— by Lin McNulty, Orcas Issues Editor —
“For the first time in my life I honestly believe we are going to see actual institutional change in American policing,” muses islander Norm Stamper. The author of two books on the topic (Breaking Rank and To Protect and Serve), Stamper has been advocating for reforms since he retired as Seattle Police Chief in 2000 following the WTO protests.
His efforts have rightfully earned him recognition world-wide as an advocate for police reform. He was recently interviewed on PBS’ Amanpour & Company.
What’s different now? Stamper points to the “vast increase in numbers of white middle class protesters joining their black brothers and sisters, spurred on by the image of a police officer mercilessly killing a fellow human being. And realizing it’s not the first time they’ve seen such an atrocity.”
“Reform,” Stamper emphasizes “will take a willingness on the part of all stakeholders—community activists, civic leaders, police administrators, and police unions to agree on both the urgency and the direction of that reform. Doable, but no small task.”
Thanks for posting this, Lin. Thanks for doing this, Norm. And thanks for your clear communications and ideas to help bring about this change. It was so refreshing to watch this video.
Lin: I appreciated the chance to view this in-depth interview. And, Norm, thanks for your insightful overview of both the personal and institutional complexities surrounding “policing”. I also believe in the strength of a grassroots model for authentic system change. People have the power.
Thank you Norm for this insightful piece… I miss seeing you around. I was reminded of something my friend Suki said when you expressed the moment (5 years after-the-fact) when you had your epihony. The interview was great.
I keep thinking of something I learned about being wrong. (This has occasionally happened to me).
“Think about how it feels to be wrong. It feels exactly like being right.”
“Realizing you were wrong feels different.”
This is a wonderful interview. It is 18 minutes well spent.