The more things change…

Shannon Bohrer

(12/2021) … the more they stay the same.

As a former police officer, I am sometimes questioned about the news regarding policing in today’s environment. I retired in 2010 after 42 years of service. After the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center, people started thanking me for my service. The thanking process seemed to wane with time and then picked up again in 2020, with the pandemic. Our emergency services were being stretched, and citizens started thanking doctors, nurses, and first responders, including the police.

Thanking our emergency service workers, including the police, seems well-intentioned, but I sometimes wonder about other motives or perspectives. When I am thanked for my service, there is often a follow-up comment, where the person says something like, I bet you are glad that you are not in uniform today. The follow-up comment puzzles me, and I usually respond that if I were younger, I would still be in uniform. My response - seems unexpected to many people.

I do not see the significant differences between 1968, when I began my law enforcement career, and today's environment. I understand there are some differences, but the job is the same. The police are sworn to protect the public, and they take an oath to support and defend the constitution, and that has not changed—apparently, many view today's world as different from our past and not for the better. I do not see the changes; in fact, from my perspective, the world has gotten older, but history just keeps repeating itself.

In 1968, the year I began my career, there was civil unrest, most of it dealing with the Vietnam war and civil rights. One large protesting group, the SDS (Students for a Democratic Society), was constantly in the news. The group was organized in the sixties and eventually grew into a nationwide movement. Splinter groups within the movement worked toward policies that included struggles for equality, women's rights, standing against racism, and police brutality. Do these issues sound familiar?

A minor faction that splintered from the SDS encouraged a revolution, believing it would force "the establishment" to change. That group was the "Weather Underground." They were labeled as terrorists and for a good reason. They took credit for twenty-five bombings around the country, which included the U. S. Capitol and the Pentagon. Yes, in 1971, the capital was attacked with a bomb from domestic terrorists.

The "Weathermen," as they were called, were responsible for killing two police officers and a Brinks truck driver during a failed robbery attempt. They also bombed a New York City police station. Yes, we had individuals and groups that hated the police and plotted to kill them. And the "Weathermen" was just one of several. The hatred of police is not new.

A considerable number of protests in the late '60s and early '70s was over the Vietnam war. After the war ended, we learned that propping up an unpopular government with military force does not work. The U. S. Military is exceptionally good at what they do, but there are problems that cannot be solved with military force.

In 1965, the Voting Rights Act was enacted. The act ensured voting rights for minorities because of a history of voter discrimination. There were demonstrations and riots in the late '60s over widespread discrimination practices. While the voting discrimination was addressed, it was not eliminated, and other discriminatory practices continued. Does that sound familiar?

The white supremacists that marched in Charlottesville, Virginia, is another example of a right-wing extremist group that existed when I began my career. While many of today's groups have different names, they are not new; they have just evolved and transformed with different identities, with the same beliefs. In the 1960s and 70s, these groups wanted to start a holy war against black and other minorities. The holy war was called Rahowa, the acronym for RAcial HOly WAr. Some of these groups then and now are inspired by the "Turner Diaries," written in 1978, a book about a revolution and overthrowing the government of the United States.

Today, we have the same hate groups that existed in the '60s; while the names have changed, their intent is the same. Revolution and holy war against minorities and hatred of government still exists. Many of these groups participated in the January 6 insurrection. To them, a failed insurrection is called – practice.

We just ended a 20-year, controversial war. The controversy was because of 911; the war was justified; however, nation-building was not possible. Afghanistan, in not united and reflects tribalism, and military force will not change that. Not unlike Vietnam, a military solution cannot address every problem.

As to the civil rights issues, today, they exist because the issues addressed in the 1960s were never completed. Equity is a strong motivation, and until equity exists, civil rights will continue to be an issue. In numerous ways, we always understood that our government did not treat the citizens in an equitable manner. George Floyd’s death punctuated the inequity that existed; thus, we have a long road ahead.

The more things change, the more they do not. Civil unrest over discrimination issues, including voting rights and equality, with protest and rioting. Dissatisfaction over a long war and how it ended. Hate groups with goals of racial war, overthrowing our government, and in some cases, eliminating the government-including the police. Will these issues be repeated in the future?

The similarities between my time in law enforcement and today are not that different, but there are distinctions. During my first ten years, from 1969 to 1978, an average of 121 officers died each year from assaults and gunfire. The late sixties and seventies were high years for officers being killed from felonious assaults. Since the year 2000, about fifty-five officers have died each year from gunfire. So, being a police officer today is less dangerous, except for COVID. Since the pandemic started, officer deaths from COVID are five times greater than deaths from felonious assaults. (When this was written)

From my perspective, there is one significant difference today. We have the majority of one political party that appears to support the insurrectionists, the racists, and the separatists that attacked the capitol on January 6, 2021. While most are silent, and the silence is taken as tacit approval. The silence was recently displayed when fifty senators voted against having a hearing on voting rights. Just a hearing – on voting rights.

In 1968 I never feared losing our democracy, but the possibility exists today, and from my perspective, the probability continues to grow.