Some of Newburgh Policing Will Remain the Same

In a recent news article “Meet Rob McLymore, Newburgh’s New Police Reform Czar” I found it to be “QUITE” revealing. To me it revealed that “NOTHING” is going to be “SERIOUSLY” changed, as it pertains to the way that “SOME” of the citizens of Newburgh are going to be treated by the city of Newburgh’s police. Why do I feel this way?

Police Reform Czar McLymore said that, “he envisions a program like the neighborhood stabilization program he helped create in the Town of Walkill, which significantly improved police community relations and increased cooperation from neighbors. Michael LoScerbo, PBA’S Vice President’s response to this made me feel that McLymore was not going to get the support needed to begin to bring about a significant change in our city. LoSerbo’s response to McLymore’s statement was this: “The dep’t has always valued foot patrols, community events and conversations and that McLymore’s ideas are “nothing new to us.”

“We’ve always done our job, always had a great relationship with people, and always had transparency.” We’ve always done everything right. We just have to keep doing what we’re doing, and do the right things” To that I ask, “Really?”

McLymore said “the chief, the PBA president, and even the police officers all have to come together to make this community better.” If not, I have to be honest-it’s going to be difficult.” Wow!

It looks and sounds like things for Police Reform Czar McLymore are not going to be that easy, because truthfully I do believe that most, not “ALL,” of the police are satisfied with things remaining the same. McLymore believes that a dialogue needs to be the first step to improve community police relations. He feels that there is a strain between communities and the police in every jurisdiction. To that I must say that the words expressed by PBA’S Vice President LoSerbo in the above statement makes McLymore’s analysis very accurate.

I do not believe that much is going to change because before that can happen heart transplants are going to have to happen. Acknowledgements are going to have to happen. Many ills have been done to our community and still are being done by our police department, which have “NEVER” ever been “SERIOUSLY” addressed. “BLACK LIVES” really do not matter to most of our police throughout the country and they “NEVER” have.

Let me share with you something from the book “The Condemnation of Blackness!” “Pointing out white police officers’ negative attitudes toward blacks, whether southern migrants or native northerners, was not in itself a radical rhetorical move. Earlier writers had highlighted such attitudes while describing how police officers frequently aided or abetted mob attacks against blacks. By this time, most urban reformers were well aware that racist thinking among police officers had real consequences for the development of northern black communities. Police violence and police misconduct in the black community had long been front- page news in local black newspapers such as the Philadelphia Tribune. But directly linking police officers’ discriminatory attitudes and behavior to high crime rates among blacks was an entirely fresh approach.”

Let me share with you from the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. book “Why We Can’t Wait! Page 20-“Jailing the Negro was once as much of a threat as the loss of a job. To any Negro who displayed a spark of manhood, a southern law-enforcement officer could say: “Nigger, watch your step, or I’ll put you in jail.” The Negro knew what going to jail meant. It meant not only confinement and isolation from his loved ones. It meant that at the jailhouse he could probably expect a severe beating. And it meant that his day in court, if he had it, would be a mockery of justice.”

How long is it going to take to make people realize what the “REAL” deal is as it pertains to police mistreatment throughout our communities? How many more lives are going to be allowed to be snatched away or beaten and brutalized before people realize the hard- cold truth about “Police Brutality” throughout our communities. WAKE UP!

Rev McLymore, our new Police Reform Czar, hopefully can begin to have the right and most needed conversations with our police department whereby some most necessary changes can be brought about within our community. If not, the city of Newburgh is heading towards mass destruction, because many people are growing very weary and tired of being mistreated by many, but not “ALL” of our police officers. Truthfully this is a “NATIONAL” problem which needs to be “SERIOUSLY” addressed for if not “AMERICA” is heading towards “SELF-DESTRUCTION!”

This is “Lillie s Point Of View” and I’m just having my say!” Now you can have yours!