But first, a small disclaimer. I am not a follower of that particular page, nor the person who writes it, but I am friends with a number of people who do follow him, and who think quite a lot of him.
So tonight, when his post popped up on my wall, I glanced at it with curiosity. It pulled me right in, because at the top of the page, it acknowledged a two week unpaid suspension from the job of Chief of Police in a town called Brimfield, Ohio. I thought that was pretty big news, considering Brimfield is a smallish town of about 8000 people near Akron, but its wildly popular Chief has a Facebook following of over 175,000 supporters from across the globe.
His down home, straight talking attitude has drawn people to his daily posts, and his followers, who apparently refer to themselves as "cousins," are as passionate about David Oliver as any rock star. He is the real deal for a lot of people, dispensing folksy advice and good humor, along with stories and some tough talk, and people are eating it up in this day of disinformation and disillusionment.
So, as I said, I was pretty interested to see what had led to his two week unpaid suspension, and even more interested to see what his followers would have to say.
The piece began with his own mea culpa, or at least the version of it he was allowed to tell. Because, of course, there were lawyers involved, and they are always interested in keeping things close to the vest. At any rate, he did allude to the fact that he is not allowed to say much, naturally thereby piquing the interest of everyone, which may or may not have been his intent, I don't know.
What I do know is that the chief accepted responsibility for his own mistake in this post, acknowledging that the Township Board had no choice but to suspend him, as he had, in fact, violated an administrative policy. (This is a very important point, his admitting this, and I will get back to this in a minute, because it goes to the crux of this post.)
He didn't specify what he did wrong, stating it was a private personnel matter. (I'll get back to this in a minute, too, because there is a little more information available publicly.)
And if my mom radar tingled a little at the way he oh so casually suggested this trouble might be due to his outspoken nature, which felt a bit like he was saying, "Well, if you were offended, I'm sorry," he did ultimately accept that the fault was his, and stated quite plainly that he would take the punishment meted out because he was not above the law. So far, so good.
But then came the comments.... Oh, the comments. They came in from across the globe, universally supporting the chief, encouraging him, denying the possibility he could have done anything wrong (see above admission of wrongdoing, shake my head in bewilderment,) suggesting he go on vacation, disparaging the board for making this decision, and on and on and on. Scattered amongst the unquestioning support was the occasional suggestion that just possibly Chief Oliver might not be a saint, but that was about as close to a negative thought as I saw.
Which is what upsets me tonight. The public has little to no factual information about this case. What little we do have is an actual admission of guilt from the party suspended and a brief statement from a lawyer (gleaned from the local Fox8 Television station) who said there was an administrative gender based discrimination policy which has been violated. That is the sum total of information available to the public, and is enough for me to believe he did, in fact, do something wrong, and the punishment is not exactly an unjust sentence.
But evidently I am alone in this conclusion, because thousands of fans of the chief are ready to jump to his support, criticizing everyone but him, despite knowing nothing about the case, nothing about his actions or what led up to this suspension, and nothing about why the Board chose to do what they did. The only thing they have is a certain kind of knowledge of the man based on his social media presence. If we want to know why this country is currently falling apart and our system of justice is in freefall, look no further. Trial by media is in full swing, facts be damned, and all we need to make a decision is to know how we feel in our gut, no matter who it might affect or what the actual situation may be. It is disheartening, to say the least.
Although in this case the media attention has led to overwhelming support, this is truly no different than the trial by media in Ferguson, MO, or the conviction by media of Bill Cosby (who has been accused but not yet convicted in court,) or the gazillion rumors on the internet about both political parties, none of which is based on factual evidence. It is a hearsay circus, and the animals are in charge while the ringmaster is sidelined behind a legal release.
With nary a shred of information, the public has decided Chief Oliver must be the wronged party, not because he is not capable of wrong doing, (they haven't even appeared to give that possibility consideration,) but because he is a popular poster, and people generally like what he says.
I would understand his personal friends and family jumping to his defense this way. It is no less than what I would expect from the friends and family of anyone who is a generally decent human being, as I assume Chief Oliver is. But I do not understand how people who do not personally know the man can, with such absolute assurance, decide he could not have done anything wrong, especially when he himself admitted he did, in fact, do something wrong, and which actually did lead to his suspension. I am genuinely baffled by the whole situation.
