I was gladdened to see the reporting of Chris Flood regarding the incident involving the Joseph family and the Rehoboth police. As it turns out a friend had seen Mr. Joseph’s Facebook post regarding the incident and had sent it along prior to his article appearing. I was infuriated at the time and remain so. As you have done, these incidents must be publicly reported.
Chief Banks’ learning experience response and apology were a reasonable first step. It must not be considered conclusory. As Mr. Joseph surmised, the complaint to the police by a neighbor of “strange and bizarre behavior” at the house he and his family were renting for a week was likely simply another way of suggesting that people of color usually do not show up renting on this street or any street in our resort community. Apparently, the dispatcher failed to inquire of the caller what at the home appeared “strange and bizarre.” If he or she did, it also apparently was never reflected in the incident report. Notwithstanding that fact, the responding officer demanded of this person of color to see a proof of rental.
I suspect that to a person of color, there is nothing about this incident that appears particularly unusual. Indeed, the entire incident is truly a metaphor for the systemic and now institutionalized racism ingrained in every fabric of our society. People of color know that they are deemed suspicious by the white citizenry generally, and particularly our law enforcement authorities.
This is not, at all, an attempt to suggest that any member of the Rehoboth police force is a racist. I assume they are not. What I do wish to suggest is that each time an incident of this nature occurs, it must be called out. To do otherwise would be to condone the action and become complicit in the continuation of such behavior.
And, while apologizing is appropriate, our accepting that as adequate can never be enough. Only the raising of our voices in protest will bring about the real introspection necessary by our public officials to begin bringing about the required institutional and societal change.
Thank you for reporting upon this incident.
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