Over the past year there has been a lot of racial tension due to a number of police shootings of African Americans, and I have myself expressed some concern over the shootings and how I saw the issue. In all of this, I was clear that I felt that the African American community missed an opportunity to express outrage about a young 12 year old boy being shot in a park by two police officers.
To this day, and even now with the grand juries decision, I feel that this particular shooting is the one that African Americans should have been behind and demanding justice for. Yes, Black Lives Mater, and Yes, ALL Lives Mater, there is no doubt to it. The quick response to shoot and kill a child is to me disgusting and outrageous. I understand that police officers have to make quick decisions and are in fact trained for the worst possible outcome so that they may stay alive and hopefully save lives when needed. But this was not one of those moments!
For the police to have pulled up so close to the playground, and not to take an extra 30 seconds to question the child and to learn what was going on is inexcusable. He was only 12 for God's sake! If he was an older teenager or man, I can see more of a reason to respond quicker, but even then, with no reports of gun shots, and a child in the playground, there was a better then 50/50 chance it was only a child playing. That's how they should have responded. Once on the scene they should have kept a safe distance to determine what was happening instead of rushing in and making the wrong judgments.
It's not the fault so much of the officers involved as it is the society we live in. From the parents that allowed the toy gun to be played with, especially when the red cap was pulled off, to the community members in the park that had called the police, to the police department that trains its officers, and so many more reasons...the community as a whole failed here and a young child paid the price.
If the African American community across the country does not come out strong and loud against this senseless killing, then they should NEVER complain again about another life lost, especially if that person was trying to flee an arrest, or resisting an arrest. If they put themselves in a position to be arrested, then they should cooperate with the officers who are only doing their job.
Tamir Rice Live Maters!
To this day, and even now with the grand juries decision, I feel that this particular shooting is the one that African Americans should have been behind and demanding justice for. Yes, Black Lives Mater, and Yes, ALL Lives Mater, there is no doubt to it. The quick response to shoot and kill a child is to me disgusting and outrageous. I understand that police officers have to make quick decisions and are in fact trained for the worst possible outcome so that they may stay alive and hopefully save lives when needed. But this was not one of those moments!
For the police to have pulled up so close to the playground, and not to take an extra 30 seconds to question the child and to learn what was going on is inexcusable. He was only 12 for God's sake! If he was an older teenager or man, I can see more of a reason to respond quicker, but even then, with no reports of gun shots, and a child in the playground, there was a better then 50/50 chance it was only a child playing. That's how they should have responded. Once on the scene they should have kept a safe distance to determine what was happening instead of rushing in and making the wrong judgments.
It's not the fault so much of the officers involved as it is the society we live in. From the parents that allowed the toy gun to be played with, especially when the red cap was pulled off, to the community members in the park that had called the police, to the police department that trains its officers, and so many more reasons...the community as a whole failed here and a young child paid the price.
If the African American community across the country does not come out strong and loud against this senseless killing, then they should NEVER complain again about another life lost, especially if that person was trying to flee an arrest, or resisting an arrest. If they put themselves in a position to be arrested, then they should cooperate with the officers who are only doing their job.
Tamir Rice Live Maters!
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