police in this country have gradually become more militarized... and more violent... i dont' think it will end well, unless there's some sort of paradigm shift in human nature...
@ Mudpuddle: They certainly seem to be from the images I see on my TV. Oddly I have a book on that very subject - but about British policing - coming up for review shortly.
It is a scary, this entrenched belief that black men are to be feared. I am an educator and my student population is comprised of 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders, primarily African-American. They are all diagnosed with a behavior disorder/emotional disturbance, usually accompanied by a learning disability or something. I am so scared for my babies, some who I have known since kindergarten, being looked at as dangerous just for walking down the street. My paraprofessionals and I spent so long drilling it into our kids' heads that if an officer asks you to do something, just do it. Keep your mouth shut, don't get rude, sit down, hands up, whatever they ask. Then the case of Philando Castile occurred in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he was shot in his car while getting his license - after informing the officer he had a gun and a permit to carry it. The office gave conflicting directions, telling him to get his license but also put his hands on the steering wheel. He was shot with his girlfriend and her daughter in the car. My heart breaks over and over again. This does not mean all officers are bad, but in these examples, he officers lacked appropriate training, or did not use the training they had in these specific situations.
4 comments:
depressing
police in this country have gradually become more militarized... and more violent... i dont' think it will end well, unless there's some sort of paradigm shift in human nature...
@ Fred: Yes it is.
@ Mudpuddle: They certainly seem to be from the images I see on my TV. Oddly I have a book on that very subject - but about British policing - coming up for review shortly.
It is a scary, this entrenched belief that black men are to be feared. I am an educator and my student population is comprised of 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders, primarily African-American. They are all diagnosed with a behavior disorder/emotional disturbance, usually accompanied by a learning disability or something. I am so scared for my babies, some who I have known since kindergarten, being looked at as dangerous just for walking down the street. My paraprofessionals and I spent so long drilling it into our kids' heads that if an officer asks you to do something, just do it. Keep your mouth shut, don't get rude, sit down, hands up, whatever they ask. Then the case of Philando Castile occurred in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he was shot in his car while getting his license - after informing the officer he had a gun and a permit to carry it. The office gave conflicting directions, telling him to get his license but also put his hands on the steering wheel. He was shot with his girlfriend and her daughter in the car. My heart breaks over and over again. This does not mean all officers are bad, but in these examples, he officers lacked appropriate training, or did not use the training they had in these specific situations.
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