How safe do Greenville residents feel? The answer is polar opposite depending on race

A majority of Black residents who responded to a survey about the Greenville Police Department said they do not feel safe in their neighborhoods, while most white residents said they do.

The survey was sought by a citizen panel created by Greenville City Council to review the police department after hundreds of people gathered in Greenville to support Black Lives Matter. The residents protested in May after George Floyd died when a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck. There have been recurring protests since then.

Almost 3,400 people responded to Greenville’s survey. The results of the safety question were polar opposites based on race: 53% of white respondents said they felt safe, and 59% of Black respondents said they did not.

Those who said they don’t feel safe described thefts from their homes, drug deals and use, and confrontations with homeless people. Some complained about speeding. One person lamented violence overall in the country and specifically in the South.

Others had harsh words for the police.

“No one should feel safe when the Police Department for the area has a reputation like the one that Greenville City PD has,” one person said in the survey. “Unqualified, Undertrained, Power Abusing, Self Entitled, to name a few among many.”

Another said, “The ignorance/negligence, lackluster training/knowledge, impulsive decision making, and lack of discipline that comes along with Greenville City Police Officers, how could anyone feel safe? It is a department filled to the brim with corruption.”

A 67-year-old Black woman said she does not feel safe calling the police for “fear of them reversing the complaint to be against me. I am terrified for my adult children and my teenage grandchildren’s lives should they encounter one of these renegade cops as we call them.”

A few pointed out specific instances such as a couple being accosted leaving a wedding and men being arrested after someone attacked them.

Some said they frequently see officers on patrol; others that they never see them. Many reported that if they call the police, they respond quickly.

“I have lived here for 24 years and have rarely needed to contact the police department, but the times I have needed them, they have always been quick to respond,” one person said.

Another said, “Actually, I live in a crummy, trashy neighborhood, but I’ve never been bothered on my daily walks. And the one time someone tried getting into my trailer in the middle of the night, I called the police and they took him away. “

Quite a few people said they are thankful for police officers.

One had this admonition: “Conduct yourself in a safe manner and you should be safe.”

A woman who described herself as the wife of a police officer had another view.

“I find it hard to feel safe in recent months, especially while my husband is working 12 hour shifts (and particularly at night),” she said.

The survey asked people to speculate about why young people would not go into law enforcement.

Most Black people said it was because young people had negative experiences with police. The majority of white respondents said young people would fear for their safety.

Another difference in opinion based on race was apparent in the question about K9s. The city asked whether dogs should be employed for various uses, including crowd control. Most whites said yes; most Blacks said they should never be used.

Dogs were used in the 1960s to attack people during civil rights demonstrations.

The survey received more than 10,000 comments.

The results will be discussed at a Greenville City Council meeting Monday.

This story was originally published October 8, 2020 at 2:59 PM.