 Fairly or unfairly, we have grown accustom to news stories involving the city of Richmond to be tainted by tragedy. In 2009, Richmond, a city of with a population of roughly 100,000, had 48 homicides.
That is a per capita rate that would set a record in Oakland. Whether it was the gang rape at the Richmond High School homecoming dance back in October or the double homicide this week that took the life of a woman and her unborn child, invariably there is an assumption that an above-the-fold news story about Richmond will be accompanied by tragic circumstances. This column will follow in that inglorious tradition. It has already been reported that in 2006 seven high-ranking African American police officers with combined experience of 174 years have filed a suit against the Richmond Chief of Police, Chris Magnus, alleging racism, harassment, and being skipped over for promotions. After watching 2 hours of taped depositions, I am convinced the level of dysfunction that exist internally within the Richmond Police Department makes it unable to address the problems that exist externally with the scant expectation of achieving a modicum of success. This is not the first time charges of racism have tainted Richmond’s finest. Several years ago, 60 Minutes ran a segment highlighting the “Cowboys,” a group of the department’s white police officers engaging in brutality specifically against residents of color. A civil rights lawsuit was subsequently filed. The result was the largest judgment, at the time, against a municipality and its police department. Former Deputy Police Chief, Lori Ritter, whose promotion was opposed by a number of African American officers, is married to a member of the “Cowboys” and had a photo of the controversial group, which included a Confederate Flag publicly displayed in her office. Given the unfortunate legacy of the “Cowboys” as well as the symbolism of the Confederate flag, Magnus displayed an incredulous expression when asked did he ever consider asking Ritter to remove the photo from her office. Captain Cleveland Brown, a 29-year veteran of the department and one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, appealed to Magnus not to promote Ritter to deputy chief. According to Brown’s testimony, the perception that Ritter held racist views among members within the department as well as the community, her promotion would create a “master/slave” dynamic. Not only did Magnus ignore the appeal of Brown and other high-ranking African American officers, he placed the caption “Master of the Universe” under Ritter’s photo after promoting her for all to see. Under oath, Magnus denied having any conversation with Brown regarding the master/slave dynamic. But his testimony was refuted by a number of witnesses, including an independent investigator hired by the city of Richmond, who was reportedly compensated $400,000. It was also alleged Magnus publicly referred to riding with an African American officer as akin to “Driving Miss Daisy.” These allegations were corroborated by other sworn testimony who were present but not associated with the plaintiffs or defendant. Charges of racism, harassment, and systematic denial of promoting African American officers do not make them so because they are alleged, but based on the sworn testimony within the depositions here are two examples where both sides agree. During a staff meeting, Ritter allegedly asked Brown to “tap dance” for the group at the break. Ritter, under oath, confirmed making this statement. Chief Magnus “joked” to another African American officer that he could see Ritter standing over Brown in leather boots and a whip urging him to “Dance jigaboo dance!” When asked about it during a local television news interview, Magnus stated: “I categorically deny anything along those lines…That’s totally not within my character to make those kind of remarks.”
But under oath Magnus confirmed making some form of the statement. The primary role of law enforcement has never been crime prevention, though there are community-policing models that have realized some effectiveness. But Richmond, a city already suffocating under the stench of nihilism, can ill-afford to have a fractious and fragmented police force caught in a 1950’s time warp. The Richmond Police Department, using the fault line of race, is attempting to replicate gang behavior, in order to distinguish who’s aligned with whom. Instead of fostering cohesion, it strongly appears Magnus is encouraging divisiveness. What expectations should we have for the portion of the Richmond community that is mired in hopelessness when those who are sworn to protect and serve are basking in their own internal dysfunction? The mission statement of Richmond Police Department reads: “The mission of the Richmond Police Department is to work in partnership with communities to solve neighborhood problems, address the causes of disorder, and enhance the quality of life in our city. It shall accomplish this by providing professional, constitutional and efficient police services, while striving to attain the highest standards of integrity and accountability.”
It is difficult to see how this mission statement is achieved within the community at-large when it is clear the Richmond Police Department is unable to meet this goal among themselves.
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