Timothy Greeley

Racism, discrimination, and prejudice are sadly a part of our history as a nation. Native Americans, Latinos, Jews, Muslims, LGBTQ, women and other minorities have suffered from discrimination and prejudice.

No group has suffered more than African Americans. Slaves were brought to Virginia in 1619. African Americans were ruled to be property, not persons, by the Supreme Court in 1857.

Discrimination in housing and public accommodations was legal into the 1960s. In Virginia it was illegal for an interracial couple to marry until 1967. Widespread racism remains a problem in our nation today. We cannot deny this history. We can disagree on how to address the problem.

The battle for equal justice has been a long one. In 1963 I was nine years old when our family vacation was to drive to Washington, D.C., for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. At that march, Martin Luther King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech.

That dream is not yet a reality. There is still much work to be done. In 2013, 50 years after the March on Washington, the Black Lives Matter Movement was created. Black Lives Matters’ stated mission is “to work vigorously for freedom and justice for Black people and, by extension, all people.” Racism touches every aspect of our society. Discrimination still exists in housing, education, healthcare and employment. The Black Lives Matter Movement is trying to address these issues through non-violent civil disobedience.

All Lives Matter is a criticism of the Black Lives Matter Movement. It is perceived by those of us who support the Black Lives Matter Movement as a denial of the need for reform, reform which is desperately needed. Black Lives Matter is a recognition that all too often Black lives have not mattered as much as white lives.

Some are suggesting that one of the needed reforms is to defund the police. Racism in law enforcement is a problem. However, if every police department in the nation was free from racism, we would still be a long way from fully addressing the problem of racism. The police are a reflection of our society. We are all too familiar with how racism in law enforcement has impacted the Black community and our nation. Rodney King, Malice Green, George Floyd, and all too many others, stand as a testament to racism in law enforcement. When the Black community learns of this conduct, they conclude that no police officer can be trusted. This makes it that much harder for good police officers to do their job.

There are racist police officers, but, my experience, in over 30 years as a part of the criminal justice system, is that the vast majority of law enforcement officers are good people committed to the best interests of the communities they serve.

These are women and men who put their lives on the line to help keep us safe. It is a difficult job and they are underpaid and overworked. We need the police to be part of the solution, not part of the problem. We need the police to enforce the laws against hate crimes and to ensure that Black lives do matter.

Hate crimes are not a thing of the past. On June 24, 2020 in Wisconsin a biracial woman was set on fire by a group of men hurling racial epithets. On June 29, 2020, a Redondo Beach man drove his car into a group of Black people after yelling racial insults at them. On July 4, 2020 there was an attempted lynching of a Black man in Indiana. We need law enforcement to protect our citizens from these crimes. Defunding the police could embolden those intent on committing hate crimes. We need police and we need police reform.

Police reform must include community participation, a review of priorities, and consider the best allocation of resources. But, more than that, we need a commitment from all of us to work vigorously for freedom and justice for Black people and, by extension, all people.

If we can do that, we can make all lives matter.

Editor’s note: Timothy Greeley is a recently retired U.S. magistrate judge who resides in the Marquette area.