Bodies of the 4 slain Lakewood police officers at memorial service
The families of the police officers killed by Maurice Clemmons have announced their intention to sue Pierce County (WA) for damages in the amount of $182 Million. They say the intention is to force the county to admit wrongdoing and correct its practices that they alleged led to or allowed the tragedy. The county says it cannot monitor jail inmate phone calls and that the responsibility for the tragedy lies with Clemmons and accomplices.
U.S. Senate candidate, Dr. Richard Curtis, a philosophy professor with expertise in social relations and the nature of human consciousness, wrote to local law enforcement, prosecutors and state legislators before that tragedy happened last year to offer to help them understand what was happening. Seattle residents will recall that the tragedy with Clemmons was the third in a string of incidents that year. Only the Seattle Police Department responded and initiated conversations. The muted response to an offer for free expert consulting help puzzled and then saddened him as further tragedy unfolded.
Dr. Curtis's professional opinion is that both the families and the county are confused about the issue causation. Yes, Clemmons is responsible for his actions at a very basic level, and yes, the county might have acted differently. But all of us live in and are shaped by the context of our lives. One part of that context is a racist and abusive criminal "justice" system that has come to put exclusive emphasis on retribution at the cost of rehabilitation. Our jails and prisons are places were low level criminals go for training to become higher level criminals, either directly because they have access to information or by default because that is how they are treated by society in and out of jail.
We cannot make reasonable progress on protecting the lives of those who daily risk theirs to keep order in society until we admit the justice system is dysfunctional and irrationally organized. If we expect people to make their way in society then we have to prepare them, and failing that offer rehabilitative services that make up for that lack of preparation for success. To not do so and still expect everyone to make their own way is ridiculous, and obviously leads only to disaster.
There is no good reason for those officers to have died. But let us not forget to notice other details that matter. It is remarkable that these tragedies don't occur more often given the abusive and racist nature of our justice system. It is a testament to human adaptability and cooperation that people abused by this system do not react violently more often. This tragedy is evidence of how cooperative and moral the vast majority of us are by nature. We tolerate a great deal of abuse (either real or imagined, and both types must be understood and managed) before rage overwhelms our internal control systems.
Eddie Lee Davis / Douglas Davis / Ricky Hinton.
All three suspected of helping alleged cop killer Maurice Clemmons elude police (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
As Senator Dr. Curtis will introduce legislation to completely re-evaluate the standards used in the justice system to bring them in line with what we know about how human beings actually function and to create systems that can offer services to people who need them both before they get into trouble and after if they do, by putting the emphasis back on rehabilitation.
Our present emphasis on retribution is not consistent with our social values as a democratic society (let alone the social values of the monotheistic traditions that inspire so many of us), it is not consistent with what modern science now knows about human beings, and it is deeply immoral. Dr. Curtis's heart goes out to all those caught up in these tragedies and vows to do what he can to create social systems that can prevent, not just react to tragedy.
Related News
Families of slain Lakewood officers plan to file $182 million in claims against county - Seattle Times
Say it ain't so, Lakewood police survivors Editorial in Tacoma News Tribune
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