Street Smart

I first met my friend Bob in March of 1984. I was the FNG (Google it…I can’t write the definition here!) in Metro and Bob was an assistant squad leader in SWAT, which for me at the time was the epitome of what I aspired to be. Bob impressed me from day one. He was easy going, friendly and an absolute professional.

Bob is an Oklahoma cowboy who joined the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) in 1972 after serving in Vietnam. Over the years, I got to know Bob really well and we developed a close friendship. Bob was a calf roper and we had a mutual interest in horses. Bob is a big, muscular, outgoing, and athletic, guy who immediately commands respect when he arrives at an incident. He was a true mentor, and I can’t count the careers he shaped because of his positive attitude, demeanor and professionalism. I consider it an honor to have worked around him and count him as a friend.

Okay, great. But why is Bob being a great guy "column material"? I’m getting there! His story is important for my topic. How many readers gathered from my description that Bob is a Black guy? The “Oklahoma cowboy” part of the description usually throws people off if Bob isn’t right there telling the story himself (hmm…stereotyping?). As Bob tells it, he grew up poor in Oklahoma and remembers picking cotton and riding horses when he could. He was drafted and ended up serving two tours of duty in Vietnam. At his retirement dinner, Bob gave a speech that (because of his incredible reputation and credibility) really resonated with everyone present. Bob told the audience that when he left the Army he was confronted with a choice; he didn’t know if he wanted to join the Black Panthers or the LAPD! He explained that he had dealt with racism while serving in the military and as a young man in Oklahoma. He was angry when he left the service, but knew in his heart that the radical behavior of the Black Panthers was not for him. He knew too that he could have more of a positive impact as a cop. Thank God he joined the LAPD!

Something I find conspicuously absent from the discussion about race relations and law enforcement, is the perspective of the Black police professionals. Why don’t we ever hear from these people? A guy like Bob has a lot to offer and it all comes from a "been there, dealt with that" perspective. He and I have had these conversations so I know that, if asked, Bob would tell you that racism in law enforcement is absolutely a real thing, just like it is in any other profession. However, he would go on to explain that it’s not just the white vs. Black thing that we see in the media every single day. Racism and bias is a societal problem that permeates all professions and includes all races. He would add that, overall, law enforcement does an admirable job weeding through applicants with racist tendencies. He would confirm that, while the system certainly is not perfect, the successes greatly outweigh the failures.

My wife rolled on a call one night when Bob was ambushed by Black gang members while sitting in his police car in a parking lot in South Los Angeles. He survived the ambush (two tours in Vietnam prepared him for being shot at!), but consider the scenario. Is race still a part of the equation when Black gang members shoot at a Black LAPD sergeant? Based on what I’ve personally witnessed in the past, I believe Black officers are treated worse when it comes to dealing with the racial tension we see now and that’s why we never hear them interviewed. Think about it; not only are these Black law enforcement professionals attacked and insulted by the Black Lives Matter rioters, they are wrongly looked at as traitors to their race and not supported by their bosses. Look at all the Black Police Chiefs we’ve seen resign recently nationwide. That’s NOT a coincidence!

I’d encourage those interested to read about Detroit Chief of Police James Craig. Although I don’t know James as well as I do Bob, I did work with and around him in South Los Angeles. James too is the consummate professional. Space doesn’t allow more discussion about his response to the rioting as Chief of Police, so please, read about him.

A final point: several days ago we saw two Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies ambushed and shot in South Los Angeles. I won’t belabor this with my opinion of the cowardly back shooter guilty of the crime. I’ve dealt with thousands just like him and know he doesn’t deserve the ink. Instead, I want to caution everyone about falling into a trap. After the shooting, we saw demonstrations outside the hospital where the deputies were being treated. The verbiage we heard from the demonstrators was disgusting and won’t be repeated here. The trap? Believing that the demonstrators we saw in the media were representative of the community. Don’t buy into that! My wife and I both worked South Los Angeles for a long time. We know that the majority of the people in the community actually support law enforcement! The problem? You’ll never see these people interviewed by the mainstream media either! Why not? Because their stories aren’t radical enough! These poor people are the REAL victims of this Black Lives Matter movement and everyone knows it. They’re afraid to speak up and for good reason. Who’s going to protect them?

Blaine Blackstone is a retired Los Angeles Police Sergeant who enjoys the simpler life in Thompson Falls. He can be reached by email at [email protected].