Shortly after Mincey (a black male) died from a chokehold in April 1982, LAPD Chief Daryl Gates explained to a Los Angeles Times reporter that the disparity in the number of blacks who died from chokeholds might be because their veins did not reopen like normal people. The Times duly printed Gates’ remark. Unanimous outrage followed and Gates almost lost his job.
It turns out that Chief Gates may have been almost right, but for the wrong reason.
In Africa, malaria is endemic. However, humans with sickle cell trait are immune to malaria. And through natural selection or survival of the fittest ten percent of African natives have sickle cell trait. Ten percent of black Americans and black Los Angelenos have sickle cell trait, while only one-half of 1% of caucasian Americans have the trait.
The trait is relatively harmless; actually it is wonderful if you’re bitten by a malaria-carrying mosquito.
But sickle cell disease is a disaster characterized by blood cells taking the shape of a sickle and clogging up the blood vessels. Agonizing pain ensues and, often, death.
Medical science has known for many years that patients with sickle cell trait must be cautioned against flying in unpressurized aircraft because at altitudes above about 14,000 feet, the trait transforms into the disease. This is because of the paucity of oxygen at such an altitude. Hypoxia (lack of oxygen in the blood) may induce sickling with attendant extreme pain, stoppage of blood flow, and possible death. “Symptoms resulting from vaso-occlusion occur [in persons with sickle cell trait] only in extreme circumstances of severe hypoxia such as flying in unpressurized aircraft.” Cecil, Textbook of Medicine, 16th Ed., p. 889, Clinical Manifestations. Sickle Cell Trait.
After LAPD chokehold deaths had ceased, the LA County Coroner-Medical Examiner, Ron Kornblum, made the connection between chokeholds and black deaths. Chokeholds deprive their victims of oxygen. A black male is 20 times more likely to harbor sickle cell trait that a white male. Ergo, he testified that choking a black male is 20 times more dangerous than is choking a white male. The black male is 20 times more likely to die.
Dr. Kornblum reviewed the autopsy reports of the twelve black male chokehold victims. He found that Dailey was noted to have some sort of “sickle cell disorder” and that Hill’s death was ascribed to “sickle cell crisis.” He does not know whether there was abnormal cell pathology involved in the other ten deaths.
This situation raises complex legal questions. When the police do choke, even in an appropriate context, a black man who carries sickle cell trait, do they deny him constitutionally guaranteed equal protection of the law? Are they threatening to deprive him of his life without due process of law? If so, since the police cannot know in advance which black men have sickle cell trait, must they always refrain from choking black men? Or is it natural selection which dictates their own genetic make-up that deprives them of equal protection or due process?
This could lead to a police policy: Choke only white males. But chokeholds kill white males, too; Fairbanks, Cameron, Cousins, and Acree were white. Does a white-only choking policy deprive whites of equal protection or due process?
So long as any law enforcement agency authorizes its officers to choke, it risks being caught on one or the other horn of this constitutional dilemma.
Interesting comments.
I was not objecting that but to your comments concerning “brothers”, etc.
Just didn’t think those were appropriate.
I don't know anyting about various kinds of compliance techniques, come-along hold and legal vs illegal maneuvers, so I'll have to pass on that.
I was thrown face-down to the ground and put in flex cuffs once (peaceful pro-life protest) and the cop gave the cuffs an extra furious sharp tug to tighten them AFTER I said they were too tight. I developed a blackish-purplish injury on my wrist and couldn't feel anything in my thumb for over a month afterwards. Not that that "means" anthing in this case, except I know what it feels like to be subjected to too much force when I wasn't resisting --- and nobody giving a flip.
I did not see the video, but it seems it would have served public justice to indict so all the facts would be in the open, and the police officer would have a chance to --- if innocent --- clear his name. And if he is guilty of some sort of criminal ngligence, he should face the consequences.