Death of the Ayn Rand Scholar by Gray Cavender (classic literature list txt) 📕

a good note-taker—still are—but if you can dig-up any of those cites, shoot them my way.”

“OK.”

“Anyway, I read those earlier articles after you sent me the citations.” He shook his head, again. “By the way, do you know what Naremore meant when he used the term symbolic assailant?”

“No. What is it?”

“It’s from research from years ago. It’s about how cops on the street make decisions. They have short-hand ways of sizing-up the people they encounter. Who’s suspicious? Who’s a threat? Cops have a working definition of that threat, of the ‘symbolic assailant.’ It’s called ‘symbolic’ because it’s in the abstract.”

“Like, how do you mean?”

“The definition of who is or isn’t a threat is based on their own experience…and on the stories they’ve heard from other cops. It makes sense because it’s based on experience from the street.”

He paused for emphasis. “Until you start to unpack it. That’s when you start running into stereotypes. Who’s a threat isn’t just someone who appears to be out of place or acting weird…it can include people of color…Blacks…Latinos…you know, the people Arpaio rounded-up. In other words, the definitions can be racially biased.”

“Which is why Professor Naremore mentioned racial fear.”

“Exactly. If a cop’s quick definition of who’s a threat has a racially biased component, you’ve got a problem. We’ve got a problem.”

They sat quietly. Students passed them in both directions, oblivious to Wes and Jillian sitting on the bench.

Finally, Wes said, “Lately, I’ve been reading some newer research. I was interested myself, but I’ve been talking with the Chief, and also with Linda Timms about it. I guess that’s what mobilized me to do some homework.”

In a way, the idea of Wes Webb reading academic journals surprised her. In another way, not so much…he’d read the article that she and Carolyn had published in Fem Crim. And apparently, he’d read the articles that she had mentioned that day at Town Lake.

Wes said, “These articles are about how to ‘build a better cop.’ And no, Jilly, this isn’t about RoboCop.”

She was glad that he was making a joke.

He continued. “It’s interesting. The people studying this idea want to slow down police decision-making so that we don’t rely just on short-hand definitions. And they want to replace that quick-draw thinking with decision-making that’s more in line with ideas about procedural justice…like treating citizens fairly and with dignity.”

“This is like how you answered me when we were walking that day…that police had to enforce the law fairly.”

“Yeah, which is a lot more than just being polite and saying ‘have a nice day.’ It really means treating people with respect.”

“How do the researchers say we should do this?”

“Training, for one. Starting in the Academy with rookie officers. We have to change the culture of policing because that culture reinforces the stereotypes…like symbolic assailants.”

“I haven’t heard of any of this before.”

“The research probably came out since you left the university. I’ll get you the citations…maybe you can help me with these articles. Sometimes this stuff is hard to read, much less understand. There’s a lot of academic jargon and a lot of statistics, but it makes sense.”

He leaned forward in that same pose from before, but he was turned slightly toward Jillian. “And it fits with those articles that you put me on to. If citizens are afraid to call or if they won’t help us, what can we do to change the situation? You ‘build a better cop.’ Maybe they’ll shoot fewer unarmed black men. And if this happens, then maybe people will be more likely to call us if they need help, or they’ll help us with cases. The articles I’ve read claim that in places where they’ve implemented this, it worked. The police in those cities make fewer arrests and are less likely to use force.”

“Is any of this going on in Tempe?”

“Not yet, although I guess the Chief is thinking about it. That’s why she and Linda talked with me about it.”

Jillian remembered what Carolyn had told her about interviewing some women who either worked at or even headed state training academies…she didn’t remember exactly which it was.

“You know, Wes, I was talking with Carolyn Patek…she’s writing a book about the culture of policing. And, she told me that she’s interviewed some women who actually work in police training academies. I’ll ask her if she learned anything in the interviews that might be relevant to you.”

“That’d be great, thanks.”

“Do you think she would start something like this? And if she did, would it work? Will the ‘old school’ types get on board?”

“Who knows…maybe? What I do know is this...we’re dealing with your professor Naremore. He seems to have a real attitude…seems to maybe have a motive for killing Professor Siemens, and given what you said about her politics, maybe that makes for an even stronger motivation.”

She nodded. “He feels strongly about those shootings…did you see his Black Lives Matter poster?”

“Oh yeah.”

Jillian said, “In terms of Professor Siemens…he was angry at her…for her views on race, and for her economic views, too. For Professor Naremore, race and economy are totally intertwined…you look at poverty in the US, and the poor are disproportionately people of color. And this isn’t due to individual failings, it’s the social structure, which is a function of long-term racist social policies.”

Wes thought for a second, then straightened his posture, and asked, “What was that business he mentioned about needing an alibi?”

Given the new information about the argument over Professor Naremore’s proposed certificate, Jillian knew that she needed to fill Wes in about some of the problematic comments he’d made when she interviewed him before, but she dreaded it.

“So, when I talked with him the other day, he asked why I was talking to him about Professor Siemens…and then asked if he needed an alibi. He was joking, Wes.”

She paused, then said, “I don’t think I told you about another part of our discussion, but at one point, he essentially said he was glad Professor Siemens was dead.”

“No, you didn’t mention that part.”

“Sorry, I…”

Wes