Statement by West Windsor-Plainsboro Board of Education Member Martin Whitfield on Class 3 Police Officers, February 19, 2019

[Beginning at 09:55 into the video]

WHITFIELD:

I want to read a statement, since we talked about Class III Officers, actually, in our committee meeting, and as well this is coming personally from myself.

For the last eleven months I've had countless conversations about Class III Officers with residents of West Windsor and Plainsboro. Some have opposed, but a plethora have been in complete favor and agreement with the WW-P School District having Class III officers. Many people know my place of business, and the thousands and thousands of West Windsor-Plainsboro parents, kids and families who frequent my club and complex each year. I do not live on social media platforms each and every day. I speak and interact with the incredible and awesome parents, kids, families of our school district daily. Like I said, I have spoken with many people in favor and those in opposition of Class III.

One instance last summer that I would like to address is a gentleman, name to remain withheld, who came up to me at a community event and said, I quote, "Martin, how could you vote for Class III officers? If something happens, they will come after your black kids first." This gentleman was Caucasian and tried to insinuate that Class III officers would only attack African-American kids on a daily basis. Because of his misinformed and terrible statement, made with two of my children, ten-year-old and seven-year-old at the time, standing right next to me, I ended that conversation very fast and went on to enjoy this community event I was partaking in.

This is just one conversation. In the interim of time, I cannot address the others. But there have been many more that have sent me Emails, and had face-to-face conversations with me, making incredibly false, misinformed statements of untruth, just because they do not want Class III officers in our schools. Just because they want to paint a narrative that is piggy-backing off of the police brutality narrative striking this nation for the past three years.

So, I personally would like to take it to that point. Many have sent me articles about police brutality of African Americans in Chicago, L.A., Seattle, Houston, Florida, New York City, etc. West Windsor and Plainsboro are not those cities. Secondly, many of the oppositionists to Class III who address me face-to-face or via Email continue to send me African-American police statistics and articles, as if I have no idea about the treatment of African-Americans in this country historically, by police or anyone else. As if I have no idea of the African-American plight that has plagued this nation for four-hundred-plus years. As if I have never been through racism, bigotry, or discrimination. I have never seen any of the oppositionists of Class III officers here, in our community, at African-American parent support group meetings, AAPSG community events, or helping in any way to make sure that there is fair and equal treatment of African-American, Indian or Chinese kids in this District, or people of color. I've seen Joy Horton, who is present now, President of AAPSG, at all of our School Board meetings, and many of the community events in Plainsboro and West Windsor. Latoya Edwards, Cornell Edmonds, Barbara Edmonds, Tiffany Cummings, Terry Cummings, Le' Roi Gill, Karen Delk, Gerald Delk, Les Miller, Sauveur Dory, Diane Ciccone and many others throughout the years advocate for the African-American and people of color students in this district.

The ones who sent me Emails and addressed me negatively continuously for the last eleven months, I have only heard their concern about African-American kids in this district when the thought of having Class III officers was announced. Were they trying to use African-American kids as pawns for their narrative, since they were adamantly against Class III officers already? I'm not sure, but it seems to be very disingenuous to all of a sudden care so much about African-American kids in our district, when they had never shown any concern for the well-being of these kids in the past.

I was sent statistics about the plight people of color have lived though over the years, statistically. Let me share, personally, something very real. I have been pulled over sixteen times in my life. I will say this again. I've been pulled over sixteen times, and I've only received one ticket. I've been racially profiled thirteen times, and two times I was pulled over for laughing. Yes, that was the reason the police gave us, We were laughing. These instances took place in Texas, Georgia, Florida, New Jersey and New York. Secondly, I've been called the "N" word hundreds of times in my life, once during a collegiate basketball game, on the court in 1994. Yes, 1994 not 1954. Another time in college, I was called the "N" word while my team was coming out of the tunnel to enter the arena. This is a very famous and well-known Athletic Division I university, but I will refrain from disclosing the school's name at this time. Plus, eight of the twelve players, on this particular university team we're playing against, were African-Americans.

In the workplace, and particularly corporate America, I've been looked over and discriminated against several times due to the color of my skin. I've been intentionally removed from being promoted at several jobs I've held in the past due to the color of my skin.

My parents are both retired schoolteachers who grew up in Georgia and South Carolina during the '30s, '40s, and '50s. My father in 1955 was the tenth leading scorer in the United States in college basketball, at a small African-American college. He was not given the opportunity to play in the NBA, strictly because of the color of his skin. My grandfather on my mother's side of the family was a key advocate of the early days of the Civil Rights movement, fighting injustice and inequality on the front line in South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. While the oppositionists to Class III in our community talk about kids being exposed to officers carrying weapons, my mother and her cousins have told me realistic stories of walking to school in South Carolina as a child and seeing kids in trees. Not for fun, but in trees. So when the oppositionists Class III want to tell me, an African-American, about what I should be worried about, they clearly have no idea what it is to be an African-American in this country, and have not lived in my shoes.

With all that I have said, and once again in the interim of time I have made this very short, I still do not play the victim card, nor the race card. But I will always stand up for just, right, and integrity-filled decisions. My decision to vote for Class III was justified and right, plain and simple. With all that I've said, and all the things that I and thousands and thousands of African Americans have gone through, wouldn't you think that I would be afraid or fearful of the police? But I am not. In the same manner that I fight against racism, bigotry and stereotyping against African Americans my entire life, wouldn't it be wise to then fight for the good police officers out here, the good police men and women who are true fabric of this community? Our community has great and awesome police officers. This is not Chicago, L.A. or any of the other police department cases that people have sent emails to me personally. This is West Windsor and Plainsboro. And we need to pull together and support those who are working hard for our community, for our families and for our kids.

Lastly, after all the things I've gone through with police officers in other states and municipalities, why did my eight-year-old at Dutch neck, when asked what he thinks about Officer Liz and police at Dutch Neck, and [indistinct] say, "It's fine to me, daddy. I like officer Liz. She's very, very nice." I did not fear-monger our child. I did not paint a picture of supreme negativity against police officers in the public, or schools. I did not paint a picture of police harming children, or fill our children with bigotry against a group of people. But, with my experience I could have, but chose to think wisely, chose to teach my children about life, about truth, about the good in people. chose to fill our children with positivity, not negativity. The same thing I've had to fight against every day of my life. Will I stand against any harm and wrongdoing by police officers or people of power? Absolutely, yes. But I will not condemn every police officer in this country, or Class III officer, for doing harm to others either. This is not fair to the good, hard-working individuals who truly care about their communities. Thank you.

[Statement concludes at 16:44 into the video]