By: Jim Taliaferro
Shreveport City Council •  District E

“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil, is for good men to do nothing.” -- Edmund Burk

I am very concerned, perhaps haunted by the events which occurred yesterday (May 9) during public comments in the people’s chambers.

There were multiple levels of emotions surrounding the unfortunate death of a fellow citizen during a police encounter which is currently being investigated by a third-party law enforcement agency at the request of the chief of police. To the family, this incident is being investigated thoroughly, justice under the law will be served, and you deserve to be kept in the loop.

What disturbed me the most were the inflammatory statements of the self-proclaimed member of the Black Panther Party, who in his own words traveled 1,200 miles to be here, and to do what? Not to support or console hurting families, not to walk arm and arm for justice and peace, but use his three minutes to attempt to ignite emotions, to spew hate toward your law enforcement community, a community of whom he doesn’t even know or couldn’t care less about knowing, a community whom we count on to protect us every day.

His mission was to have every black person within the sound of his voice believe that the only reason we, law enforcement, put on a badge before shift is to escalate any situation which allows us to have a reason to unleash our wrath on anyone who is black and to kill you. He wanted all of us to believe and sell you, our black citizens, that our purpose is to shoot and kill every black person we encounter. Generalizing or characterizing members of an admirable and necessary profession as killers of black people is reckless, hateful and a lie.

There are police officers in this room right now who could be protecting other citizens, but they’re not. They are here for your protection, and any one of them at any moment would take a bullet for you and your family, because this is what they swore an oath to do, and it’s who they are, which is more than I can say about our Black Panther guest.

During my career with SPD, I served in every community, from Cedar Grove to the Cooper Road, Mooretown and Allendale, and I know in my heart that much of my neighbors in the black community do not subscribe to this hatred for our peace officers, nor the belief that our cops go out on patrol looking for a reason to shoot a black person. This hate speech should be condemned by every citizen, preacher, priest, pastor or rabbi and every council member.

Just this morning, I heard a black rapper on a Christian station utter a verse in the song which said, “ All the hate in the world, ain’t gonna make me a hater.”

For all our citizens, black, white and every other color of the rainbow, and those families who are hurting today because of tragic events involving the police, seek justice and, yes, seek answers, but don’t let the words of hate from someone who has no connection to our community infiltrate your heart and come into OUR Shreveport and try to make you a hater where there is none. We are better, and we will continue to strive to seek justice, be accountable and enhance your quality of life.