Thank you, Wednesday Journal, for the front page story last week about how the majority (73%) of people stopped by police last year in our village were Black. I especially appreciate this breakdown of the data that gave more insight: “roughly 83% of all stops were in response to a call for service” from Oak Park residents reporting “suspicious” people or activity.
I was left wanting to know more about the types of activities my fellow citizens see as suspicious enough to call the police. Was someone doing something alarming like trying car door handles or aggressively panhandling, or were they simply walking, biking or sitting somewhere?
I ask because as a white person raised in a racist society, I know that bias is real and can literally color our perceptions of others and their activities. Oak Park needs to do more than document the racial disparity in traffic stops. We need to better understand what is driving it and if it is bias, then find ways to reduce it. An anti-bias, anti-racism communications campaign might be one tactic to educate ourselves — I’d be proud to see my tax dollars spent on that.
I’ve lived in Oak Park for 30 years. I love this community that is far from perfect but, to paraphrase Maya Angelou, is at least trying to “know better” so we can “do better.”
Keep reporting on that data, Wednesday Journal. Help us better understand what is driving residents to call the police on Black people so we can address misconceptions and racism.
Sheila Haennicke
Oak Park