"Police Violence" and why it isn't.

"Police Violence" and why it isn't.

 

    There are two common factors in the recent police-induced fatalities that have been flooding TV screens worldwide.  The deceased are black and they all did something to get themselves killed.  Before I get into explaining what I mean, I want to clarify that these men and boys dying is a sad thing.  I won't go as far as some in the media to call it a "tragedy", because I view 9/11 as a tragedy and I think lumping them together is an insult to the victims of 9/11.  Some would say " But people died in both events".  True...but the 9/11 victims offered no provocation for their untimely demise.  In the current "police violence" cases, all three victims I'm going to discuss ultimately brought it upon themselves.

    First up, Michael Brown.  There has been enough evidence, forensic and eyewitness, to determine that Officer Wilson's testimony is closest to what most likely happened.  Mr. Brown's death sparked the "hands up don't shoot" movement, even though he didn't perform the same maneuver as his advocates when it mattered.  If he had, he would probably still be walking around to tell the tale.  Actually, no, he would have been in jail for knocking over a liquor store.  I've heard plenty of TV talking heads asking "Did this young man deserve to die?".  Nobody deserves to die.  But if you do something that you know might get you killed can anyone really be that upset when you keel over.  Trying to beat up a cop and take his gun is one of those things that might get you killed.  Sucks for his parents, but the police aren't to blame.  A little more education at home on things that might get you killed may have prevented this death.
   

    Second, Eric Garner.  There is nothing, absolutely nothing, here that Officer Pantaleo should be apologizing for.  Mr. Garner was being arrested for selling untaxed cigarettes.  Whether he actually committed the crime or not is irrelevant.  Cops are not there to prosecute cases and determine guilt or innocence.  They are there to enforce the law in the most expeditious manner possible.  They don't know this guy.  All they see is someone they are supposed to place under arrest and they try to do that without putting themselves or the public in danger.  If Mr. Garner had left the explaining for the court room and simply laid down on the sidewalk and allowed himself to be arrested, he would be able to file suit against the NYPD for wrongful arrest.  However, he resisted and had to be taken down.  The "I can't breathe" mantra circulating around this case is, much like " hands up, don't shoot", irrelevant.  The reason being that by saying "I can't breathe" 11 times, it clearly indicated that he could breathe.  The act of speaking is proof of an airway that can pass air to and from the lungs, also known as breathing.  Also, after the choke was released he was still speaking.  Therefore, the choke that Officer Pantaleo administered did not kill him.
 
    Now, let's pretend the cops did release him because he "couldn't breathe", but instead of being a father of 6 and docile he turned out to be a violent criminal with a knife and gun.  The cops loosen the hold and he breaks free, kills two of the cops and a bystander before being gunned down himself.  This is just speculation obviously, but that is the assumption these cops have to go with when making an arrest.  They didn't know anything about Eric Garner.  They didn't know his medical history.  They saw a very large man that could potentially overpower them and cause harm.  When they were trying to secure his hands, he told them "Don't touch me." and pulled his hands away.  This is called resisting arrest.  Had he simply turned around and cooperated there would have been no need to subdue.  Again, a little tolerance and better decision making on the part of the "victim", and no death would occur.
 
    Third, Tamir Rice.  This is obviously the most sensitive and the saddest of the three incidents because of the age of the deceased.  However, I write objectively so forgive me if I seem a little cold in regards to the death of a 12 year old.  I won't lay blame on young Mr. Rice solely, because most of the blame belongs to the parents.  The airsoft gun he was carrying normally has a orange safety tip to identify to both citizens and police that this is a toy, not a real gun.  In Tamir's case, this safety tip was not present.  As a parent, I know what toys my kids are taking outside.  I will either allow them to take it outside or tell them that it is not ok to take it out.  That "toy" gun looked incredibly real.  I had to double-take when I first saw the picture of it, just to make sure.  I would not have allowed my children to take that outside...ever.  They don't even own toys like that for precisely this reason.
 
    Next parental snafu:  Who taught this kid how to interact with police officers?!  The cops roll up, on the grass...not the road, right towards him.  There is no audio with the video, but reports say that he failed to obey orders and went for the gun.  Who reaches for anything inside their pants when dealing with the cops?  People who want to get shot, that's who.  The gun looked real enough for me, an avid shooter, to do a double take.  In the heat of the moment I would have shot the kid too.  A rookie cop can't be blamed for doing EXACTLY what he was trained to do.  He didn't unload his magazine.  He fired two shots, reassessed, and radioed it in.  While the death of young Tamir is indeed sad, it was entirely preventable and I don't mean from the police side.  Had his parents concerned themselves with what toys their son was taking outside and had an in depth discussion on how to handle encounters with cops, their son would be playing outside today.  Just like the Eric Garner incident, the police did not know Tamir Rice.  They didn't know how old he was or what games he liked to play.  They responded to the scene of a potential crime with the worst case scenario in mind, because that mindset saves the lives of cops and civilians.

 
    Please America, stop letting the Al Sharptons and the Jesse Jacksons of the world trick you into thinking this is a racist/black targeting epidemic.  It isn't in the slightest.  This is just cops doing their jobs.  People died and that is sad, but it will be even sadder when the cops decide that their career and their livelihood aren't worth putting at risk to help you when you need it.  There will come a point when a white cop will see a black man committing a crime and will do NOTHING  about it because he doesn't want to be the next Darren Wilson or Daniel Pantaleo.  He will watch you get beaten, shot, mugged, robbed, or killed and he will keep driving because that is what America has told him to do.  Do your job the way we trained you and get punished for it.  That is the message we are sending to the police forces of Missouri, New York, and the rest of America.  Ask yourself this:  Are the beloved "Reverends", Farrakhan, or any of the other race baiters calling for blood going to come save you when you are the victim of a crime?  Will they be willing to kill the killer, if necessary, to ensure your safety; so you don't have to deal with the guilt and heaviness of taking a human life?  The answer is "NO".  They will stir up a hornets' nest, champion a "cause", spew rhetoric and incendiary remarks...and then they will go home.  They will go make speeches and attend fundraisers, but they won't truly be there for you.  The picture below is the "race relations" between white cops and black citizens they don't want to show you.  Wake up America.


-C.J. Johnston