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Response to an ACA Peace and Justice Project: A S

By Kevin Wreghitt posted 02-03-2015 03:36 PM

  

(Author’s Note:  The following statement (two posts combined into one found here) was written originally written in December, 2014 on the ACA Connect e-forum.  This was in response some of the national events of last year. A young African-American male was shot by a police officer in Ferguson, MO.  This caused riots and protests that lingered on for weeks, if not months.  In another case, a young African-American male resisted arrest in New York, for stealing cigars and died of a heart attack, after being placed in a choke hold. As a result, further rioting and protests occurred and two police officers were fatally shot while on patrol in New York City. An officer in Boston and another in FL were also shot around the same time.  The rioting and unrest is calming down, but may be continuing sporadically across the country to some smaller extent currently.  The recent civil unrest occurred all based on two Grand Jury investigations that did not indict police officers in either case. Some minority communities thought those law enforcement officers, involved in these cases, were guilty of murder and Civil Rights violations. The post was also in response to colleagues who were, to me, responding in a controversial fashion, for a constructive professional dialogue to take place. Certain edits were made to this version from the original posts).

Dear Counselors:

I write this with sadness and grief over the loss of two police officers in New York City over the weekend.  Another officer was shot and killed in FL a few hours later.  Yet, another shooting at police in Boston also occurred around the same time.  I also write with a heavy heart for the ACA and its members as we grapple with what our response should be.

Dr. D'Andrea started a conversation by basically siding with "mob mentality" and suggesting that there was "state-sanctioned-violence " against minorities.  D'Andrea also wrote "hands up, don't shoot."  He even posted a Huffington post article which called the police "terrorists."

In the days to follow, sure enough, there were some who agreed with those sentiments.  One member said:

  • "I sat in my kitchen and cried for Trayvon Martin and his family.  When I think about Trayvon I still cry, I can't look at his face without starting to cry." 

Another counselor said: 

  • "I find it unacceptable to not state what was removed, by whom and why.  I am often dismissed as a ‘pot-stirrer’…..just because others are willing to go to any lengths necessary to address systemic racism in our country, doesn't mean you have to bash them and their methods....It seems law enforcement in the US (some more than others) have, sadly, become the homeland terrorists."

At that time, along with others made the point that this type of rhetoric is not helpful.  I replied we have to ask ourselves questions and come up with science based solutions such as: 

  • Why don't people respect each other anymore?
  • Why are men of color (or even whites) growing up without a father?
  • How are we talking to young (and older) clients about trust in others and self-respect?
  • What does it mean to respect authority and how do we counsel young people to have respect for authority?
  • Is our social justice movement doing anything to improve societal ills, or have we failed?                                                                                

Dr. D'Andrea thanked everyone for their responses after a couple weeks of dialogue and everyone went silent.   

Now, that the police are getting shot and assaulted, Dr. D'Andrea released a statement denouncing violence against police officers.  He states that there is still "state-sanctioned-violence" against minorities.  The problem is that the damage is the done to a fair counseling process that brings optimal mental health to all we come into contact. 

Let's take a look at several of hypothetical situations:                                                                               

  • Suppose you had a client who happened to be a police officer for some personal issue.  How are you going to handle him or her, thinking about all the people you assume the officer roughed up or even discharged their weapon?  Regardless of whether those issues come up, how do you think such thoughts will affect treatment especially if you have other clinicians and experts telling you police should be suspect of domestic terrorism?
  • You have a 13 y.o. Latino male who had been arrested the other day for petty theft.  He resisted arrest and been roughed up by the police.  You find out that the police did everything lawfully and tried to avoid physical confrontation.  How do you address this situation in the office? Do you confront him about his wrong doing and try to help him take responsibility for what he has done, or do you lead him in a discussion about how the police hate people of Latino/a descent?
  • You are a mental health counselor in a police department.  One day you are called in on an emergency because one of the officers had to fire his weapon at a young African-American male who was shooting teachers and students at the high school.  The officer tells you during debrief that "I confronted the suspect. I ordered him to stop and drop his weapon. Instead, he turned and pointed his shot-gun right at me. I then shot him and that ended the shooting spree"  What do you do at that time?  Do you empathize with the officer who was afraid for his life and wanted to prevent further harm, or do you assume he may have hidden bias against people of color because some members of the ACA said many in the police force hate people who are African-American?  Looking at the personnel file, you find there is no evidence off racism and he denies such characteristics.  To make it complicating, though, the officer was thought to be heard yelling racial slurs at the gunman at the time of the shooting.  At that point, what do you do? Do you file the report with the Chief and the DA saying the officer involved should be brought up on Civil Rights violations? Or do you approach the officer with concern and recommend counseling with time off before he continues his job on the force?

We, as counselors (and other mental health professionals need to be cautious about how we speak about race issues and be careful not to become involved in the mob mentality and throwing our own bomb shells into the mix.  I could go on and on, but if we were to answer some of those questions above, we could do the research and get to some of the solutions.  If there is to be a statement from association leadership, I hope it can be respectful and measured.  Society needs the mental health professionals to be focused, determined and calm.  If we deteriorate into the madness of the street, we will be of use to nobody.

It is easy for counselors to sit in their officers and ivory towers of academia, treatment facilities, or private offices and cast dispersions on law enforcement, the military and our intelligence apparatus without knowing what they go through or the issues they face.  I will have more in response to Dr. D'Andrea and the CIA report in a separate post in the coming days.  I didn't mean to put down Dr. D'Andrea et.al. in earlier paragraphs and I hope no offence is taken.  I respect everyone's feelings about what is happening but I wonder if it is helpful to express certain emotive thoughts on a professional forums, especially if we are looking for answers and not more animosity.  It is just that if we describe certain groups in disparaging ways, it will lead the counseling profession in a dark place we do not want to be.  Should police abuse their power and indicted or found guilty, they should be punished, but don't throw the baby out with the bathwater! 

The most important issues that counselors can talk with clients about is responsibility and respect. I do not care who the client is – African-American, Caucasian, Asian, Latino/a, GLBTQ, heterosexual, people with and without disability, people with gifted talent, people with and without mental disorders or use substances, and the ones who are average with no mental disorder history – all need to process and talk about how to take responsibility for their actions and respect others, especially for those in authority. 

By contrast, people in authority need to engage in the same process. It is alright to protest injustice and look for systematic solutions.  The government can pass all the legislation it wants to abolish inequality and injustice.  We can look at the history of the United States and complain about how unfair it has been to minorities.  There was a time for Civil Rights legislation and movements and there may be time again for such actions.  All of this will not, however, change people’s souls, thoughts and attitudes.  We have to speak to clients about not only how individuals are different (diversity) but assist them in thinking about ways people have similar characteristics (unity).  It is only then we can hope to reach a point where some injustice and inequality can be eliminated.

Looking at the broader picture, our political leaders, government institutions and the media also contribute to the current climate of tension.  The constant use of technology where we communicate through devices instead of face-to-face also contributes to social breakdown.  We must write our posts intelligently as to not insight a civil war within the ACA.  This is why I am speaking out. God Bless those who selfishly give of themselves to serve this nation and to protect its citizens.

 


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