Dontay Ivy was killed by the system
Dontay Ivy's death has been portrayed by the Albany Police Department and the district attorney as a "tragedy," implying that it was unpredictable, no one's fault, and "unintentional." According to this portrayal, no racism was involved — as if "accidental" and unintentional" mean that no racial discrimination or bias could occur.
A review of the account presented by the police and the district attorney shows that Mr. Ivy had committed no crime. No crime had been reported in the area. He was stopped based on being judged "suspicious" for wearing a puffer coat in 26-degree weather with his hands up his sleeves. Based on the police accounts, there was no valid reason for the police to stop Mr. Ivy or to escalate the interaction by seeking to frisk him and handcuff him. There was no reason to chase Mr. Ivy or to subject him to multiple Taser shots and to baton strikes. The Albany Police Department claims to use "community policing" yet none of the officers was familiar with Ivy, well-known throughout his community including his habit of a late evening walk to the corner store. It is also of note that, according to District Attorney David Soares, of the eight police dashboard video cameras at the scene, only two were activated.
At a recent rally, Mr. Ivy's 11-year-old niece compared her uncle's treatment to slavery. Even at her young age, she grasped hold of a profound insight that is sweeping the academic world. Even if we accept that there was no intentional racial bias on the part of the involved officers, Police Chief Brendan Cox, or DA Soares, that does not begin to answer the pressing questions raised by this incident. The existence of implicit bias, well-documented among police officers and law enforcement leaders, makes any discussion about intentional bias superfluous. Most importantly, the death of Mr. Ivy must be viewed as the result of a systematic and institutionalized form of racism. Police guidelines that make it acceptable to stop an African-American peacefully and lawfully walking down the street was intentional. The training that taught police to be physically aggressive and that underemphasized attention to mental illness was deliberate. The arming of officers with Tasers and the policies regulating how many rounds of Taser shots are permitted was a conscious decision. The grand jury process is by design secretive and grants huge influence to local prosecutors who must depend upon local police. District attorneys across New York, including DA Soares, have consciously undermined attempts to appoint "outside" special prosecutors in cases of police killings of civilians. I am not judging the officers. I am judging the "system;" and anyone who takes an objective look at the institution of criminal justice in America today, regardless of their race, should be protesting the death of Dontay Ivy.
Jennifer McErlean, a longtime activist in Albany, is a professor of philosophy at Siena College.
http://www.timesunion.com/tuplus-opinion/article/Dontay-Ivy-was-killed-by-the-system-6630369.php
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