The Shooting Gallery: Police Violence MEGATHREAD

[grumbler]

I'm actually with meri on this. In recent weeks we've had a black jogger shot by vigilante wannabes, a black EMT shot when her boyfriend opened fire on intruders into their home (turned out they were cops at the wrong address), and a black guy was killed over a fake $20 bill.

Protesting hasn't done anything in the past, kneeling during the national anthem brought a major backlash, and honestly, I don't see what the community can do to make themselves heard. Going the political route, getting involved in local politics, or elected to state and federal legislative bodies is a slow process that's important but is difficult to find the patience for when these cases occur several times a year with broad media coverage and who knows how many that are barely a blip in the national news circus.

I'm sure there's many good cops out there who are appalled by their colleagues' behavior, and many police districts that are working honestly to make sure those cases don't happen on their watch, but it just takes a few incidents to drag everything down again.

Having a president that appears to encourage some of the worst elements doesn't exactly help, and neither does the whole pandemic/economic crisis situation.

Burning down the livelihoods of innocent people hasn't done anything, either.  Meri isn't the first fanatic and won't be the last.  MLK Jr accomplished more with non-violence than the KKK did with violence.

[garbon]

I'm actually with meri on this. In recent weeks we've had a black jogger shot by vigilante wannabes, a black EMT shot when her boyfriend opened fire on intruders into their home (turned out they were cops at the wrong address), and a black guy was killed over a fake $20 bill.

Protesting hasn't done anything in the past, kneeling during the national anthem brought a major backlash, and honestly, I don't see what the community can do to make themselves heard. Going the political route, getting involved in local politics, or elected to state and federal legislative bodies is a slow process that's important but is difficult to find the patience for when these cases occur several times a year with broad media coverage and who knows how many that are barely a blip in the national news circus.

I'm sure there's many good cops out there who are appalled by their colleagues' behavior, and many police districts that are working honestly to make sure those cases don't happen on their watch, but it just takes a few incidents to drag everything down again.

Having a president that appears to encourage some of the worst elements doesn't exactly help, and neither does the whole pandemic/economic crisis situation.

Burning down the livelihoods of innocent people hasn't done anything, either.  Meri isn't the first fanatic and won't be the last.  MLK Jr accomplished more with non-violence than the KKK did with violence.

He also said this: "If his repressed emotions are not released in nonviolent ways, they will seek expression through violence; this is not a threat but a fact of history."

Which while I agree he wouldn't agree with the violence, surely he'd understand that many feel as though they don't have ways to express those emotions in nonviolent ways.

[garbon]

Barack:

[Maximus]

Didn't your mom ever teach you two wrongs don't make a right?

Two wrongs often do make a right. An act that is wrong by itself is often considered right in the context of stopping an act that is even more wrong.

[garbon]

And the former police officer has been arrested.

[Valmy]

Barack:

Damn. It is hard to believe that is the way the President used to respond to things instead of ragey tweets.

[fromtia]

What happened to George Floyd was really horrifying, a grotesque injustice, certainly a terrible crime.Rioting and destroying stores and so on is also a terrible thing to do and while I understand peoples frustration, rage, anger it cannot be condoned. It's easy enough to figure this out. It seems really easy to figure out that what was done to George Floyd was really really wrong and that it's further evidence that there's a strong case for police reform and criminal justice reform in the United States.

Conservative neckbeards: can you condemn George Floyds treatment as quickly and energetically as you condemn rioting and looting or is it too hard until you have had more time to ruminate?

[Habbaku]

Are there any conservative neckbeards here to respond, or are you just addressing the empty chair?

[derspiess]

I can and I do.

[Habbaku]

You're not supposed to self-identify as a conservative neckbeard!

[derspiess]

It's my role here :whattyagonnado:

[Valmy]

It's my role here :whattyagonnado:

And I just want to express my appreciation of you continuing to do so after all this time.

[Barrister]

What happened to George Floyd was really horrifying, a grotesque injustice, certainly a terrible crime.Rioting and destroying stores and so on is also a terrible thing to do and while I understand peoples frustration, rage, anger it cannot be condoned. It's easy enough to figure this out. It seems really easy to figure out that what was done to George Floyd was really really wrong and that it's further evidence that there's a strong case for police reform and criminal justice reform in the United States.

Conservative neckbeards: can you condemn George Floyds treatment as quickly and energetically as you condemn rioting and looting or is it too hard until you have had more time to ruminate?

I'm a conservative (and a Conservative too - I just re-upped my membership), don't know about neckbeard, and absolutely I condemn Floyd's killing.

I often have some sympathy for police in shooting cases, where an officer is making a split-second decision.  But that's so obviously not the case here.

[Habbaku]

I don't know, I'd say it's still a split-second decision, just one that he continued to make each split-second for at least 420 seconds.

[Sheilbh]

And as ever with stuff like this, arresting the journalist etc, I always think - if they're willing to do this when they know cameras are on, what are they like when they're off.