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The shooting of Congressman Steve Scalise and three others this past week during a practice for a charity baseball game left all of us stunned. The attack struck at the heart of our government and magnified the division politically in this country.
The immediate calls for unity and the end to hurtful rhetoric came from almost all parts of society. Government officials and pundits asking for calmness and more understanding. Seeing one of their own shot down was an incredibly jarring experience for them. It was also jarring for the rest of us, the anger we may have with the current state of affairs was shoved aside due to the unbelievable act of violence on a baseball field.
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All that we believe America is, just doesn’t match to this sort of thing. We are supposed to handle political differences in a much more civil way, we just don’t open fire on our elected officials. Sure there are those looking to lay blame somewhere, and those who may have even been ok with what happened. But the heart of America was totally disgusted with this event.
On July 6th of last year, there was another shooting that caught the attention of the nation. Philando Castile, an employee of the St Paul Minnesota Public School District, was shot seven times as he sat in his car with his girlfriend and her four-year-old daughter. The aftermath of that shooting was broadcast on Facebook live, the terror and agony of the event in plain view for all to see.
James Hodgkinson, the man who shot Rep. Scalise, was gunned downed by Capital Hill Police and died. A violent end to someone who brought unjustified violence on others. Nobody is shedding any tears over his death and most would agree he got what he deserved.
Philando Castile’s killer had a much different experience, as this week he was acquitted of all charges. Police Officer Jeronimo Yanez walked out of court a free man. After Castile told the officer that he had a weapon and a permit he reached for his wallet and Yanez emptied seven rounds into his body killing him.
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When I first saw the video last year and heard the accounts of what happened I thought that the officer would absolutely be convicted. Most in the black community, however, knew the odds of that were slim. They’ve seen and experienced this same situation over and over again. Even when there is video, clear evidence, and witnesses they don’t expect justice. That’s the goddamn shame of all this, that entire segments of our population can’t and don’t anticipate ever receiving fair and equal justice.
I will be accused of “white guilt” or hit with thousands of excuses and justifications for blacks being killed at a rate of 2.5 times that of whites. Apologists will remind me of what a stressful job law enforcement is, and others will want to tell me about the victim’s prior run-ins with Police. The problem is none of that matters at the moment in time when someone’s life is snuffed out over a broken taillight.
I live in the suburbs, my kids have blonde hair and blue eyes, I haven’t been pulled over by the police in 15 years. I don’t get nervous when I see police lights or pass an officer in the mall. Because I’ve never been singled out because of my race. I’ve never had to explain what I was doing when I was simply walking down the street. I’ve never had to justify my existence to anyone because of the color of my skin.
There are a lot of great police officers, I have friends who are cops, I have family that is in law enforcement but I am also truly beginning to see the other side. I can’t watch these videos and read the reports and ignore what is happening, and what has been happening all along. My reaction to unprovoked violence is the same no matter who the victim is. Justifying any of it is wrong, no matter if the victim is a Congressman or a black man from Minnesota.
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It’s one thing to say, “we need to look at ourselves in the mirror.” That means we haven’t recognized the problem yet, and we don’t understand the severity of the issue. It means we have to search ourselves to find the solutions. It means there is something within us that wants to change.
It’s another thing, and unfortunately I believe this to be the case, as a nation to realize that we have already looked at ourselves in the mirror. We have already seen the problem, we know what it is and where it comes from. We know all of this, and we just don’t give a shit.
What you don’t know, or choose to ignore, is that the officer was scared to death. Castile ignored every order from the officer. Then reached behind him. Do you have any idea how long it takes for a suspect to pull and fire? And the response from the officer is about a half second more. Who wins here jw? And when he ignored the officers demands, I could care less his race, his family on the car whatever. This was a case of a chip on a shoulder by castile. I wish I could tell you more, but man your… Read more »
Sorry, jw, you’re wrong. I live here. I know the players, I know more about this case than you possibly can. You see the surface. The prosecution charged the officer. That may have been fair or not. Based on what I know, it actually was reverse racism. The fact remains, a jury, the cornerstone of our civilization, acquitted him, because the prosecution didn’t prove its case. Simple as that. So before you write articles of this type, stop, get to the bottom of it as much as you can. Which sitting out there in social justice ether land you simply… Read more »
It should not matter what colour someone is, it should be what they are doing that the police react to. Living in the UK I thought we were getting better but talking to friends it is still obvious we are a long way from where we NEED to get to. This weekend we have had a celebration in memory of the murdered politician Jo Cox who worked with the mantra “We have more in common than divides us” It is shocking that this weekend we have had another terrorist attack on people trying to help someone collapsed in the street.… Read more »
The fact is that for many While people, Black lives do not matter. Rather, Black people and thief bodies are seen as inhuman and unworthy of any sort of human dignity. We are seen as amimals.
Absolutely not true. I’m seriously offended by that. You want to believe that, I can’t dissuade you. But you are so wrong, and in itself, so racist, that I’m appalled. I have no idea how this stands the test of anywhere near a Good Man.