Another unarmed black man has been gunned down. I've lost count of how many have died within the last few years. If you run, then you get shot. If you fight, then you get shot. If you comply, then you get shot.
What does it take to not get shot other than being white?
And don't feed me that garbage about "he looked threatening" or "he was a bad guy". Or my favorite: "we don't know what he did prior to getting shot". Uh, did he pull a weapon and attempt to use it on a cop/civilian? Because that's the only reason he should be shot dead.
I can name some very high profile examples of non-blacks who actually had weapons who went to jail instead of the morgue. One even got taken to Burger King for a meal after killing multiple black people in a church.
The only way to stop these senseless killings is for:
1) Police to admit that they have a problem with their perception of black men in society. Acknowledging that black men scare you will get the ball rolling on how to fix it. Yes, there are some intimidating brothas out there, but if you're scared, then don't be a cop. That's not the right job for you. Walmart is hiring.
2) Police need to start going to jail when they kill unarmed black men. "Oh, I didn't know he was unarmed." Well, too bad because you're still going to get this jail time for involuntary manslaughter if nothing else. There has to be a consequence to the action. Paid administrative leave is not a deterrent to shooting someone. In most cases, these shootings appear to be cold-blooded murders and should be treated as hate crimes.
3) Police need to stop training their officers to shoot to kill. This within itself doesn't make a lot of sense to me. If soldiers overseas have certain protocols that require shooting to kill to be a last resort, then why is it normally the first choice here in the states against our own citizens? In the latest incident with Terence Crutcher, the cops were close enough to easily shoot Crutcher in the leg if necessary. But, that's not what cops do. They shoot to kill. It has to stop.
4) Police need to do their jobs! If your job is to put away criminals, then do so. Even those criminals are within your police force. Stop turning a blind eye to your "brother in blue" while families are losing loved ones on the regular. How can you continue to put on a badge every morning that is simply seen as a piece of tin by black communities instead of something that represents integrity? Show that you're to be trusted by doing the right thing!
It's a shame that I'm 44 years old and I'm terrified to see blue lights while traveling. The same feeling my dad had in the 50's and 60's whenever he drove some where. Even if you're polite and accommodating, there is no guarantee that you won't be a target over a "misinterpretation". Imagine an agitated black youth who may not make the effort to be polite or accommodating. How do you think his day is going to end up?
Colin Kaepernick is never going to get off the ground at the rate we're going. I hope that he brought knee pads. SMH.
