Patrick Lyoya, a Lansing resident, was shot by a Grand Rapids police officer on April 4, 2022.
When body and dash camera footage were released, I was at the Lansing Police Operations Center. An officer invited me to watch the press conference and initial video release. We watched in silence and shared mixed emotions. Hearing the officer's opinion of the shooting was helpful.
A blog reader reached out to ask my perspective and is allowing publication of our exchanges. In sharing the emails, I hope to:
- harness the reader's timely inquiry for the benefit of other readers;
- recognize that one raised and questioning hand represents many;
- highlight the Holy Spirit's work.
Big thanks, D', for piercing the veil and inquiring boldly.
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Hello Alex,
I hope you and yours are having a blest and happy Easter. (And that you are not going out on chaplaincy calls today.)
I happened to see in Friday's New York Times a front-page story that mentions policing in Lansing. As you might guess, the occasion is the shooting of Patrick Lyoya after a traffic stop in Grand Rapids. A March interview with Lansing's mayor is quoted regarding the problem and changes in policing rules in Lansing. (The print story is dated 4/15/22, and titled "Cities Rethink Traffic Stops by the Police." It appears on pp. A1 & A15. I am sure there is also an online version, likely with a different title.)
I at once thought of you, then of how all this is affecting your work and the atmosphere you encounter among police with whom you work. I more than once have thought of how difficult all this can be (or so I imagine) when you are also an African American man well aware of the impacts on citizens like you as well as the police on the other side of the equation--with whom you minister. A delicate set of considerations and tasks, I am sure (yet again can only imagine).
I will keep you in my prayers.
Please do feel free to follow up with any comments of your own if you are so inclined and your time permits. I would be happy to hear from you and to offer such support as I can.
Peace,
D'
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D'
Thank you for reaching out.
Can you reply with five specific questions about the ministry you would like answered?
In a classroom, one hand in the air represents many more with questions, concerns, ideas. Your note represents many also praying alongside.
Your note speaks for many and so may your questions (five plus) if you're willing to ask.
Hopeful to hear and answer.
Thank you for your prayer support and generosity to the chaplaincy. Together we are trusting Jesus for changed lives.
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Alex,
I am thrown a bit by your request. I wasn't writing to ask specific questions about the ministry, but more to reflect on some of the difficulties I imagine you have to work through in your work. So I'm not sure how to "translate" my imaginings into what you seem to be asking for. But I'll give it a go if you think it will help, and see what comes to mind.
1-First, one very specific question is: Would you like me to mail you the Times print article, which I still have?
2-How is the movement to reduce traffic stops or make them for fewer reasons received by police folk you work with? Do they tend to resent it as interference, or would they welcome fewer traffic stops? (Especially since they are also at risk from the unknown in these stops.)
3-When you hear of yet another instance of a Black man, usually a young Black man, being shot when a traffic stop escalates, how do you find yourself responding emotionally? How do you deal with that feeling if police officers you work with seem not to "get it" about the problem and its impact?
4-More generally, what sustains or renews you when you deal with white folk in the department who just don't seem to understand the complaints and fears of many in the Black community? How do you respond when what seem like insensitive comments are made? (And perhaps they aren't made, or not very often--my assumption may be off base.)
I think that's about the best I can do without really sitting and thinking a good deal longer. I hope these may be the "translation" (my word, of course) you are looking for!
Peace,
D'
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D',
Thank you again for checking. In moments of difficulty, I find narrowing utterances around specific questions helpful. Opening the fire hose of self reflection can be messy. I also asked for your questions because other people may be interested in knowing what you would like to know. We've used Q&A's in previous blog post and gotten positive feedback.
Answers to your greatly appreciated questions are below in a different color.
1-First, one very specific question is: Would you like me to mail you the Times print article, which I still have?
Yes please and thank you!
2-How is the movement to reduce traffic stops or make them for fewer reasons received by police folk you work with? Do they tend to resent it as interference, or would they welcome fewer traffic stops? (Especially since they are also at risk from the unknown in these stops.)
Officers' reactions to the movement to reduce traffic stops are as varied as the officers surveyed. They're all over the place. Some state "we have a job to do" and traffic stop unknowns / dangers are part of the job. Carving out the iffy portion of their calling, while ignoring the drunk driving convictions, seized guns and drugs seems like a losing idea to some of them.
