This is a cell phone:
This is a gun:
This is a cell phone:
By now, it should be clear to everyone that anything that a black man has in his hands will be thought to be a gun by the cops. A wallet, a cell phone, it doesn't matter.
Now if you carry a gun and you shot some guy who had a wallet in his hand, you'd go away for manslaughter. Because you don't have the training that the cops do. {/sarc}
Search “gun shaped cell phone case” and marvel at the stupidity evident in the world today.
ReplyDeleteCp88, my ability to be astounded by stupidity should be about used up, however, many people seem to have an innate ability to conjure stupid from everywhere.
ReplyDeleteJust out of curiosity, have you looked at the actual video footage of the shooting? It's impossible to clearly see the shape of whatever the guy is holding in the dark and gloom, just that he's holding something, and turning towards the cops with it after having disobeyed the cops' orders multiple times to show his hands and stop running. I dunno, I think at that point I would have made the shoot too. What's that saying? Better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6?
ReplyDeleteTux, the problem with that is that human nature is to turn toward the command. The issue comes down to the police response...was it reasonable or not? In the dark, a figure turns toward you with something in his hand, as a police officer, you have accepted a certain amount of risk...at what point do you shot and when should you delay?
ReplyDeleteThe object was not clearly pointed at the officers, who were “behind” cover. Then the question is do the officers have a duty to hold fire for some amount of time to clarify the situation...probably not, HOWEVER, when I ask myself what would have happened if the “suspect” was white, I’m no longer certain the officers fire that fast.
Here’s the problem, the police appear to clearly have differing standards for different races. Skin color, like stupidity, shouldn’t be a death sentence, but...