Message to the New San Jose Police Chief: Help Us Find Middle Ground on the Eastside

A Community Message to the San Jose Police Chief 2010 from DE BUG on Vimeo.

Message to the New Police Chief: Help Us Find Middle Ground on the Eastside

By David Madrid

I am a 32-year-old Latino, with no criminal past, born and raised in Eastside San Jose. I am happily married with three small children all under the age of five. I am Christian, active in my church and the host of a community affairs radio program on 91.5 fm KKUP for the past seven years. I am also a published writer in magazines, books and newspapers for articles covering issues on Chicano culture and youth development. I have been working in the field of youth mentoring and counseling for eight years, focusing on gang prevention in San Jose.

What I am expecting out of the new police chief is a better understanding and clear acknowledgement that there are some bad apples on the force, and that they need to be held accountable for their actions. A chief that can hold officers accountable will be a step in the right direction to start rebuilding some trust in our community, particularly in East San Jose.

The majority of us living on the eastside are hard working, law-abiding citizens, and I feel I speak for many when I say that we are stuck in the middle, a catch 22 if you will. On one hand we have to worry about crime in our community and on the other hand we have to worry about over aggressive police officers. What we are looking for is a chief that can find the middle ground in our neighborhoods. We welcome a police presence in our community, but it comes with a cost, because they treat us all like criminals.

The sad truth is, I’m more fearful of the police then I am of suspected gang members in my community over here on the Eastside. For the most part, the homeboys will just roll bye, the cops are the ones that will stop and start trouble.

I acknowledge that police officers face dangers, but when they are in full control of a situation, why do they still show disrespect and aggression? Under Chief’s Davis’s term, I had several incidents showing this dynamic of disrespect. I had an episode fairly recently of an officer running up to my car and screaming and cussing in my face, with my wife and kids in the car, frightening them with his aggression. Another time I had an officer running up to my home with a hand on the front door yelling for me to come outside with no explanation. The only ones that were in fear for their lives during those two occurrences were my family and I. People here on the Eastside know that encounters with the police on the Eastside is like play Russian roulette, it could be good or all bad.

And it’s that treatment that causes mistrust with law enforcement and keeps a legacy of division strong in our community. Because our kids witness everything, whenever my four year old son sees a police car now he say’s “uh oh.” I didn’t teach him that. He developed that reaction based on what he has seen growing up.

So to the new Chief of San Jose, I send this message out to you from the neighborhoods and families of East San Jose. Once hired, we will measure your success as our new police chief by not only your openness to listen to the community, but rather by your willingness to take action on what is heard.