Martin Luther King Jr. Era and the Criminal Justice System

I was watching TV last night and found myself glued to the screen, watching a documentary. It wasn’t just any documentary. It was a History Channel production “King,” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., that is. You might ask, what does Marin Luther King has to do with the law enforcement community and the criminal justice system? Well, plenty!

The August 26, 1963 famous “I Have A Dream” speech is one of the most memorable moments of that era. It was initiated by a charismatic Dr. King to bridge the racial divide in the United States. The same racial divide which devoured millions upon millions of blacks who were unemployed, unjustly treated, and unable to contain ravaged emotions. In the end, it was the same racism that changed the criminal justice system forever.

Pre – Martin Luther King, Jr., Corruption, and Injustice

Prior to that iconic day in 1963, the same year John F. Kennedy was killed, the U.S. law enforcement community was upholding unjust laws targeting African-Americans; laws which should have been defunct ages ago, by today’s standards.

To me, the images of spraying non-violent protesters with high-pressure streams of water, executing unprovoked beatings, and falsely arresting black minorities were very eerie. I never had to live through that kind of separatism, and even though I comprehend that the times were different then, I can’t swallow this gut wrenching feeling those images leave me with.

The corruption level of the criminal justice system in the 1950′s and 1960′s was enormous. Throughout Dr. King’s peace campaign he and his followers were chastised and scorned by same government entities on which we now rely on for protection. One infamous tirade involves a very well known FBI director, J. Edgar Hoover.

Hoover was adamant about stopping the Peace Movement. In fact he made it his personal vendetta.

Just Imagine

Can you imagine the Federal Bureau of Investigation sending you harassing letters, tape recordings, and photographs just because you spoke up about what you believed in? What about telephone wire-taps and constant surveillance which invades your personal life because you protected someone that needed the protection? It seems unjust and inhumane, doesn’t it? Surely, you can say: “it depends on the situation,” and “not all cases are alike.” However, the fact of the matter is, how do you question something that is morally wrong, yet laws and prevalent majority prohibit you to act on it? The esteemed FBI director, J. Edgar Hoover, could have cared less.

From the perspective of those victimized by the police and the U.S. government the law enforcement was a sham. From the vantage point of racist whites, who had strong roots in their traditions, the actions of upholding self-serving laws were just. And, from the view point of a moral Caucasian police officer, who knows that a line must be drawn somewhere, the legal system was corrupt, and yet the job needed to be done to put food on the table. Where is the justice in these scenarios? Who wins and who looses?

The Civil Rights Act of 1964, Worldwide Recognition, The Dream

Martin Luther King literarily made it his life crusade to bring racism to an end. In 1964 the Civil Rights Act was passed with the help of Hollywood elitists and a handful of open-minded politicians. It wasn’t an easy feat to achieve, but it paved the way for a better tomorrow for African-Americans who were hoping for something better out of life. This same Act served as a catalyst to massive changes the law enforcement community would go through in the upcoming years.

At age 35, Dr. Martin Luther King Junior, was honored with the Nobel Peace Prize. You would think that was the zenith of his career, but it was just the beginning. He carried on his message of peace and hope until he was abruptly gunned down on April 4th, 1968. His death, as well as sacrifices made by many other peace activists, were very important in the eyes of the mistreated minorities helped over the years.

The same people who had to sit in the back of the bus, were now propelled into a new era; an era that doesn’t include such a prominent voice as King has provided them with. The corrupt and defaced criminal justice system would take many more years to get itself to the way it is now, but Martin Luther King’s big dream would start taking shape.

I feel that without the initiative of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. the world we live in now might have become a much more impoverished, violent, and lawless place. Although racism is still present in the American society, Dr. King’s Dream has opened-up many minds to the possibility of equality for all.

In light of this occasion, the questions I pose to future and present law enforcement professionals are:

Would you be able to perform law enforcement duties now if you had to choose between Black or White? How have the events of the past helped you in your present understanding of the criminal justice system / your line of work?

More helpful resources with historical roots:

What Changes Would You Make to the American Judicial System?
LA Confidential – Has Policing Improved Since That Time
Crime Interest and Media Emphasis on Crime
The American Justice System is Failing?