The Black SUV: Symbol of Power

Earlier this week I found myself on a suburban highway during evening rush hour -- an unusual experience for me. Apparently as a result of a car accident, traffic was at a complete standstill. Cars were bumper to bumper, not moving an inch. Then, suddenly, two black SUVs with flashing light bars on top came careening by on the shoulder. I've seen enough of these trucks to know they were not emergency vehicles rushing to the scene of the accident. Rather, they were delivering a government official -- I am pretty sure I know which one -- to his home. I imagined that official, likely full of feelings of self-importance, must feel nothing but contempt for us plebeians stuck there as he passed by. Once again I was reminded that the black SUV has become one of the most noticeable emblems of power in the District.

It's been well-documented on this website that one of DC Council Chairman Kwame Brown's first priorities upon being elected to his current post was the procurement of a black "fully loaded" Lincoln Navigator. Color was of the utmost importance to the then Chairman-elect. He wanted not only a black exterior, but a black interior. He desired a vehicle comparable to the black SUV used by Mayor Vincent C. Gray, whose predecesor, Adrian M. Fenty also drove a black SUV (or had a friend drive for him). The latest DC official to be led astray by the siren call of black SUVs is Ward 5 Councilman Harry Thomas Jr. Thomas is being sued by DC Attorney General Irv Nathan for allegedly using city funds to buy an Audi SUV. Thomas allegedly used $69,149 allocated for youth baseball programs to purchase a black Audi Q7 premium SUV.

Government officials at all levels are increasingly alienated from common citizens. In the name of security, barriers, metal detectors, and guards stand between them and the people. When they venture out, an intimidating black SUV is often the vehicle of choice. Early in his term, Fenty was criticized for running red lights in his truck. The idea that a mayor was simply too important to wait in traffic was actually accepted by many DC residents. Fenty, who like me has likely seen any number of Federal officials acting like they and their black SUVs own the roads, had plenty of role models.

Back when I was in high school, I participated in a program in which we studied the Soviet Union. We learned that the Soviet Union -- a country that had invaded Afghanistan, spied on its own citizens, and tortured prisoners -- was a very bad place. America was much better. We also learned about the hierarchy of vehicles used by Soviet officials. Those at the very top of government drove (or more likely, were driven in) Zil limousines. The next level of officials were chauffeured in Chaikas and those just below them employed Volgas. In a country in which automobiles were often out of reach of the common citizen, these cars became symbols of the corruption and detachment of the Soviet government. Whether the black SUV is filling the role of the Chaika or Volga is debatable, but it is certainly coming to have a similar symbolic effect.

Thomas and Brown are hardly unique among current DC Council members when it comes to ethics issues. Recent reports detail how Ward 1 Member Jim Graham was offered a bribe by his then Chief of Staff Ted Loza. Graham refused the money, but neither fired Loza nor reported the attempted bribery. Ward 7 CM Yvette Alexander, At-Large Member Michael A. Brown, Ward 2's Jack Evans, and, of course, Ward 8 Councilman Marion Barry have also had problems. That makes seven of the Council's 13 members -- a slim majority -- that have been involved in ethics controversies. To the extent that the black SUV symbolizes corrupt and out of touch government officials, it is certainly a fitting vehicle for our Council Members.