On Tuesday April 13, Miami University Student Body President Jannie Kamara took to social media to encourage others to bully members of the law enforcement community. She posted on Twitter, “Bully a cop today bc they deserve it… you can take off your uniform babe but I can’t take off my Blackness.”
This tweet comes two days after the fatal shooting of Daunte Wright by a police officer who claims she mistook her gun for her taser. The shooting occured in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota near Minneapolis, where the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin is ongoing.
Wright’s death was an unnecessary tragedy. Thankfully, it appears the officer involved will be held accountable and she has been charged with second-degree manslaughter. Nevertheless, the frustration stemming from this event is completely reasonable and the concerns it and other incidents have raised regarding the need for police reform should be heard.
However, what is not justified is Kamara’s comment. To encourage the bullying of cops is reckless and irresponsible. Anyone who does so, including Kamara, is unfit for positions of public leadership.
No sensible person disputes the idea that officers involved in police brutality should face justice. Of course they should. Being a member of law enforcement does not mean that someone is above the law. Nevertheless, the harmful actions of a few police officers do not represent the overwhelming majority of the law enforcement community, nor do they warrant a call to bully officers that had no part in those actions.
The fact is, the overwhelming majority of police keep our communities safe–a fact far too many have forgotten. Law enforcement officers keep our campus safe as well, which makes Kamara’s tweet even more unwise. As Student Body President, Kamara should support the safety of Miami students on campus. Promoting the bullying of those who keep our campus and communities safe is the opposite of doing that.
For all the stories of police brutality, there are many more of police heroism. On the same day Kamara claimed cops deserved to be bullied, U.S. Capitol Police Officer William “Billy” Evans was honored at the Capitol after losing his life while defending it on April 2. Two days after Kamara’s tweet marked the eighth anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombings. While on the run eight years ago, the bombers murdered Sean Collier, a patrol officer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Evans and Collier are two examples of heroes, and there are many more law enforcement officers like them. Does Kamara believe these officers deserved to be bullied?
The heroic actions of some officers should not excuse the damaging actions of others. Rather, the two should be separated. We can deplore the actions of abusive officers and still praise the heroism of courageous ones. The majority of officers which have not engaged in police brutality should not be attacked for the actions of the few who did.
Kamara rationalizes bullying of police officers based on their choice to be a part of the policing system. Collective guilt, however, is a dangerous idea that leads to the mistreatment of perfectly decent and innocent individuals. It is an un-American slap in the face to the entire idea of justice. Yet, this is what Miami’s Student Body President promotes.
Guilty individuals should face consequences, but when you suggest those consequences be extended to men and women who have done nothing to warrant such treatment, you lose any moral high ground on the issue. Such an argument is only made in bad faith and is grounded in ignorance and extremism. No leader should make such comments as what Kamara tweeted. Any leader who does so disgraces their office.