Paint it Black

I was on a mission to pick-up my mail in Seattle when I observed three black-shirted police officers on bikes cornering two black men who were sitting against a wall just outside the Harvard Market. The officers were behaving in their usual “intimidating” fashion; one officer asked if the two had been drinking. One of the “suspects,” who frankly looked, dressed and talked like a “regular” guy, said he and his companion were just sitting there “chilling.” He didn’t sound like he had been drinking, at least not much. Of course, if they were drinking that might a problem; but then again, there were probably hundreds of people who were really boozed-up in public around noontime, mostly homeless people who police didn’t bother much because these guys didn’t care if they were arrested—especially if they got “three hots and a cot” in the bargain. One thing I did find a little odd was that only a few feet away in the parking lot there was a goings-on I found somewhat odd: Several white women were trying on shoes, supplied by some guy apparently using his van as a store front. Wasn’t that illegal? At any rate, it was hard to ascertain what the cops agenda was. Was it illegal for the men to be sitting there? If that was so, the police could spend all day accosting such people just within a 300-yard radius. These guys didn’t appear to be bothering passersby, while they might have had alcohol on their persons, it wasn’t obvious that they were drinking; I figured the cops just wanted them to “move on” because they frightened the local gentry who were paranoid about more than one black man sitting in one place.

However, the first thing about this incident that had an immediate visceral impact on me was the fact that these officers were wearing all-black uniforms. Some SPD officers wear blue shirts, and others wear black shirts. I have been unable to ascertain if this has something to do with any particular job assignment an officer has, but I have observed that you tend to see blue-shirted officers in public venues, where people want “friendly” and “helpful” police—not cops who make them feel uncomfortable, and feel compelled to do their shopping elsewhere. The black-shirts, on the other hand, can be seen sneaking around backstreets, alleys, parks and “bad” neighborhoods. I read a story from 2008 about police in Massachusetts switching to black paramilitary uniforms, in order to “appear more authoritative and aggressive,” a move to “militarize police” in order to inspire a cult of fear. It has been noted that the Nazis and Italian fascists knew the psychological effect black attire had on the populace. A black suit might suggest authority, but for police it can mean “We’re the tough guys. We can do anything we want, and we’re are going to mess you up if you do anything (we think is) wrong.” Of course, the color black can also inspire not fear, but varying degrees of contempt and loathing. In the U.K., “bobbies” have taken to wearing all-black uniforms that many have found offensive, even sinister. "I think that the connotations of black shirts are obvious to anybody. They've got a kind of fascist, militaristic appearance” said one conservative MP after the change of uniform was implemented.

There was in fact an FBI bulletin dated March 2001 that examined the various research in regard to perceptions of police by the public based upon their uniforms, and in particular their color. While dark colors (black in particular) tend to be associated with authority and power, for many people, especially those who feel warrantless intimidation merely because the officer has the power to abuse his or her authority, officers can be perceived as “aggressive, corrupt and evil,” and wearing dark clothing “may be subconsciously influence (police) to act more aggressively.”

There was an incident in Seattle not long ago where two female jaywalkers were confronted by a police officer. A cell phone-recorded video revealed the remarkable scene of a teenage girl having no fear, engaging the stupefied officer in fisticuffs. “The police uniform may also influence the safety level of the officer who wears it,” continues the bulletin. “As has already been mentioned, dark colored uniforms may promote subconscious negative feelings from citizens. These negative feelings may encourage some citizens to consider violent action when confronted by the police because the citizen perceives the officer as aggressive.” While I would never dream of taking my feelings toward police to such an extreme, I have never shied away from making my views plain. When a Port of Seattle cop (in an all-black uniform) singled me out at a bus stop and demanded without justification (save perhaps for my “ethnic” appearance) that I show him where my name was on my laptop computer, I had felt no particular trepidation in “discussing” the matter with him in a manner that eventually caused him extreme self-consciousness before onlookers.

The bulletin goes on to note, however, that in “situations involving the use of force, the fact that a police officer has a distinguishable uniform can help prevent the officer’s injury or death.” Of course, wearing a uniform can justify a multitude of sins, but we’ve talked about that before. “An officer in plain clothes is at risk of being harmed by citizens and other officers as a result of misidentification. Almost any police officer would immediately draw his or her weapon on a person who is wearing jeans, a T-shirt, and is carrying a gun in his or her hand. A plain clothes officer who is chasing a burglary suspect through backyards at night is at risk of being shot by a home owner who believes the officer to be a criminal.” Thus the uniform “helps both citizens and fellow police officers identify the wearer as having a legitimate purpose for trespassing, using force, or carrying a weapon.” Coincidentally, Seattle plainclothes Anti-Crime Team units have been frequently accused of engaging in behavior that can “mistakenly” be construed as criminal, or otherwise lacking in “legitimacy.”