When I first heard about Rodney King, I assumed he was a lowlife that was asking for it. When I heard about Micheal Brown last year, I have to admit that I thought pretty much the same thing. Now I’m not so sure.
The last few Cop shooting to hit the news have been flat out murders. In the case of Walter Scott, a black man shot in the back eight times by a white cop, the authorities actually decided to charge the bastard with murder. They should also charge all the cops in Cleveland that treated Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams like Bonnie and Clyde with murder. Anytime a police department fires hundreds of rounds should automatically be a criminal case. Common sense would say killing unarmed people is murder. Even if the people commiting the crime happen to be law enforcement.
Back in the day, I was a rent-a-cop and you made a bit more money if you carried a gun. So I went to a three day class where they taught us the basics of carrying a gun. We were taught one thing over and over again. If you shoot someone, say you were afraid for your life. That’s the Get Out Of Jail Free card. So I have found it amusing over the past few months how many people have recited these words like a mantra after they gun someone down without just cause.
At its root, the problem of cops killing citizens goes back to how we are training people in law enforcement.
If you draw your weapon, use it.
If you shoot, shoot to kill.
If anyone asks, say you were afraid for your life.
Not all cops are killers, but all cops are trained to be killers. So maybe we shouldn’t be so surprised that their first instinct is to shoot first and ask questions later.
