By Rev. Donald L. Perryman, Ph.D.
The Truth Contributor
The police are the public, and the public are the police.
– Sir Robert Peel
The persistent trend where police frequently target African Americans for everyday, mundane activities is alarming. This pattern of over-policing, sometimes called “Living While Black,” continues to impact many communities, including our own.
Recently, a young African-American woman who was headed to work on foot was forced to navigate the streets of Toledo because the sidewalks were so overgrown with weeds that they couldn’t be used, per reporting by 13abc’s Alexis Means. Yet Toledo Police Department Officers Sharaya Lier and Brandon Spinner stopped the young lady for walking in the street.
What should have been a non-issue then quickly escalated, resulting in the young woman being handcuffed, placed in the back of a squad car, and given a citation – a stark reminder of the hostile environments Black Americans regularly encounter at the intersection of systemic neglect and racial bias.
A Pattern of Over-Policing
This unsettling incident is not unique. It reflects a larger, more disturbing issue where Black individuals are more likely to face disproportionate targeting by authorities for minor or imagined offenses. For instance, Brandon Upchurch was attacked by a police K-9 during a traffic stop in the same area after being wrongly accused of having stolen license plates while driving his own vehicle.
In the same vicinity, officers Ashlyn Pluff and Adam Hobbs used excessive force during a traffic stop involving two Black women in January 2023. And the beat goes on.
Historical Context and Racial Bias
It’s appalling to consider that merely walking to work – making your way through an obstacle course of neglect – can become a traumatic experience solely because of race.
Nevertheless, these incidents remind us of the numerous ways African Americans have historically been unfairly scrutinized and criminalized for their mere presence in public spaces. From waiting for a friend in a coffee shop to bird-watching in a park, and from selling bottled water on a sidewalk to napping in a university common room to barbecuing at a park, everyday activities for Black individuals are often disrupted by undue attention and police actions.
The True Cost: Eroding Trust and Police Legitimacy
Research confirms that police stops occur disproportionately in areas of color and that African-Americans are more likely to be stopped than others. These actions undermine trust and legitimacy in police-public relations. So, it is certain that the Walking While Black incident not only damages the relationship between TPD and the community but also undermines the authority of local law enforcement in the community’s eyes while demonstrating a misuse of police power and a lack of understanding of the community’s needs.
Moreover, TPD’s persistent pattern of racial profiling and unnecessary stops risks a significant loss of political support for the Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz administration. Residents in Toledo’s underserved communities will likely lose faith in leadership perceived as allowing such discriminatory practices to persist. This erosion of trust can manifest in various ways, from decreased voter turnout to protests and demands for new leadership that promises fairer policing practices.
A Call to Change the System
Therefore, TPD must reassess its approach to singling out minor infractions that are likely overlooked in more affluent neighborhoods. The oppressive criminalization of everyday activities like walking to work in underserved communities, is a glaring misuse of police resources and an injustice to those affected.
Councilman Johnny Hobbs III indicates that 308 citations for walking in the streets have been issued since 2019. The community, then, deserves to know the geographical distribution of those tickets. A disproportionate number of the citations are likely in minority neighborhoods where city service delivery is also underperformed.
Additionally, community residents deserve to know the discipline records of TPD Officers Sharaya Lier and Brandon Spinner and whether there is a pattern of harassment, abuse, or over-policing by distributing citations or arresting residents engaging in ordinary, everyday activities. If so, the officers must be reassigned from predominantly Black and Brown neighborhoods.
My point is that Toledo is long overdue for true community policing, where common sense guides our actions and ensures no one is criminalized for simply trying to live their life.
This opinion is a call to change the system to create a better reality where everyone can feel safe and equal. By doing so, we can restore public trust, uphold police legitimacy, and secure political support for a more equitable and just society.
Contact Rev. Donald Perryman, PhD, at drdlperryman@centerofhopebaptist.org