In fact, it baffles me every bit as much as I am baffled by people who jump to defend a repeat criminal who robs a store and fights with a police officer and ends up dead. I mean, honestly, you make bad choices, and bad things have a way of happening. When did this understanding of the way things work drop out of our collective consciences?
In neither case do we really know what happened. The only people who know anything at all (other than the actual parties involved, obviously,) are the Township Board and the grand jury, who heard the evidence and made a decision based on the available facts, as best they could. Right or wrong, at least they heard the evidence, which is more than I can say for the protesters, be they in the streets or on Facebook.
This all exemplifies a seriously worrying trend in the United States today. We do not worry about facts any more. We read the sound bite or listen to a talking head and make snap decisions, which may or may not be correct, and are all too often based on rumor or innuendo instead of digging for the facts which would illuminate the issue. Why bother with truth when the rumors are so much more interesting?
And it isn't just happening with misconduct. It is an across the board problem, and is rapidly leading to the decay of our civilized social structure. Jumping to conclusions is a way of life, and right or wrong doesn't matter so long as your side shouts the loudest.
That is no way to run a civilized society. It is anarchy, and Animal Farm is looking not so much like fiction as prophecy. Just ask those who used to own a business in Ferguson how anarchy is working out for them.
So, getting back to Chief Oliver, here is, to the best of my knowledge, the facts as we know them.
1. He violated a gender based discrimination policy. (Admitted by a lawyer for the Township Board on Fox8 News.)
2. He accepted responsibility for his violation and was suspended for two weeks without pay. (Admitted by David Oliver himself on his own Facebook page.)
3. He didn't get fired, and will be back in two weeks, hopefully a little wiser. (Admitted by David Oliver on his own Facebook page.)
4. He went out of his way to praise the politicians he works with, and explained that they had to follow the policy, or it is worthless. (Why that should need to be said, I do not know, because it should be obvious, but apparently it did. Once again, this was self-admitted. There is a definite trend here, if only his followers would stop talking long enough to listen.)
Here is what I infer from that little bit of information.
1. The board thought this was a serious enough violation that it had to do something, in spite of the certain knowledge that his 175,000 Facebook followers would probably excoriate them for it.
2. They suspended him for two weeks without pay, which seems like a fairly substantial penalty to me, especially given his celebrity status. That says it is a little more than a slap on the wrist offence, and I am willing to take their word for it unless there is evidence they are corrupt or lying. (There isn't any, to my knowledge.)
Trial by media in the United States is out of control, and it is affecting real outcomes and real people's lives. No longer are we innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. We are only safe so long as no one goes on social media and castigates our character. Anyone can say anything, especially when hiding behind a computer keyboard or a sharp lawyer; it is something else again to prove what you are saying in a court of law. But, of course, that matters less and less as the media takes over as a substitute for the trial court. The consequences of what people say in the media can be far reaching, even life changing. Ask Bill Cosby. He has never been convicted of anything, but his career is in tatters and his life is never going to be the same. (I have no idea if he is guilty or not.)
I don't know Chief Oliver, and I don't know what the violation was, nor whether he deserved the punishment meted out to him. He may well be a saint on earth, although I doubt it. I suspect he is a human being who said or did something stupid in an unguarded moment, and is now paying the price for it. But it really doesn't matter, because the verdict is already in, as far as the public is concerned.
I don't know, but I don't think that is America at her best. If I had one wish for the new year, it would be for people to dig deeply and find out the truth about the issues, however inconvenient or unpalatable, and then to draw conclusions that are based on facts and not the fiction spewed out by whatever media mouthpiece is loudest. Maybe if we had the courage to find the truth, we could have the courage of our convictions, and really make a difference.
Martin Luther King, in his inspiring Dream speech, discussed the hope of a future free of segregation and bigotry. But I think his words apply to our nation in a much broader way as well.
"With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day."I believe that the path to a better tomorrow is based on fact, not fiction, and that the dream will never be realized until we are willing to look truth in the eyes and see ourselves and each other as we really are. His dream was Justice and Truth, and they are always worth fighting for.
I wish Chief Oliver well in his two week suspension. I hope he takes some time to consider whatever it was he did, and how he could have had a better outcome. But even more, I hope that he will somehow turn this negative moment into a teaching opportunity where his 175,000 followers have the chance to see how freedom and truth are the way to a better life for everyone. Let's all dream together about a brighter tomorrow. And let's start with the truth today.
