Maine Capitol Police Chief Russell Gauvin’s comments display his thinking and prejudices. Yes, he made the comments in his private world and, apparently, never while in his official capacity. However, such thoughts and prejudices do not go away when a person logs off from social media. They are part of the person who expressed them, and are baked into that person’s worldview as either conscious or unconscious bias.

Such bias either blatantly or subtly, but effectively, influences the owner’s decisions and behaviors. If there is a crisis situation that requires an instant response or an extremely stressful incident that incorporates those biases (think of the responses of some of the U.S. Capitol Police who were in agreement with the Jan. 6 insurrection, such as taking selfies with insurrectionists), can you say that Chief Gauvin’s biases would have absolutely no influence on his responses?

If another chief of an arm of law enforcement expressed similar, but opposite, thoughts and prejudices on social media (think support for militant Black Lives Matter, Muslim, LGBTQ, etc. groups), would supporters of Chief Gauvin be as supportive and forgiving? Knowing of these hypothetical social media comments, would non-Black, non-Muslim, non-LGBTQ people, in the middle of a related crisis requiring law enforcement, be entirely comfortable with that person’s official opinions and behaviors (especially if the officer were, obviously, Black or other person-of-color, Muslim or LGBTQ)? Somehow, I doubt it.

Daniel Krell
Westbrook

Copy the Story Link

« Previous

Letter to the Editor: Impeachment jurors should remember the pledge

Next »

Letter to the Editor: Salmon farm would spoil Acadia views