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If a person refuses to understand what it means to resist an order by police, any efforts to avoid another Ferguson are down the drain. If a young black man continues thinking he can go against being told what to do, then he risks his life. It's his choice whether he lives or dies. The police give an order which needs to be obeyed. That's all. Obey the law and there will be no problem. Don't be stupid. Don't be dead. The police are the ones in charge. They don't need to cater to you. That's not how it works.
i thought the whole purpose of police was to "serve and protect" the public??
In this particular city the police and emergency people are mostly white serving a mostly coloured populace. Is this a perfect storm for disaster when it comes to race relations?
I have a feeling that this is a typical setup in many cities which is almost a guaranteed recipe for another Ferguson shooting happening this hot Summer.
What can be done to avoid another racially charged shooting?
I don't think it has to be a perfect storm. I think police officers should always be active in their community in a positive way to help improve community relations, regardless of any racial differences. They can learn about the community, and the community can get to know them, and both sides won't see each other as 'other.'
And I don't think that we're waiting for another Ferguson - those have already happened with a lot of the police killings we've seen since Ferguson. There have been protests in many of those cities, too. I think Ferguson was the ignition point for feelings that have been simmering for a long time, and those feelings aren't going to go away until things get better.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rubi3
If a person refuses to understand what it means to resist an order by police, any efforts to avoid another Ferguson are down the drain. If a young black man continues thinking he can go against being told what to do, then he risks his life. It's his choice whether he lives or dies. The police give an order which needs to be obeyed. That's all. Obey the law and there will be no problem. Don't be stupid. Don't be dead. The police are the ones in charge. They don't need to cater to you. That's not how it works.
It does bother me that all of these high-profile cases had the suspect doing something - running, fighting, resisting, holding a weapon. None of these cases was the suspect just shot or killed randomly. (Well, except for taser/gun guy, but that's a different scenario).
That said, a person should be able to run from the police and not be shot in the back, as would be expected between a confrontation between two non-officers in the street. An unarmed person shouldn't be shot. In addition, it's worth contemplating that if any of these suspects had been white, would the officer had used deadly force? The use of "black thugs" in this thread indicates that there is subtle (and not so subtle) racism going on in this world still, and it's possible that a white police officer might be thinking "black thug" versus "angry white guy." Kill one, because he's worth less, but hold back on shooting the other because it's not justified.
The other day I traveled to visit family who live nearby a small city. This city is known to be pretty rough and tough. It is a small city but comes with big city problems. On the front page of the local newspaper was the latest shocker about a huge brawl that took place in a park. 3 people were stabbed and one died.
I studied the photographs and all the people standing around were either black or hispanic. A photo of 6 police people there were 5 white and one black. Another photo showed 7 first responders helping a black victim and they were all white male and females. There was one photo of a cop holding an assault rifle which seemed a bit heavy handed but then again in this day and age the police can never be too careful.
Question: is this scene typical of many cities large and small across America?
In this particular city the police and emergency people are mostly white serving a mostly coloured populace. Is this a perfect storm for disaster when it comes to race relations?
I have a feeling that this is a typical setup in many cities which is almost a guaranteed recipe for another Ferguson shooting happening this hot Summer.
What can be done to avoid another racially charged shooting?
If you don't break the law, and act like an ass, the cops will not shoot you...doesn't matter what color you are.
Some people don't seem to get that very simple rule, do they ? I've never been beaten by a cop, nor shot at, and it has nothing to do with my skin color. I just act civilized when stopped, show the cop I am complying, and I always go home that night.
I ain't rocket science, but some people seem to prefer to resist or run from the cops and then they complain when they get their butts whooped, or shot.
Well the first step would be to not attach a police officer and reach for his firearm. The second way would be to NOT listen to the media as they spin all sorts of fantastical narratives to incite anger and generate headlines. Don't listen to Al Sharpton as he lies and don't listen to scumbag "protestors" who do nothing productive but cause rioting and anarchy in the cities.
Another step to be taken is for police departments to rid themselves of cops who do genuinely abuse their authority. It's also time for society and politicians to change the way they view cops. Civilian/police relations would improve tenfold if we stopped making cops into glorified tax collectors. If we ended the "war" on drugs that would free a lot of law enforcement resources for other more productive things. DUI checkpoints, seatbelt laws, speeding tickets, etc. all aggravate the public and make police seem like the "Other" who is against us. The Nanny State has many downsides, worsened police and civilian relations is one of them.
The city I was talking about but didn't name is Brockton MA. Today someone in the Mass. section of City Data posted a FBI list of the most dangerous cities/towns in MAss. and guess what Brockton is #1.
It is a dangerous place but wasn't always like that.
I don't think it has to be a perfect storm. I think police officers should always be active in their community in a positive way to help improve community relations, regardless of any racial differences. They can learn about the community, and the community can get to know them, and both sides won't see each other as 'other.'
It does bother me that all of these high-profile cases had the suspect doing something - running, fighting, resisting, holding a weapon. None of these cases was the suspect just shot or killed randomly. (Well, except for taser/gun guy, but that's a different scenario).
That said, a person should be able to run from the police and not be shot in the back, as would be expected between a confrontation between two non-officers in the street. An unarmed person shouldn't be shot. In addition, it's worth contemplating that if any of these suspects had been white, would the officer had used deadly force? The use of "black thugs" in this thread indicates that there is subtle (and not so subtle) racism going on in this world still, and it's possible that a white police officer might be thinking "black thug" versus "angry white guy." Kill one, because he's worth less, but hold back on shooting the other because it's not justified.
You say some good things that I agree with but not stopping someone even by shooting them in the back could be a huge mistake. Look at what happened to Peter Parker AKA Spiderman, he didn't stop that criminal guy when he had the chance and his uncle was later killed by that same guy. Yes an odd analogy but imagine the flack that the entire police dept would take if they had stopped a criminal, didn't arrest them and later he killed some kids. Or if they just let the guy run away.
Every situation is different. I'm not saying that a guy should be shot for beating up a convenience store clerk but if he waved a gun around then tried to beat up a cop in an attempt to get away that guy needs to be stopped for the good of the public. If shots are not fired good but if that is the only way to stop him then so be it. The pieces can be picked up and sorted out later.
The Police are there to protect the law abiding citizen.
You say some good things that I agree with but not stopping someone even by shooting them in the back could be a huge mistake. Look at what happened to Peter Parker AKA Spiderman, he didn't stop that criminal guy when he had the chance and his uncle was later killed by that same guy. Yes an odd analogy but imagine the flack that the entire police dept would take if they had stopped a criminal, didn't arrest them and later he killed some kids. Or if they just let the guy run away.
Every situation is different. I'm not saying that a guy should be shot for beating up a convenience store clerk but if he waved a gun around then tried to beat up a cop in an attempt to get away that guy needs to be stopped for the good of the public. If shots are not fired good but if that is the only way to stop him then so be it. The pieces can be picked up and sorted out later.
The Police are there to protect the law abiding citizen.
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