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A review by kara4
The Black and the Blue: A Cop Reveals the Crimes, Racism, and Injustice in America's Law Enforcement by Matthew Horace, Ron Harris
5.0
I have a lot of thoughts on this book....I wanted to read and learn more from the viewpoint of the Black police officer, and what their perspective is regarding the intersection of policing in America and race. This is not a perspective I have heard or read over the last year. I was told about this book, and was anxious to dig in. The author, Matthew Horace, is a Black man with over 30 years as a law enforcement officer in varying roles, and in varying cities. His experience is extensive. With this book, he gives his own personal thoughts and perspectives, but he spends quite a bit of it offering views and perspectives from other officers around the nation. He gives quite a bit of history about different cases, people, and situations along the way. It is extremely helpful to gain more understanding of how policing works in America, what’s wrong, and how police are asked to do and play roles they have not been trained—for example how the author speaks to the roles community partners need to play as well. The author does speak to the history of racism, and how it shows up both with officers, and how it plays out in policing. He gives many examples. Prepare to be angered and frustrated as the most high needs communities take the brunt of this. There were some sections that I’ll highlight that I thought were important...
1. Pg1..”Implicit bias lives in our police departments, just as it exists among our coworkers, families, friends, and associates. The textbook definition of implicit bias says it is the attitudes or stereotypes that we all have. They, in turn, affect our encounters with people, and influence our actions and decisions in an unconscious manner. Bias is different than racism and sexism. Racism and sexism affect the conscious prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race or sex based on the belief that one’s own race or sex is superior. Implicit biases are attitudes and assumptions ingrained in our subconscious.”
2.pg109 “We are in the process, in Chicago, of trying to turn this big boat around the way society wants us to police now. Before, society wanted us to be warriors. Now, they’re telling us we don’t want warriors; we want guardians. We want you to be more of a guardian. A warrior goes out and wants to get arrests, to protect the law. If there’s a gray area, you fall on the side of the law and let the judicial system figure out how to handle it.”
3.pg141 “It is unfortunate that there are people who see this continuum of Black Lives Matter and Police Lives Matter as being on either end of the equation. It’s such a false equivalency. It’s not a matter of one being on one end of the spectrum and another being on the opposite end. There’s nothing that says people who care about the past and the future of people of color-and who realize that we have a lot of bad history and that it takes a toll in many ways and that there are still a lot of bigoted attitudes- are anti police. We can acknowledge that and it’s not saying what police do is not important, or that police officers’ lives are not important. There is nothing that says addressing the first means you’re not committed to the second. The great majority of the black community want a good relationship with the police.”
So, a hard but necessary read- especially for someone like me who is a white, suburban, stay at home mom, who has never been impoverished or suffered trauma or racism. This is the history that others like me need to be reading- and then figure out how to get involved and help be part of the solution. This was a very good and helpful read. Highly recommend.
1. Pg1..”Implicit bias lives in our police departments, just as it exists among our coworkers, families, friends, and associates. The textbook definition of implicit bias says it is the attitudes or stereotypes that we all have. They, in turn, affect our encounters with people, and influence our actions and decisions in an unconscious manner. Bias is different than racism and sexism. Racism and sexism affect the conscious prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race or sex based on the belief that one’s own race or sex is superior. Implicit biases are attitudes and assumptions ingrained in our subconscious.”
2.pg109 “We are in the process, in Chicago, of trying to turn this big boat around the way society wants us to police now. Before, society wanted us to be warriors. Now, they’re telling us we don’t want warriors; we want guardians. We want you to be more of a guardian. A warrior goes out and wants to get arrests, to protect the law. If there’s a gray area, you fall on the side of the law and let the judicial system figure out how to handle it.”
3.pg141 “It is unfortunate that there are people who see this continuum of Black Lives Matter and Police Lives Matter as being on either end of the equation. It’s such a false equivalency. It’s not a matter of one being on one end of the spectrum and another being on the opposite end. There’s nothing that says people who care about the past and the future of people of color-and who realize that we have a lot of bad history and that it takes a toll in many ways and that there are still a lot of bigoted attitudes- are anti police. We can acknowledge that and it’s not saying what police do is not important, or that police officers’ lives are not important. There is nothing that says addressing the first means you’re not committed to the second. The great majority of the black community want a good relationship with the police.”
So, a hard but necessary read- especially for someone like me who is a white, suburban, stay at home mom, who has never been impoverished or suffered trauma or racism. This is the history that others like me need to be reading- and then figure out how to get involved and help be part of the solution. This was a very good and helpful read. Highly recommend.