Race Baiting at the New York Times

When you are facing a crisis over violent crime in a city that has long been regarded as one of the worst cities in the nation for decades, should it matter that the police chief is white or black or brown or yellow or green?

To the New York Times, it would seem that the race of the police chief is a concern.

But buried among the heady announcements on Tuesday was a personnel change that has the potential to create untold aggravation for City Hall. The mayor removed the word “acting” from the title of his police chief, Anthony Campos, a Portuguese-American who, along with Police Director Garry F. McCarthy, leads the city’s 1,300-member police force.

In a city like Newark, where the majority of the population is black and race issues bubble just below the surface, the decision to place two white men at the helm of the city’s Police Department could threaten the good will and unity that Mr. Booker has been enjoying of late. The racially diverse residents were drawn together after the shocking murder last week of three young friends.

In making Mr. Campos the city’s permanent police chief after a year, Mr. Booker has pleased the city’s powerful Portuguese population, but he risks angering those who had been hoping he would give the job to Niles Wilson, a popular black police captain who had been Mr. Campos’s chief of staff.

“Rightly or wrongly, perception is just as important as reality, and in a city that is largely African-American, there is not going to be a comfort level with two white guys running the Police Department,” said former Mayor Kenneth Gibson. “Quite frankly, this is going to be a problem he doesn’t need.”

The problem is the high levels of violent crime that have caused so much pain and grief in Newark. If the police chief is competent and can get the job done, the color of his skin shouldn't matter. Mayor Cory Booker (D) should say as much. His job is to get the city under control and to improve the quality of life for everyone.

That there are so many politicians who are willing to pander on the basis of race (and the NYT willingly carries their water) is a grave disservice to a city that needs the best and brightest to help the city reclaim and recover its streets and life.

Mayor Booker sought to reduce the crime in the city and his efforts were beginning to pay off before the triple execution slayings last week. However, that heinous crime spurred even greater action to rid the streets of criminals and to bring new attention on a longstanding problem.

If these two police officials are able to get the job done, they will have the full support of the community. They should be given the opportunity to get the job done. If they're unable to do the job, find someone else who will. It really is that simple, and yet far too many people want to throw race into the equation.