Pubdate: Sat, 10 Jan 2004
Source: Courier-Journal, The (KY)
Copyright: 2004 The Courier-Journal
Contact:  http://www.courier-journal.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/97

DANGEROUS PROTEST

This could have been Cincinnati tonight. This could have been Los Angeles," 
one woman said about the melee that broke out Thursday night, when about 50 
mostly young people refused to disperse after a protest of Michael Newby's 
shooting death by a white police officer.

And the woman was right.

Serious violence could have erupted. A lot of people could have been 
injured. And why? Because some ostensible leaders in our community love 
confrontation so much more than the truth that they continue the outrageous 
claim that Louisville Police Chief Robert White won't do what's right in 
the Newby case.

These people willfully refuse to recognize the profound changes in police 
standards and discipline Chief White has implemented. They refuse to give 
him credit for his readiness to go anywhere, talk to anybody and take guff 
from those under his command in order to further his drive for more 
transparency, accountability and professionalism in his department. They 
give him no credit for personally going to meet with Mr. Newby's family 
immediately after the 19-year-old was shot in the back three times by 
Officer McKenzie G. Mattingly after an undercover drug bust went bad.

And no credit for coming out of his office to address protestors Thursday 
evening, most of whom listened and then left without incident, and no 
credit for later sitting down for two more hours with protest leaders.

Instead, they continue their inflammatory and irresponsible rhetoric, 
suggesting that this chief and this department are no different from what 
chiefs and police were in the distant, racist past..

The truth is that both they and the community should be grateful for Chief 
White's presence and courage. He recognized the potentially explosive 
situation Thursday and acted bravely to quell it.

But what if he had been out with the flu? What if one of his officers or 
one of their horses had been unnerved by the flying objects that were being 
hurled, including those that broke the glass in Chief White's office window?

What, exactly, was the point of the protest, when the investigation is 
barely underway and new procedures ensure that it will be thorough and open?

Officer Mattingly, on the advice of lawyers, isn't talking yet. But Chief 
White has been forceful in saying that he will: "He can't exercise his 
Fifth Amendment rights with us. I'm going to order him to speak to me," 
Chief White said.

He has promised that there will be no cover-ups and that the chips will 
fall where they may. Any community leader worthy of the name must give him 
that chance and, meantime, chill before somebody else gets hurt.

Louisville has a police chief who is exercising visionary, responsible and 
sensitive leadership in situations in which others would have ducked or 
grown defensive. And the reward he gets from some civil rights leaders is 
to be called a coward and a pig.

It's shameful. The grandstanding and irresponsible oratory need to cease. 
Louisville now has a real chance to establish, once and for all, a 
professional, credible police force. That's nothing to protest.
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart