From the steady rash of killings by police, it is pretty clear that policing in the US is attracting some predators.
If we had listened and believed the people who have been saying for years that there was a problem with police violence in their communities, before body cams actually proved them right, we would not have so many of these guys in the ranks right now. They are destroying the public trust. We have to believe our own eyes now with these weekly murder videos.
If we had listened and believed the people who have been saying for years that there was a problem with police violence in their communities, before body cams actually proved them right, we would not have so many of these guys in the ranks right now. They are destroying the public trust. We have to believe our own eyes now with these weekly murder videos.
26
I continue to be shocked and horrified by the seemingly incessant parade of these horrible incidents and am pessimistic that anything will change. Further, my own experience shows how different such interactions are when a while male in his 40's encounters the police. A couple of years ago, as I was rushing to make an appointment, I leaned on my horn when the car in front of me seemed to be intentionally going slow. The car stopped and as the four occupants streamed out, I realized that it was an unmarked police car. The first officer asked me why I had honked, and I told him I thought he was intentionally slowing down to impede my progress. HIs response was that I was speeding. I corrected him and pointed to the speed limit sign that was right behind him. Rather than escalating the situation, the officers got back in their car and drove away. I cannot imagine what could have happened if I were Freddie Gray ...
17
In 18 million traffic stops last year, 3 cops were shot and killed. Cops have more of a chance of getting struck by lightning than being murdered during a traffic stop.
A gun and a badge doesn't give you unlimited power, and we should stop granting it.
A gun and a badge doesn't give you unlimited power, and we should stop granting it.
28
Back in the 60s, our counter culture euphemism for the the police was "The Pigs". Even then, police were feared and avoided. In this age of cell phone videos and police car and officer worn cams, the true thug mentality and actions of many police departments are finally being seen in the public eye. It is about time these above-the-law thugs are being scrutinized AND PUNISHED. The racism and widespread bigotry on the part of our "peace officers"so often witnessed these days is finally waking America up to this subhuman behavior. I say give these cowardly murderers the death penalty and not waste taxpayer dollars on housing them in institutions that will never change their basic natures.
23
"Cameras won't change basic character." That is true for both police and citizens. Obviously, this policeman's behavior was egregious, and he was justifiably indicted. But why did Mr. Dubose not have a license plate on the front of his car? Did he indeed have a driver's license? What was he doing with the bottle of gin? And why did he try to take off? I am white and grew up in the city. We were wary of the police, too, but we were told never to hassle one of them if we were stopped, because the cop has a badge, a gun, and the power to arrest.
3
Arrest: YES Murder: NO
27
The alteration and exchange of license plates is a criminal enterprise of deception which when observed by a trained officer often leads to apprehension of felons operating our vehicles while in possession of drugs and our weapons.
2
Nonsense and you well know that was not the case here, nor does it in any universe justify a University cop murdering a civilian
32
A close examination must be made of police training. For lethal force to be used so uniformly across the country when lesser force or other altercation-diffusing tactics would be warranted seems to me to indicate that police training manuals (or whatever is used) advocate use of lethal force as a justified first resort. Among my friends we ask, why could not the officer have shot Michael Brown in the foot, if he really needed to shoot? Why not shoot out Samuel Dubose's tire, if the officer was really worried about being run over? (Of course, we know now that he wasn't.) Why was a white officer in recent body-camera video commended uniformly by the local press for not killing a man who staggered toward him, as if the only alternative the officer had was to shoot to kill? Of course he shouldn't have killed him. Things are seriously wrong in what the police perceive is justified and that has to change immediately with comprehensive re-training.
9
The majority of blacks I know including myself have a lot of respect for the good police officer. In fact there is nothing I like to see better than a decent officer when I am threatened or someone around me is acting violently or presents a real threat to the community. However that being said, it's time for these good officers to stand up for justice and expose the psychopaths and sociopaths in their midst. To be a good officer takes a special type of person and not everyone has those skills or the temperament to make it as a police officer.
28
"What kind of person takes another person’s life so cavalierly? How little must an officer think of the person at the other end of the barrel to shoot him in the head when, per the video, there appears to be no threat?"
That is what comes to my mind each time another one of these incidents happen -- what in the world is going through their minds as they shoot a person merely out of frustration? How heartless can they be? How can they value human life so little that they can take it so quickly and, apparently, without remorse? When can we get a police force that values the lives of the citizens it purports to protect, over their own petty sense of authority?
That is what comes to my mind each time another one of these incidents happen -- what in the world is going through their minds as they shoot a person merely out of frustration? How heartless can they be? How can they value human life so little that they can take it so quickly and, apparently, without remorse? When can we get a police force that values the lives of the citizens it purports to protect, over their own petty sense of authority?
17
"How little must an officer think of the person at the other end of the barrel to shoot him in the head when, per the video, there appears to be no threat?"
But yet, the officer felt a threat, for this was no accident.
But what *was* the threat?
I fear what needs to be driven home among our police is the emphatic point, that threats to their authority do not equate to threats to the public. Unless and until this distinction is driven home, these killings will continue.
Because that was the triggering threat, in this and so many of the other cases. A threat to your authority does not constitute a threat to your person, officers. Deal with it, or rapidly lose what faith and respect we have left in you.
But yet, the officer felt a threat, for this was no accident.
But what *was* the threat?
I fear what needs to be driven home among our police is the emphatic point, that threats to their authority do not equate to threats to the public. Unless and until this distinction is driven home, these killings will continue.
Because that was the triggering threat, in this and so many of the other cases. A threat to your authority does not constitute a threat to your person, officers. Deal with it, or rapidly lose what faith and respect we have left in you.
25
To any federal, state, or local legislators who had reservations about police body cams, this incident should resolve all lingering doubts. Police body cams, the kind with long-term batteries that allow the cam to be on throughout the officer’s tour of duty, must become mandatory universally. They provide the only shred of independent evidence supporting (or not) the officer’s account of lethal or other contentious incidents. Even the Cincinnati Chief of Police acknowledged that, despite the many questions that would certainly have arisen in this case, the officer’s self-serving account would “probably” have been accepted, absent the body cam evidence.
This rent-a-cop was way out of his league in this incident. It remains to be seen whether his behavior reflected grossly inadequate training, massive incompetence and incredibly bad judgment (the best case) or something more premeditated and malicious. Either way, the case raises many questions about the training and vetting of anyone who is allowed to carry a gun, not just for university and business security forces but also (and especially) for untrained, unsupervised, unaccountable private citizens with concealed carry permits. Handguns kill; it’s their purpose.
This rent-a-cop was way out of his league in this incident. It remains to be seen whether his behavior reflected grossly inadequate training, massive incompetence and incredibly bad judgment (the best case) or something more premeditated and malicious. Either way, the case raises many questions about the training and vetting of anyone who is allowed to carry a gun, not just for university and business security forces but also (and especially) for untrained, unsupervised, unaccountable private citizens with concealed carry permits. Handguns kill; it’s their purpose.
15
So sad on so many levels. The crime of Driving While Black in this country is very real in the eyes of far too many over zealous white policeman who feel so threatened by people of color that they all too often resort to lethal force for no reason. We can debate it, we can talk about it, we can write about it -- but without an action plan nothing has been or will be done about it.
14
As much as I admire Martin Luther King, he was wrong on this score. The law cannot keep one person from lynching another. It can be used to punish a murderer, but it can't stop a murder.
5
PLEASE NOTE: The Colonel is a professional Op-Ed columnist for the Sunday "Guardian"
This very excellent column by Charles Blow puts the spotlight on the problem with police conduct.
Police have long been immune from oversight for killing blacks. That's because of the police operating as a family. A father, an uncle, a cousin - they are all policemen, members of "the department."
You have heard of "The blue code of silence." It could not exist without the police being a close knit family. A family that excludes blacks when it can.
No politician is willing to take on the police and change them. So the police abusive practices go on for centuries. Charles Blow is right about this.
But it looks like things are finally looking up for blacks - because they got active and went into the streets and set fires and looted white stores. That is the type of conduct that is reprehensible to whites. But that is the type of conduct that brings results. - The Colonel
This very excellent column by Charles Blow puts the spotlight on the problem with police conduct.
Police have long been immune from oversight for killing blacks. That's because of the police operating as a family. A father, an uncle, a cousin - they are all policemen, members of "the department."
You have heard of "The blue code of silence." It could not exist without the police being a close knit family. A family that excludes blacks when it can.
No politician is willing to take on the police and change them. So the police abusive practices go on for centuries. Charles Blow is right about this.
But it looks like things are finally looking up for blacks - because they got active and went into the streets and set fires and looted white stores. That is the type of conduct that is reprehensible to whites. But that is the type of conduct that brings results. - The Colonel
14
Up to now, I have enjoyed reading the Guardian; But the preface to your pablum makes clear that, to make the claim to be a Guardian Op-Ed columnist, you obviously consider yourself a legend in your own mind.
There is nothing more boring than having to read about the irrelevant credentials of a blogger, as if that should be an automatic prerequisite for everyone to genuflect in the presence of your drivel.
There is nothing more boring than having to read about the irrelevant credentials of a blogger, as if that should be an automatic prerequisite for everyone to genuflect in the presence of your drivel.
