Letter: Slow down and look for possible bias

Information on the Jerime Mitchell shooting keeps trickling out. There seem to be two sides to the story. The police officer provides one side to the grand jury and the man shot and paralyzed has no opportunity to state his version. In addition, we are provided no information about the history between this police officer and the man he stopped. There may be no history. But, we are a nation where implicit biases are beginning to be recognized as a force to be addressed.

The Department of Justice, recognizing implicit bias, mandated that federal prosecutors be provided with this training. Implicit bias is defined as judgment or behavior resulting from cognitive processes. It operates at a level below conscious awareness. If implicit bias training is not mandated for state and local prosecutors, it should be. A prosecutor should be able to identify when this bias may be occurring and slow down. Why would there be less than three working days between the announcement of the grand jury convening and the decision? This does not give anyone involved the opportunity to 'slow down” and think about their biases and the ramifications of their actions. We need to recognize that racial biases are unconscious and police and prosecutors are far from being immune.

Showing up for racial justice is a movement which aims to encourage and support white people to act with passion and accountability as part of a muti-racial majority for justice. Consider joining a group which advocates for racial justice.

Marcia Swift

Cedar Rapids