When the smoke clears and the protests end in Ferguson, Missouri we as a nation must sit down and have a serious discussion about the fact that somewhere in this country, every single day, there is a Michael Brown. Somewhere in this country, ever single day someone who did not need to, dies at the hands of the police. It is estimated (and this is only an estimate because law enforcement agencies are not required to report the number of Americans they murder) that somewhere between 400 and 500 innocent Americans are killed by law enforcement officers every year. This means that the average citizen is exponentially more likely, since 9/11, to be killed by the police than by a terrorist. Put another way, more innocent Americans have been killed by the police since 9/11, than American soldiers have been killed on the battlefield in Iraq. In a country which claims to believe in such things as innocent until proven guilty and the rule of law this is unacceptable. And in the vast majority of these cases, the officer who pulls the trigger and kills the innocent (just like in Ferguson) faces no legal consequences for his actions. The department will likely face civil action, and will likely pay to settle a lawsuit, while maintaining that the officer in question did nothing wrong in the vast majority of cases. Sadly this seems to be just a cost of doing business, of no more consequence than the cost of buying new uniforms, or replacing outdated equipment. But the officer himself will likely never face any real consequences. This is just the sad reality of policing in the United States for too many Americans. Innocent Americans die, and the officers who kill them get to carry on with their lives as if nothing happened. If you doubt me on this, I would suggest that you visit YouTube, and search the term police brutality. Keep in mind while you watch those videos that the vast majority of the officers involved in what is shown still have their jobs today. Most will have been found to have acted within departmental guidelines, or in accordance with their training. Just like Officer Wilson. As it was then, it still is today. I predicted all the way back in August (and Pam Simons can back me up on this) that there would be no charges brought against Officer Wilson. I predicted then that the grand jury would ultimately refuse to indict Officer Wilson on any charge. I knew this, and the police know it too. The police know they can abuse, and even kill Americans without fear, or consequence. And therefore I believe this knowledge makes them more willing to use excessive, and even deadly force. One study found that out of nearly 10,000 complaints alleging police brutality in Chicago, only 19 resulted in serious disciplinary action. By some estimates, less than 10 percent of all police brutality allegations are even investigated at all. The end result is that the police know there will be no consequences. As it was then, it still is today. Dont mistake me for being anti-police, because I am not. I am for the vast majority of officers who do their jobs with honor and integrity. I am for the vast majority of officers who take seriously their oaths to serve and protect. I am not anti-police. What I am is anti bad police who kill innocent people and face no consequences for their actions. I am anti innocent people dying at the hands of the police who are supposed to be there to protect them. And I am anti the few rogue officers who give the rest a bad name. And I am anti police departments who keep killers on their payroll. None of those things make me anti-police. Every time an Officer Wilson gets away with killing a Michael Brown, every other officer suffers. Every time an Officer Wilson gets away with murder, the job of every other officer in this country becomes that much more difficult, because trust becomes a much scarcer commodity. And every time a Michael Brown dies needlessly, and an Officer Wilson gets away with killing him, it becomes harder and harder not to fear every other officer with whom we have contact. It does not have to be this way. The vast majority of police officers deserve our support and our respect. They have a difficult, thankless job under the best of circumstances. But every time an Officer Wilson gets away with killing a Michael Brown, respect gives way to fear. And then fear gives way to anger. And anger gives way to what we saw in Ferguson. And then, tomorrow, when another innocent dies at the hands of law enforcement, the cycle begins anew. This is wrong, and it must stop. And it can stop. The senseless slaughter of innocent Americans at the hands of law enforcement must stop. We must stop it. We must stop accepting I was just doing my job as an excuse for murder. That excuse, I thought, went out of favor forever at Nuremberg. This is wrong, and it must stop. We must stop it. We all must stop it. Because in a nation where the police can kill without consequences, we are all Michael Brown. We must stop it. Because in a nation where officers know they can kill without consequences, we are all Marvin Booker. We must stop it. Because we are all Johnathon Ferrel, Oscar Grant, and Keith Vidal. We must stop it. Because if one of us can be killed with impunity, then we can all be killed. We must stop it. Because if we do not then it is only a matter of time before the next Michael Brown is killed, and the next Ferguson, Missouri burns.
Posted on: Wed, 26 Nov 2014 20:22:32 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015