Minorities say tension with police still exists

Most Ann Arbor police officials say they value diversity and will not tolerate prejudice, but many members of the University's minority community said they feel they are not treated equally by law enforcement officers.

When white police officers assaulted Rodney King and Malice Green earlier in the decade, they opened deep wounds in an already strained relationship between police and members of the black community.

Once King's assailants were found innocent, some inner city minority residents questioned the sensitivity of area officers. Other minorities took to the streets and rioted.

Many Ann Arbor minorities said they feel the same about the police as their urban counterparts, while others said they feel the problems between police and racial minorities on campus are less severe.

LSA senior Sandra Emmil said Ann Arbor police display some of the same prejudices as police from her hometown, Chicago.

ALLISON CANTER/Daily While Ann Arbor police officials claim they make great efforts against

"White people just don't understand the things black people go through and black males in particular," said Emmil, who is black. "I've heard of black males being pulled over and cops even telling them it was for no particular reason.

"A lot of black males are so used to it they accept it and think they can't do anything about it," she said.

Minorities speak out

Emmil said she was greeted with police officers' racism after returning to school this fall. She was in front of South Quad Residence Hall with seven of her friends when an officer approached the group.

"The police came up to us and told us to leave because we were being too loud," Emmil said. "It wasn't like we were yelling. We were just standing out there talking. A week later there were 50 white people out there screaming and yelling and the cops didn't do anything."

Not all people of color at the University said they feel the problem is so severe.

Danielle Baker, president of the University's chapter of the NAACP, said most Ann Arbor Police Department and Department of Public Safety officers treat students fairly. She said the NAACP has not received any formal complaints about police prejudice.

But Baker said she has encountered certain officers who act improperly toward members of the minority community.

"When I was a sophomore, I stayed at Geddes Hill (Apartments) and had a party," said Baker, an LSA senior. "A set of officers came and gave us a ticket for being too loud.

"Two weeks after that, one of the officers (who gave us a ticket) came up to our apartment to tell us to turn our TV down. It wasn't even that loud," she said.

Baker said the "incident was a shock," and said she was incensed by police actions that she said seemed to stem from racism.

LSA sophomore Kenneth Jones said police racism is not isolated and minorities on campus receive "inferior" treatment. A large presence of DPS officers at minority events proves that the police do not trust racial minorities, he said.

"One of the (black) sororities had given a party at the Union," said Jones, chair of the Michigan Student Assembly's Minority Affairs Commission. "This was the first party I went to this year, and I counted something like 13 officers there. That says something to me. When I went to some of the gay parties (of the same size) on campus, there were no officers there," Jones said.

Nevertheless, some minority students said they see a stark contrast between local police and more hostile law enforcement agencies in their hometowns.

Baker said Ann Arbor police are more friendly toward minority communities than agencies in urban and southern locales.

"Ann Arbor is not your typical place," Baker said. "In Detroit and in the South it's another story."

Cultural diversity

AAPD Sgt. Larry Jerue said attitudes that develop during a person's lifetime often lead to the misconception that police are prejudiced.

He said the negative opinions some citizens have formed about their local police often stem from past incidents, and he stressed that Ann Arbor officers always respond to a call professionally and without bias.

"One apple can spoil the whole bunch," said Jerue, referring to the negative impact one racist officer can have. "You see something on the south side of Chicago and that'll effect your perception of police everywhere."

DPS Sgt. Benny Chenevert said DPS is taking steps to address how officers deal with minorities. He said officers must consider cultural diversity when reacting to situations.

"A major thing (for officers) to keep in mind is to be respectful of themselves and others," Chenevert said. "We've increased the amount of diversity training and we're looking at several programs to heighten cultural awareness."

Chenevert said DPS has initiated outreach programs and community-oriented policing to establish a report with minority and other student groups.

But he said outreach has been difficult because many people do not understand the role of DPS.

"We're a young department," Chenevert said. "I think a lot of people don't realize we're a full service agency."

AAPD officer Wilma Pursell said the composition of Ann Arbor's police force is similar to that of the community at-large. In addition to sensitivity training, she said daily interaction within a diverse group of AAPD officers helps officers dispel any cultural misconceptions they may have had before they were hired.

"I applaud our efforts to be sensitive," Pursell said. But "because the community is so diverse, I think perception is a big issue. I'm a black female. My perception is not what a black male or even a white male might have."

What lies ahead

Chenevert said it is important for students to realize that most officers enter the police force with a desire to help people and contribute to the community.

"One of the reasons I got into (this) work is I wanted to be part of the good of police as opposed to the negative experience (I had) growing up in Detroit with the riots of the 1968," Chenevert said.

But minority students on campus agree that some of the problems that were present in 1968 still exist today.

These problems will not be solved overnight, and Jones said things will not improve if the status quo is maintained. He said that establishing a dialogue between police and minority groups is an appropriate first step.

Jones said that working with the Michigan Student Assembly would allow DPS to reach out to the majority of campus minority groups.

"Since I'm chair of MSA's Minority Affairs Commission, we have a direct link to minority groups on campus," Jones said. DPS "has not made any contact with us, and I feel like we need to seek them out and make contact with them."

AAPD and DPS officials said they have worked in recent years to expand their outreach programs, but Jones said he believes minority students' concerns are not being properly addressed.

"I would like AAPD and DPS officers to do something proactive and reach out to minority groups," he said. "I don't feel safe from any police on campus."

prejudice, some minorities are not satisfied with their relations with police.

03-26-98