Many people took to the streets following another indictment against yet another police officer, and a jury decision regarding the dismissal of charges against NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo. The media and disappointingly, even President Obama, shed the light towards the growing distrust of the black communities against police. What President Obama failed to shine the light is the growing wave of angst against police officers by the people, as a whole. The cases that have stunned the nation, such as Cleveland’s Tamir Rice case, Missouri’s Michael Brown Case and the NYC Eric Garner case, these cases are just a continuance of growing issues across the country.
The mainstream media will tell you this is a race issue. It’s not. It’s the people versus the government issue. The government eludes this factor to drive a stake between the people, but those smart enough equally elude that statement and demand more. **Warning, video excerpts are disturbing and contain footage of shootings, viewer discretion advised**
Michael Brown
As a society we know that Michael Brown was walking with a friend, when he was approached by police officer Darren Wilson. The events that triggered thereafter is conflicted severely. Even the autopsy reports reflect a clear issue - there has been two, and a third was ordered. Yet, Wilson was not found guilty but turned in his badge and resigned from the police force. One young man is dead and many are protesting because they want to know why. Aren’t police officers trained to handle situations against unarmed individuals?
Bryce Masters
Another teen in Missouri was in a medically induced coma following a police stop. He is on a slow path to recovery, suffering brain damage and is under intensive therapy measures. Bryce Masters was stopped after police ran the plates (why? no one knows, they just did), and discovered a warrant linked to a female drive. Bryce is male. Masters couldn’t roll down his window due to a malfunctioned system in the vehicle. Police called it resisting arrest and Bryce was tased, dragged from the car to a curb, where his head hit it. During this Bryce was convulsing and bleeding from the mouth. Per an eye witness the officer did nothing more than place his foot against the teen’s back.
Tamir Rice
Tamir Rice didn’t come from suburb living. He was living in Cleveland, doing what most young boys do, play with toy guns. He was just 12-years-old when a person called police and said Tamir was waving a gun around at a local park. There was no dashcam video to hear police yell commands, but there was grainy video released showing police raced within inches of Tamir, as oddly officer Tim Loehmann exited the car within, as mentioned, inches of Tamir and immediately fired his gun. Reportedly, the teen was reaching for his toy gun. Perhaps not only does Cleveland police need the Peace Officer Training required by many departments in that state, but they also need to understand how children react in cases of fear.
Oh, and as far as Loehmann? Check out this Cleveland.com story, where it shows the Independence Police Department Deputy Jim Polak left a letter of dismissal against him. He called Loehmann “distracted,” “weepy,” and mentioned his inability to fire a gun properly, and he could not follow directions.
Dillon Taylor
Back in August, a Salt Lake Police Officer responded to a call regarding an armed person. Dillon Taylor was walking with a friend, when Officer Bron Cruz approached him, demanding he put up his hands. Taylor was originally walking with his hands tucked into his waistband, he turned around when Cruz started screaming at him to get his hands out of his pants…interestingly enough when Dillon complied - Cruz shot him to death. Dillion did not have a weapon, he merely complied with police demands and was killed. In the video, the officer yells to see his hands, Dillon complies, then he is shot. Cruz was cleared of all wrong-doing.
Eric Garner
Eric Garner was the teddy bear of the neighborhood. He broke up a fight when the NYPD arrived at the scene. His friend has his phone camera rolling as officers accused Eric of selling individual cigarettes. Eric claimed he was tired of being messed with. Police then wanted to arrest him - this is where the massive confusion comes in, why? Eric demands the officers to know who he sold them to since they claim they “saw him” do it. One officer replies, some guy or a guy over there, but never clarifies. They try to arrest him, Eric never strikes police, isn’t armed and was taken down by officer Daniel Pantaleo. Soon, Eric suffered a heart attack as he begged officers he could not breathe. Eric died and his autopsy revealed there was a direct link from the choke hold performed by police. A choke hold that was banned by the NYPD back in the 90s when it killed another man.
These cases are just within the the past few months in 2014. It doesn’t include the various situations in years past, I honestly do not have the emotional fortitude to display that. There is a clear disruption of trust between the people and police. After each of these attacks, medical assistance was also delayed. Don’t let the mainstream media tell you this is a race issue - when the government is involved, this is a government overstepping issue against the very public that pays them to be in their positions.
Police do not have a Constitutional obligation to protect the people. Stop thinking they do. For those good police officers, I would recommend to expose dirty cops and politics. To gain the respect back to the uniform, it will require a massive uprise, either from within or it will happen on the streets. People are tired of being scared to leave their homes. They are tired of badges suddenly representing a complete strip of their rights. The minute an officer shoots/attacks, etc. a citizen illegally, they are no longer a cop- they are an aggressor.
Your opinions may differ, I get that - I can almost respect it, but I cannot sit here idly while these cases continue to grow. There is a distinct issue and until an open conversation is initiated, it will only get worse.
Carmen A. Santos