Wray Case Follows a Sad Pattern

Below is  my column on the op-ed page in the Greensboro News and Record, which was published in today's paper, as originally submitted:

The recent news reports about the incident involving police in New York City arouse interest. A policeman attempted to stop a vehicle carrying a few individuals leaving a strip club; but instead he was placed in jeopardy when the vehicle was used as a weapon against him. Multiple rounds were fired against the occupants, resulting in injury and death. A predictable chorus of verbal protests ensued against the police, and then was dutifully reported by the media.

The pattern of villainizing and vilifying police has unfortunately become a standard feature of American public discourse. Cowardly public officials often run for cover and desert the police amidst the flurry of charges typically levied.

Our own idiosyncratic manifestation of this pattern here in Greensboro is the Police Department matter involving former Chief Wray and his former subordinates. . The accusation that they were engaged in the inappropriate monitoring of a certain officer first became public 18 months ago. After this allegation became public, and initial inquiries began, a number of other charges were made against these police professionals.

I have had the opportunity to review both the infamous RMA report and also the city attorney’s report. In a nutshell, little has yet been proved. Contemporaneous documentation and exhibits still are not made available to the public. Direct observation of all the events mentioned is, of course, impossible. Reliance on "he said/she said" accounts that may contain bias is inevitable, especially in light of the unpopularity of some of Wray’s management decisions among the ranks. Finally, reporting elsewhere has called into serious question the veracity of some of the most important allegations against Wray and his subordinates.

Yet, there also is a substantial basis for calling into question that which has already taken place. Greensboro is a city governed by liberal sensibilities; and its machine-driven electoral process assures that some decisions are made according to the ground rules of identity group politics. The notion that a police chief would target a minority officer without justification in such a town seems a bit odd.

Another interesting report, long forgotten by many observers, was found in the News and Record during August, 2005. The article relates how the police union perceived that it had made a deal with the former chief, but complained that he was reneging on the arrangement. The alleged quid pro quo provided that the union would grant him a vote of confidence with respect to the racial allegations against him in exchange for his relenting on the matter of rotating shifts. Making such a deal would suggest that somehow the allegations against Wray were regarded to be of lesser significance than the securing of stable work shifts.

We still have not seen the case cogently made that the entire population of minority officers was subject to unjustifiable monitoring and discipline more often than the entire population of white officers. Instead, the reports contain discussions of individual cases, often with insufficient context provided.

The city attorney’s report strenuously attempts to make the case that the City of Greensboro engaged in serious, repeated acts of discrimination against its own employees. Ordinarily, we would expect the city attorney’s office to try to protect city taxpayers against future litigation-- particularly when questions may exist, or when the situation may be unclear. Instead, the data was presented in a unilateral, outcome-oriented fashion, as if the city is presumed guilty.

Interestingly, the city attorney’s office-- through the police attorney-- is reported to have granted approval for at least some of Wray’s surveillance activities.

Greensboro citizens have reason to question what political factors led to the regrettable escalation of this entire matter. The zero-sum game of our local politics is problematic, in which blood sport is employed to achieve temporal victory.  But the real shame is that, in the public discussion of the Greensboro Police Department matter, protection of the public against crime became mere afterthought.

Comments

[Bubba]

"Greensboro citizens have reason to question what political factors led to the regrettable escalation of this entire matter. The zero-sum game of our local politics is problematic, in which blood sport is employed to achieve temporal victory. But the real shame is that, in the public discussion of the Greensboro Police Department matter, protection of the public against crime became mere afterthough"

Excellent summation of the entire situation, Joe.

Let's see what kind of response you get to your piece.

[Dr. Mary Johnson]

Out of the park, Joe (alas, probably over many heads).

"The zero-sum game of our local politics is problematic, in which blood sport is employed to achieve temporal victory."

True of local politics in many fields and many places.

[Fred Gregory]

Caro Giuseppe,

Repilogo grandioso.

Grazie

[wayne]

Great article, very well written, points well taken. I only hope those in power are reading this.

How can Linda Miles continue to employ the attorneys who did the report? It looks to me like they made their work fit Joe Williams complaints. Their actions will surely cost us a bundle in law suits. I wonder where their loyalty lies.

[Stormy]

Isn't Linda Miles a big part of the problem? I don't see how she can be part of the solution.

[Joe Guarino]

Thanks-- Bubba, Mary, Fred and Wayne. And the work of the city attorney's office appears to be part of the picture, but not necessarily the entire picture, with respect to culpability in allowing this to deteriorate so severely.

[The CA]

It's a good thing you didn't implicate the N&R's own culpability in actively pushing the race angle. I doubt they would have given you the ink.

Great job, Joe. Keep it up.

[Wendell Sawyer]

Odd, isn't it?

"The city attorney’s report strenuously attempts to make the case that the City of Greensboro engaged in serious, repeated acts of discrimination against its own employees."

Now, we have Keith Holliday telling YesWeekly (11/21/06):

“There is absolutely no way that this is a black-white issue,” he says. “At the beginning it might have looked that way with the Hinson investigation and the black book. When we started peeling the onion back, it had nothing to do with race…”

At the time Wray was drummed out of his job, it was, according to certain city officials and the news media, all about race. Now, after many of the Bledsoe installments have been published by The Rhino Times, Mayor Holliday admits, "...it had nothing to do with race..."

Is there any wonder why so many people are perplexed about this controversy?

[Stormy]

If the Wray case had nothing to do with race, then what exactly did it have to do with?

[Dr. Mary Johnson]

Power.

[Bubba]

Actually, abuse of Power.....by people other than Wray.

[Joe Guarino]

Thank you, Sam.

Wendell, as usual, you are right on target.

Stormy, Mary and Bubba, I think power may explain part of it. But speaking in generalities, it is not unusual for political machines to want to control key agencies and appointments.

Why? Because it provides a vehicle for rewarding supporters or people with whom they identify with jobs and promotions. Because it may be part of an overall political agenda. Because it may provide the ability to steer certain contracts toward supporters. Because there may be powerful political symbolism involved.

[Bubba]

Why?

For all the reasons you state, and perhaps a few more, Joe.

[Stormy]

The story in the Rhino today regarding the captain that was demoted because of the officers exam indicates that the GPD is quickly losing most of its high ranking officers to demotions, firings, or resignations. This may become a serious matter to the citizens of Greensboro soon. As was said, the sergeants will son be running the department if this continues.

This is not only sad, but getting dangerous. Imagine how ballistic Jim Melvin and Action Greesnboro are going on this because of its damage to the city's economic development efforts. What company wants to relocate to a city with these problems?

[Joe Guarino]

Stormy, you are right that we are relinquishing a considerable amount of human capital and expertise through the inquisitions that are taking place. And employers would be justified in being wary of placing their operations in a city with this type of prevailing "ethic".

But I am not sure that the Action Greensboro crowd or the other movers and shakers in Greensboro have come around to the premise that this type of management of the city is wrongheaded and harmful. At one time, they were issuing statements indicating it was imperative to clean up the mess at the GPD, implying agreement with the prevailing party line.