Other officers welcome decreased exposure to risk if the mission can still be accomplished. Because data is heavily skewed toward the status quo, there may not be much support for changing how things are done. Little evidence exists if traffic stops are to be decreased. Reducing traffic stops may be seen as a risk for other officers because of little evidence to the contrary.
There does seem to be a recognition of the importance of hearing and responding to community demands. Body cameras and community policing efforts are examples of law enforcement listening and responding. Many officers bristled at body cameras because of invasion of privacy issues and community policing as going soft on crime. Outcomes and data of two efforts originating outside of law enforcement [[body cameras / community policing], paint a picture of helpful innovations amid trials and errors. Some results are yet to be determined. Traffic stops may or may not become points of experimentation but officers' dialogue / debate is as nuanced (if they'll talk openly) as the community's banter.
3-When you hear of yet another instance of a Black man, usually a young Black man, being shot when a traffic stop escalates, how do you find yourself responding emotionally? How do you deal with that feeling if police officers you work with seem not to "get it" about the problem and its impact?
Patrick was shot without shoes. Seeing his bare feet pointing out, in stillness, is difficult. Yet another instance of a young Black man dying underlines the importance of the chaplaincy because the strategy relies on the Holy Spirit moving in the hearts of people. Grand Rapids reminds me that change will not come by my works but by the grace of God. How frustrating to gather resources, provide a ministry of presence and keep the team informed can be when change is a work of the Spirit.
Despair at the question, "Is this [ministry strategy / chaplaincy] going to work?] is mixed with hope for demonstrable outcomes. Patrick stings. Emotionally, when we're cut, the best thing to do is to let it bleed. So I'm sitting with the reality of our eighth year of ministry and international reporting focused on Lansing. Choosing a different path seems wise at least one or two of the seven day this week.
Dealing with the feelings your questions educe, if police officers don't get it, happens offline. By nature, the chaplaincy is a permission slip to walk among them. For the ones who don't get it, there is often a line of their peers offering counterarguments. Speaking into circumstances is a rarer occurrence than listening to their perspectives. Conversations with chaplains are sometimes the only safe spaces officers have to vent. Putting my own opinions on hold, to hold space for an officer who struggles or disagrees (if he/she ever asked my opinion) is a part of the deal. When they give the uniform, the understanding is that the chaplain is there for officers and the community: in that order.
4-More generally, what sustains or renews you when you deal with white folk in the department who just don't seem to understand the complaints and fears of many in the Black community?
History is a buoy. Remembering that 20th century, post-emancipation Black people swallowed the content of your fourth question, helps. What I face is nothing in comparison to the women and men who taught my parents how to endure. I remember grandparents' peers and my parents' circles, as a child remembers: loving, supporting, comical, stern, scary and safe. They regularly entered an unloving, unsupportive, mocking and unsafe world to make a living. Shoes, clothes, groceries and tuition were negotiated among white folk "who just didn't seem to understand the complaints and fears of many in the Black community". I never knew what they had to endure because they kept the raindrops off of me. Your question brings a review of the history. When I remember, I am sustained and renewed in the 21st century work.
How do you respond when what seem like insensitive comments are made? (And perhaps they aren't made, or not very often--my assumption may be off base.)
Insensitive comments are often opportunities. "Say more," is a standard response I've adopted for two reasons. First, by keeping a person talking, I'm allowed time to pray. "Speak Holy Spirit," is a perpetual prayer in difficulty. The second reason I invite the insensitive to say more is so that I and those listening, can fully understand the person speaking.
Race-based conversations are minefields. Leaving room for more to be said, sometimes, makes the room / squad car safer for the speaker. As the person speaks, I use the teaching of Henry Cloud in Necessary Endings. Dr. Cloud says there are three kinds of commentators.
- Wise: When feedback is given, the wise listen, take it in and adjust their behavior accordingly.
- Foolish: When given feedback, the fool is defensive and immediately comes back with a reason why fault lies elsewhere. Henry Cloud prescribes, "So stop talking." Another way to stop talking is to invite the speaker to "Say more."
- Evil: When given feedback, the evil is offensive, requiring listeners to go into protective modes. Henry Cloud prescribes "Lawyers, Guns and Money" for evil people. Lawyers are intermediaries, guns are protectors and money is a barrier Cloud says. They keep evil / offensive people away.
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Alex Pickens III
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