‘What About Us, Who Are Both Black and Blue?’ | NYT Opinion
NYT, 15 Apr 2021
This week, a veteran officer in Brooklyn Center, Minn., killed an unarmed man, claiming to have mistaken her gun for her Taser. The Ethical Society of Police, a St. Louis group consisting mostly of Black officers, was quick to comment on the shooting, calling out the negligence of the officer.
What is it like for some officers who see themselves in both Black Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter after such high-profile shootings? In the video Op-Ed above, Lt. Cheryl E. Orange, a longtime member of the Ethical Society of Police, explains how her organization places morality and ethics over blind loyalty, even as most traditional police unions continue to defend their officers, no matter what. Sometimes this means publicly condemning its own members, however painful that is.
The Ethical Society of Police was formed in 1972 to address race-based discrimination within the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and is open to all officers. It is unafraid to speak out about high-profile cases of police misconduct in St. Louis and in other cities. Lieutenant Orange argues that when police unions stand behind their officers, seemingly regardless of their conduct, it erodes public trust in law enforcement, creating an “us versus them” dynamic. As she says in the video, “The union should lean to what’s right, not what’s loyal.”
Subscribe: http://bit.ly/U8Ys7n
More from The New York Times Video: http://nytimes.com/video
----------
Whether it's reporting on conflicts abroad and political divisions at home, or covering the latest style trends and scientific developments, New York Times video journalists provide a revealing and unforgettable view of the world. It's all the news that's fit to watch.
What is it like for some officers who see themselves in both Black Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter after such high-profile shootings? In the video Op-Ed above, Lt. Cheryl E. Orange, a longtime member of the Ethical Society of Police, explains how her organization places morality and ethics over blind loyalty, even as most traditional police unions continue to defend their officers, no matter what. Sometimes this means publicly condemning its own members, however painful that is.
The Ethical Society of Police was formed in 1972 to address race-based discrimination within the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and is open to all officers. It is unafraid to speak out about high-profile cases of police misconduct in St. Louis and in other cities. Lieutenant Orange argues that when police unions stand behind their officers, seemingly regardless of their conduct, it erodes public trust in law enforcement, creating an “us versus them” dynamic. As she says in the video, “The union should lean to what’s right, not what’s loyal.”
Subscribe: http://bit.ly/U8Ys7n
More from The New York Times Video: http://nytimes.com/video
----------
Whether it's reporting on conflicts abroad and political divisions at home, or covering the latest style trends and scientific developments, New York Times video journalists provide a revealing and unforgettable view of the world. It's all the news that's fit to watch.
