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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (June 22, 1995)
Renteria is the only one to blame Make no mistake, the principal Re sponsibility for the death of Franciscc Renteria lies with one and only one person: Francisco Renteria. It does not lie with institutional racism. Anc it certainly does not lie with OfFicei Luke Wilke or either of the police departments involved. I know, that’s a difficult thing tc suggest in the prevailing climate ol emotionalism that surrounds this case But if we can step back, momentarily and intellectually consider the facts that surround this tragic event, per haps we can put to rest the plethoric anti-police rhetoric presently domi nating Lincoln’s editorial pages. Perhaps, also, we can get to the root of the Renteria problem which, as I see it, was a failure on his part to acl rationally given his circumstances. One wonders how differently the situation would have resolved had Renteria cooperated with the First of ficer that attempted to question him. Even though he didn’t speak En glish, he could have maintained his composure and either awaited the ar rival of a Spanish-speaking officer 01 a relative that could translate. He would have been questioned, cor rectly identified, and in the absence ol any outstanding warrants, released. You see, that’s how it works in a civilized society. Whether driving oi walking down the road, when a police officer attempts to stop you, you stop! It’s just that simple. You do not flee. You do not take a swing at the officer. That dees not mean, of course, should you decide to run or fight thaj you automatically forfeit your life. ^fhat^ytm m#, depending on the quantity and quality of your resistance, get seriously hurt. You may even accidentally die. That’s just one of the reasons (among many) why responsible and reasonable people obey the law and cooperate with police. The fact that Renteria was drug and alcohol free makes me question his decision to physically resist those of ficers even more. It is simply not a rational decision made by a rational mind. His status as an illegal immi grant notwithstanding, there was evi dently no reason for him to fight. The very notion that he may have resisted arrest because of the corrupt nature of Mexican police is laughable. Thomas Eads “Nothing Renteria did deserved him dying. Parties on all sides of this issue agree on that. But it was HE who put the wheels in motion that ultimately led to his demise. ” Likewise, fear of deportation, given the fact that he was visiting family in Mexico not six months earlier, does not present good justification to go to swinging at the cops. So why fight a battle you’re guaranteed to lose? Omaha police officer George Cardenas was questioned on exactly that by the Daily Nebraskan back in October 1994. He speculated that Renteria may not have perceived the first officer on the scene as a true authority figure because of her gender. She was a female officer and, apparently, the male “traditional Hispanic custom” is to keep women in a subordinate role. ' G&rd&i&s "afso hypothesized that the arresting officers probably pro voked hostile actions on Renteria’s part because they were improperly trained to look him directly in the eyes. Again, Hispanic culture appar ently interprets that as a sign of ag gression. Cardenas emphasized the need for increased cultural sensitivity training for police so that problems, like the ones elucidated above, can be curbed. I agree. Cultural sensitivity is an important part of every officer’s pro fessional repertoire. However, it’s lu dicrous to suggest that female officers should not carry out their sworn law enforcement duties because an immi grant (Hispanic or otherwise) may not respect women. Just as silly is the notion that, in police work, officers should not look suspects directly in the eyes. Putting asidean officer’s safety considerations for a second, just try to imagine a cop that walks around all day never having looked anyone in the eyes. No sus pects would ever be apprehended. Cardenas’ idea is tantamount to hav ing a department of “blinded” police officers. It’s unfortunate that an event as tragic as Francisco Renteria’s death should degrade to this level of non sensical commentary. Joel Gajardo, executive director of the Hispanic Center, is quoted as say ing the following: “I wonder what would have happened if five Hispanic people were playing around with an officer and he would have died. Would they be charged with a misdemeanor?” Such comments are irresponsible and intellectually impotent. A couple of years ago a Native American man was shot and killed after he pointed a realistic toy gun at a Lincoln police officer. Was that racism? Not long afterward, a Lincoln of ficer shot an African-American man as he held a knife to the throat of his screaming attempted-rape victim. Again, was that racism? In both cases, the actions of the perpetrators never entered the minds of those “community leaders” who immediately accused the police of bla tantly racist shootings. Nothing Renteria did deserved him dying. Parties on all sides of this issue agree on that. But it was HE who put the wheels in motion that ultimately led to his demise. And while the family grieves and looks for a responsible person at which to point the finger of blame, innocent, hard-working folks are paying the price. As I send this column to the editor, officer Wilke has been acquitted of misdemeanor assault. I predict simi lar outcomes for all others charged in this case. Hopefully the Hispanic commu nity will put a stop to slanderous com mentary that does little other than fan the flames of racial injustice where none exists. 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