In the wake of the terrible, tragic death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer in Minneapolis, we have a new urgency to understand why and how such a thing could happen.
We know it’s happened before many times to both Black adults and Black children, but this time is different. This time we were witnesses to the callous cruelty of an officer of the law as he knelt on George’s neck until he was dead.
We are beginning our journey to understand how our system of law, justice, child custody, schools, building codes, housing, healthcare, and social services interact to put young children and adults of color in jeopardy.
Charlotte Mountain leads the anti-racism committee for Mormon Women for Ethical Government. In a recent Deep Dive, Charlotte shared two heartbreaking stories about how the system fails those in poverty throughout our country.
Story one: Michael
Michael was a resident of Newburgh, New York. He was lead-poisoned, along with five of his nine brothers and sisters. The lead comes from various sources. New York City, Chicago, Detroit, Pittsburgh all have lead in the water. In many of the older buildings, parks, and schools there are lead pipes leaching into the water.
Also, lead is common in the paints used in older buildings, often occupied by poorer citizens. Building regulations often allow it to be painted over to meet code. But when the new paint chips or wears off, the lead is there, waiting.
Lead poisoning leads to all kinds of ailments and symptoms: behavior problems, learning disabilities, lower IQ, hyperactivity, stunted growth, hearing problems, and anemia in children, Charlotte explained in a 2019 article on MWEG’s Women Making Peace website. In extreme cases, there can be seizures, coma, or death.
Pregnant women may have premature births and low birthweight babies who are lead-poisoned in the womb and through breast milk. Adults exposed to lead can develop high blood pressure, kidney disease, and sterility.
Michael couldn’t read in the sixth grade. He had learning disabilities and ADHD. He was involved with the law 11 times as a youth and young adult. The family said he smoked PCP. And an uncle said he was verbally aggressive when challenged. The mother of one of his children filed a complaint against him. In addition, he tragically lost a son to crib death when he was only 19.
It is possible to understand why, at age 22, he pulled a knife on a police officer when challenged. It is harder to understand why he was shot dead.
After 11 encounters, he was on the police’s radar as a troubled kid. He obviously had problems, yet no one offered a way to help.
Think about how his life could have been different if he’d lived in Los Angeles County and entered their youth diversion program. He’d have been wrapped in services to support him and help him as he grew into a responsible adult. Here is a system that works — and is half the cost of jail.
The Youth Diversion and Development (YDD) division of the Los Angeles County Department of Health Service’s Office of Diversion and Reentry provides “individualized developmentally appropriate community-based services, including but not limited to: youth development and enrichment activities; case management, care coordination, and systems navigation; trauma; responsive preventive services and treatment for physical, mental health, and substance abuse needs; housing and transportation support; educational and vocational support; credible mentorship; family engagement and support; and restorative or transformative justice practices.”
That Michael would have had a great chance at success.
Story two: 15-month-old girl
As a code enforcement officer, Charlotte received a call from a mother who wanted an inspection because her 15-month-old daughter had tested positive for lead poisoning. When Charlotte arrived, she saw the girl was an absolute delight.
As the mother showed her around the damp basement apartment, she pointed out the wall behind the baby’s crib and said the baby liked to lick the wall. It was, of course, lead-based paint.
It’s heartbreaking. This adorable little girl will probably grow up with ailments related to lead poisoning. It could have been avoided — by a combination of awareness and action by landlords, water companies, cities, and others that is less expensive than caring for a lead-poisoned child throughout her life.
The system failed them both
It’s a system that lets poor people, often Black or brown, rent and reside in buildings with minimal lead remediation. It fails to fix aging household and city water systems and maintains schools poorly.
The system looks to police to handle a myriad of social problems in addition to policing. The system fails to pull out all stops for victims of lead poisoning and other disabilities to ensure they can grow to be contributing, responsible adults.
This is a system that fails to see the poor, the Black, the brown as deserving human beings. This is what is meant by systemic racism.
Six things to do today
Listen to the entire Town Hall recording here.
Read “This Can’t Be Forgotten.”
Read “We Are Witnesses.”
“Write a letter, to the police chief, the mayor, and the justice department. Even if you did it yesterday, do it again today, and tomorrow and every day. Write it again and again and again. Don’t move on to the next thing. This is the man you saw die. This can’t be forgotten.” — Charlotte Mountain, MWEG Anti-Racism Lead
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