Between a COP and a THUG place!

Many of us in Chester City are talking about it. We’re talking about the shootings, the unsolved murders, the gun violence and the cop violence. We’re talking about the ever growing number of young black males losing their lives to THE GUN. Losing their lives on both ends of the conflict. One life buried under the ground while the other life is buried under the prison system or buried under a life of secrecy if they are never prosecuted for the murder. In the midst of this violent chaos the natural response by a community is to call for a stronger police presence in our neighborhoods. But since the homicide of Daniel Francis Simms I have been reminded of how increasing the presence of the police is NOT a REAL solution to the problem. I say this based on a series of bad experiences I have had with the police in my own neighborhood.

I have been a resident of Chester since I was 15 years old. Now 17 years later I can say that I have learned so much about life and the challenges that come with living in such an oppressed area. When the violence began 5 years ago on our street my family thought we simply needed an increase in police presence. We believed that somehow the cops would deter the violence. But what we quickly realized was that we had made a sour trade off. Yes the presence of the police decreased the likely hood of gun violence by local bullies but what we got in return were bitter cops who decided to treat our street as if it were a prison cellblock. I have a litany of embarrassing scenarios to share. Stories that involve cops having inappropriate conversations with young girls, verbally abusing young people during a search, falsifying witness accounts in reports and intentionally disclosing the names of residents to trouble makers in the neighborhood because they felt like these residents “Called on them too much.” Yes I could share all of these stories with a feverish rage but I am not trying to write a salacious book about the Chester Police Department. I know that not every cop is as foolish as the ones I have experienced. Instead I am hoping to illustrate a serious point. The point being that everyday residents of Chester…the law abiding residents of Chester are unfortunately caught between a cop and a thug place. If it is not the thugs who are intimidating the community it is the cops. In order to gain a safer community this vicious cycle needs to stop. If I cannot trust the presence of our “supposed” heroes in blue then who can I trust to protect our community? If I can’t rely on my Mayor to hold the police accountable for poor choices that harm the community then why should the Mayor be in office? And the same goes to those who would like to take the place of the current Mayor. It makes no difference to me if the leadership is red or blue. If they are yellow on issues of solving murder cases and police accountability then I want nothing to do with them.

We need leaders. Better yet… Chester, we need STRONG leaders. Leaders with COURAGE and a willingness to lose the very political seat they won in the name of doing what is right for righteousness sake. Enough with lifetime politicians that produce NOTHING. We can’t afford it. If you think we are struggling now as a city you have seen nothing yet. Because there is worst to come after the next economic Tsunami hits our country. Chester we are not an island. Our need for COURAGEOUS leadership is tremendous and anything less than courageous leadership is suicidal. Do not sleep Chester. The economy, the system and time is not on your side. Especially, when you are a community that is caught between a cop and a thug place.

By Desire Grover
Chester Community Organizer
desiregrover@gmail.com