The city’s racial profiling report is out, and it didn’t indicate there were reasons to think the police department’s performance should come into question.
We consider that good news, and our police deserve a pat on the back.
Having said that, it doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t ask questions. We credit District 2 Councilman John Love III for asking questions about the way city does business.
While this newspaper and the councilman haven’t always seen eye to eye, we respect that Love doesn’t take everything at face value. The residents of District 2, generally south and east Midland, should have a voice on the council that they can depend on to ask questions. Even though reports and the city’s leadership say everything is fine, that doesn’t mean everything is OK in that part of the city.
We appreciate that Love isn’t willing to take a back seat on issues important to his constituents. The same could be said for James Bradford and Vicky Hailey, recent examples of capable council members who represented District 2.
There will be some people who claim we should accept when a report or expert says everything is fine. But there are times when questions should be asked, and now is the time.
We should call into question a community’s reaction to problems we face on a daily basis -- housing, transportation, education. We should ask the extra question of those who represent us and protect us. We should have others answer questions about changes to the status quo.
Does anyone really believe everything is perfect in our community? Does anyone really believe even the good things can’t be made better?
Asking questions doesn’t mean we don’t support someone, a group or government entity. It means we have the willingness to participate in the conversation.
There are problems in our community, and failure to acknowledge those problems makes matters worse (see housing, transportation, education facilities, teenage pregnancy, student behavior, litter).
If we as a community don’t ask questions, then we become blind to a reality around us. After we realize the Midland we want, we must recognize the current reality, challenge it and change it.
This newspaper appreciates the job local law enforcement does on a daily basis. We can’t imagine the job they face dealing with a city that has the growth problems Midland does at this time.
We also know that like the rest of us, there are individuals who are flawed -- the report of police officers taking signs from homeless people is evidence of that. So, yes, even our city’s finest and their supervisors shouldn’t get a pass on answering questions from time to time. It’s part of a healthy process.
When questions are asked, there are two possible reactions. Attack the questioner or produce an answer that shows the community has/is/will move forward in a manner that makes Midland what we expect.