The divide between law enforcement and the African-American community is a hot topic, but what happens when the two meet? This Daily Journal article “When law enforcement and community meet,” discusses the issues African-American police officers face within the communities they serve.
“’Uncle Tom,’ ‘sell-out’ and worse are what the African-American officer has to hear when all he would like to do is make the community a better place. That type of disrespect is all too common for the African-American officer.” “[But] it’s not just the African-American community that often doesn’t welcome African-American officers.”
When responding to incidents, African-American officers often face pushback in white communities, from citizens refusing to deal with African-American officers and only willing to speak to white officers.