Pittsburgh police Chief Cameron McLay said he was hired to do two things; restore the bureau’s reputation in the community and repair morale internally. But in working to do one, he may have set back the other.
Combating racism in the workplace is a goal McLay has acknowledged as one of his priorities at the multiple meetings across the city.
On New Year’s Eve, he held a sign given to him by an activist at the Crazy Mocha on Liberty Avenue that read, “I resolve to challenge Racism@Work #End White Silence.”
That seemingly innocuous New Year’s resolution was posted Online and prompted Fraternal Order Of Police Lodge 4 President Howard McQuillan to tell KDKA Radio that the chief had just called the force racist.
“The chief is calling us racists,” McQuillan said. “He believes the Pittsburgh Police Department is racist. This has angered a lot of officers.”
McQuillan then emailed McLay, relaying his concerns.
“I fully understand it is your responsibility to build and restore community trust that the media and the politicians continue to destroy on a daily basis, but you also need to build that same trust and fix our morale issue among the rank and file within our department,” he wrote. “Pandering to the community at the expense of the police community is not going to get us anywhere. But, by actually recognizing the true needs and working on them together, both of our missions can and will be successful.”
McLay responded with an email to the entire bureau saying he did not intend to insult any officers.
“It appears my having been photographed with a sign supporting racial justice at work and (opposing) ‘white silence’ has offended some. If any of my PBP (Pittsburgh Bureau of Police) family was offended, I apologize,” he wrote.
“You are very important to me and I would never hurt you purposefully…I saw no indictment of police or anyone else in this sign, but I do apologize to any of you who felt I was not supporting you; that was not my intent.”
However, as he did in the message printed in last week’s Courier, and which is still posted on the bureau’s Facebook page, McLay restated his commitment to eliminating any racial bias that he finds within the bureau.
“Race impacts how we view one another, and unconscious bias applies to how we deal with the public. It can also impact how we judge one another; I intend we will confront both through training,” he wrote.
“I trust and have faith in you. I also support efforts to improve and restore the communities’ perceptions of justice. The next time you see me engaging in discussions supporting social justice, please remember, we are all guardians of the constitution. This is the mission we all took an oath to uphold.”
“Chief McLay is trying to restore the bonds between the police bureau and the community, and I absolutely support his efforts in every way. This sign simply expressed the truth—that we are all committed to ending racism in our city, and our laws should be enforced equitably. I don’t see why anybody would be upset with that,” said Mayor Bill Peduto in response to the FOP letter.
Black Political Empowerment Project Chair Tim Stevens said he didn’t think the sign said anything more than McLay had said in any of his community conversations.
“I’ve heard him speak of his goal to create a new relationship with the community several times. Here I think he was merely acknowledging that there are problems in any situation regarding race, and that we all bring certain prejudices to the table,” Stevens said.
“My hope is that by the chief making, really, a generalized statement that on the nature of race in America, that it doesn’t shut down positive communication. It’s unfortunate that some in the police may have viewed that as a personalized statement. We need to minimize negative statements on all sides and begin a new dialog.”
(Send comments to cmorrow@newpittsburghcourier.com.)
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