The last half of this year has been more than a little eventful with the shooting of Michael Brown, 18, (August 9th), and what by most accounts appeared to be the choking related death of Eric Garner, 43, (July 17th), both by police officers. Those deaths have sparked numerous protests, many of which have been caustically panned by Police Unions and other Law Enforcement Organizations.
The fact that neither Brown nor Garner was
armed, yet the officer was not indicted by the respective Grand Jury in either
case, has led to concern among many African Americans, as well as other people of
good will and a sense justice. There is
an understandable sense that the system did not work to produce an appropriate
result for survivors of either Brown or Garner.
I will stipulate up front, as I have before,
police officers have a difficult job. I
cannot imagine any circumstances under which I would want the responsibility
they are charged with, each and every day.
Having said that, the simple truth is, I do not have that burden;
officers, however, do. It is therefore
their obligation to manage the duties, obligations, and responsibilities with
which they are charged, with a sense of care that will enable them to go home
unharmed at night. But I think, and I
hope, they with act in a way that also permits unarmed citizens to do the
same…or to be taken into custody alive, if custody is warranted.
The cases of Brown and Garner have been
elevated and parsed ad nauseum. Two
cases, which in my view are just as controversial, but which have received less
attention to date are those of John Crawford, 22, who was shot and killed in a
Beavercreek, OH Wal-Mart, August 5th, and Tamir Rice, 12, who was
shot to death in a Cleveland Park, November 22nd.
Both Crawford and Rice were shot after 911
callers reported they were wielding weapons.
That was true, in a manner of speaking, and up to a point. That is to say, there were carrying
facsimiles of weapons. However,
pertinent details were not communicated, or that were miscommunicated in each
instance.
For his part, a caller reported Mr. Crawford
was pointing his weapon at store patrons, and that at one point he was loading
the gun, which looked like an AR-15, with ammo.
However, when interviewed later, the patron, who incredibly enough was
allowed to view the Store’s Security Video, as he made his official statement,
amended version of events to reflect that Crawford did not ever raise the
weapon or point it at anyone. Ultimately,
of even grater importance was, he did not load the weapon with ammo because…it
was not actually an AR-15, but a BB Gun that he had picked up in the
store. Oops!
In the case of Tamir, a 12-year old, the caller
actually told the 911 receptionist that the gun looked as though it might be a
toy. This information was never relayed
to the responding officers, or so it is reported. This oversight or lapse proved to be
critical, as Tamir’s gun was a toy. In
both cases, the officers shot the victims within seconds of confronting them.
Edward Abbey, an American author, and essayist,
noted for his anarchist political views, is credited with a number of quotes,
including the meme, “If guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns.” If the Crawford and Rice cases are apt
barometers, Abbey’s meme will have to be expanded to include toy guns.
As a kid I grew up playing with toy pistols early
in life, only to have them taken away later, with the prescient warning that
guns are not toys. Undoubtedly, I
resented the advisory at the time, but as with so many other things, I have
come to see the limitless wisdom of my elders.
In a world where police, and even Neighborhood
Watch Captains, may use deadly force, without consequence, even when you have
no weapon at all, it certainly does not serve one’s best interest to have a toy
gun. While I am on record as supporting
placing reasonable limitations on access to guns, I am rapidly moving to the
point of view that every adult of sound mind should have a gun, a real one, and
the willingness/commitment to use it to protect him or herself against the
pending tyranny of someone who may wantonly employ deadly force against them,
and not even be held accountable for having done so.
“#NOSUCHTHING…ASATOYGUN!” I’m done; holla back!
Read my blog anytime by clicking
the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com. Find a new post each Wednesday.
To subscribe, click on Follow in the bottom right hand corner
of my Home Page at http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com; enter your e-mail
address in the designated space, and click
on “Sign me up.” Subsequent
editions of “Break It Down” will
be mailed to your in-box.
Consult
the links below for more detailed
information on a variety of aspects relating to this post:
http://thefreethoughtproject.com/breaking-video-finally-released-cops-shooting-man-toy-gun-wal-mart/
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/people-rally-at-ohio-walmart-where-cops-shot-man-holding-toy-rifle
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment