right to bring about change.”

Beachum said looting and vandalism are not an effective way. Instead, being part of the makeup of government can provide for lasting change, he said.

“This is still the greatest country in the world,” he added.

A Missouri grand jury decided not to indict a policeman for the killing of Michael Brown, an unarmed, black 18-year-old. The panel concluded that the Aug. 9 shooting was legally justified and that no criminal charges were warranted against Officer Darren Wilson.

The Rev. Lewis Macklin of Holy Trinity Missionary Baptist Church said he thinks Youngstown can learn from the riots in Ferguson.

“I think the case is an opportunity for us to discuss race issues,” he said. “We do have some racial issues and other struggles in the area. The fact that riots have happened show that racial and equality issues need to be addressed both locally and globally.”

The Rev. Mr. Macklin concluded he hopes people will do more than simply react angrily to situations such as Ferguson, explaining he hopes to see better communication among community leaders on racial issues.

“It’s OK to be angry, but people need to channel their responses better,” he said. “Ferguson, Mo., missed a wonderful opportunity for peace this week — and Brown’s family consistently asked for peace — so I think this was a lesson taught and a lesson learned.”

Thomas Conley, president and CEO of the Greater Warren-Youngstown Urban League, said the situation in Ferguson and elsewhere in the U.S. in recent years makes him believe there is a need for this country to establish new ideas on how to investigate the way actions of police officers are probed.

“That needs to change. The same kinds of events keep happening,” he said.

Conley said there is a specific point in time during a confrontation between an officer and a citizen — before the handcuffs go on — where there is “a lot of gray area” and “play area” for officers to make decisions that can lead to tragedy or a good outcome.

In Ferguson, the officer talked about being afraid for his safety because Michael Brown was large, but a decision to wait for backup could make all the difference, Conley said.

Conley has had dialogue with representatives of the U.S. Department of Justice over the past decade regarding the practices and culture within the Warren Police Department that resulted in a finding that the department was engaging in unconstitutional policing against its citizens.

Conley said policy and procedural changes like those that have occurred in Warren make a difference, but changes in the culture within a department sometimes occur only when officers “cycle out.”

Conley said when police officers have “respect, not fear” for the citizens they serve, they have a better chance of avoiding unnecessary conflict.

At the same time, blacks need to avoid certain behaviors when they are confronted by police “because the minute you don’t obey, that alone gives them the green light to do whatever they want. It continues to be a problem.”

He added, “We need to make sure when we’re approached by law enforcement we know our rights and we don’t provoke. Be careful how you react. You have to listen unless they ask you to do something crazy.”

Some local churches such as Holy Trinity Missionary Baptist Church and New Bethel Baptist Church in Youngstown reported they have been praying for people involved in the riots.

“I’m not surprised” about the jury’s decision, said Youngstown Councilwoman Janet Tarpley, D-6th.

Tarpley said local government, including fire and police departments, need to represent the demographics of a community.

“More representation is better than less,” she said.

Councilwoman Annie Gillam, D-1st, said Youngstown already is addressing its own problems through the Community Initiative to Reduce Violence program, a partnership of law enforcement, social service agencies and the community.

“We need to have a serious discussion about race,” she said.