7
Sarah Bland, Samuel DuBose, Eric Garner, Newtown, shootings in movie theaters, .......
Mr. Blow speaks of a structural problem and he's right. But we have multiple structural problems, another being our utter stupidity with guns, another being drunk driving, another being profligate energy waste in the face of going over a cliff with the climate, and despite overwhelming evidence, we don't fix them. Instead, we elect the Congress we have, motto: "If it's smart and makes sense, we won't do it".
Mr. Blow speaks of a structural problem and he's right. But we have multiple structural problems, another being our utter stupidity with guns, another being drunk driving, another being profligate energy waste in the face of going over a cliff with the climate, and despite overwhelming evidence, we don't fix them. Instead, we elect the Congress we have, motto: "If it's smart and makes sense, we won't do it".
8
Perhaps it's time to pay a lot more attention to who gets hired as a member of a police force.
16
This underscores the need for a complete and drastic overhaul of the entire process by which police officers are selected for the services that they perform. Too many of them appear to be over-bearing control freaks that enjoy exerting power over citizens both black and white, although in most cases mainly black. Community service and respect for the individual and his/her rights -- regardless of race-- must be essential components in the selection process. Perhaps having police out "walking the beat" with nothing but their night stick might be a good first step in that direction. They need to know the comminity that they serve on a first hand basis.
9
It looks to me as though cops are killing unarmed Black men at the rate of at least 3 a week. Why aren't there psychological tests to indicate whether or not a person is a sociopath, that is, someone who doesn't value human life, because he (or she) can't really feel empathy for others. There's a racial element too in the killing of Black men by white cops. It's hard to say to what extent the racial element consists of hatred of people of another race and to what extent these cops feel that they are more likely to get away with killing back people than they are with killing white people, with whom the behavior of these sociopathic cops is usually demeaning, but not lethal.
14
The video at the wkyc link is damning. Its not at all clear why the officer had to shoot this guy or even pull his gun. A trial is warranted.
12
This act as shown in the video is horrific and should put the officer in jail for life. (I'm against the death penalty, like most civilized nations are)
I am sure though that what we saw inflamed our black community and at least the civilized part of the white community. I am sure though that very decent police officers are plenty and behave in a very civilized manner that one can be proud of no matter who you are. I wish the news can put good stories out there backed up with videos to prove that superb character is out there and that what we see is the worst of human behavior out there.
I am sure though that what we saw inflamed our black community and at least the civilized part of the white community. I am sure though that very decent police officers are plenty and behave in a very civilized manner that one can be proud of no matter who you are. I wish the news can put good stories out there backed up with videos to prove that superb character is out there and that what we see is the worst of human behavior out there.
3
It's clear that we need a "federal" policy change regarding policing in the United States. .The justice department has to step in and take charge of the situation that despite the public scrutiny and body cams cops are still blasting brothers left and right without any repercussions. The first thing is we cannot allow these police departments across the country to investigate and prosecute it's own officers after a sjooting..The justice department needs to set up a national independent grand jury process to investigate "all" police shootings...for starters. .
10
Please everybody, read 2 books:
Ta-Nehisi Coates - Between the World & Me
Radley Balko - The Rise of the Warrior Cop
Ta-Nehisi Coates - Between the World & Me
Radley Balko - The Rise of the Warrior Cop
11
This is not another example of overreaction by police. The news reports that In virtually every instance claiming self-defense, the cameras make clear, whether the civilian has been moved out of dash cam coverage or witnessed by the officer's or a witness's personal cam, that we are finally witnessing what we suspected was true all along; That is a rank, banal, and murderous bigotry within the ranks of these police officers, so called.
16
White males are loaded with anger and hatred. White police males are also loaded with arrogance and guns. A very explosive entity that needs to be tamed.
Conservative radios need to be banned along with guns.
Conservative radios need to be banned along with guns.
13
Nick please -- your post is so out of bounds and ridiculous. White males are loaded with anger and hatred --- really? Hatred of what? Do you mean racial hatred? Really -- you don't have any proof for that. It may fit your world view but there is little evidence for that -- in fact, if you look at murder rates by race, who do you think is loaded with hate?
And conservative RADIOS should be banned? Didn't know radios were political but I presume you meant conservative radio, i.e. anything that doesn't agree with your world view? But what about free speech Nick?
And guns? Nice idea but you figure out how to do it and let us know.
And conservative RADIOS should be banned? Didn't know radios were political but I presume you meant conservative radio, i.e. anything that doesn't agree with your world view? But what about free speech Nick?
And guns? Nice idea but you figure out how to do it and let us know.
2
Dear Mr. Blow,
Thank you, you have expressed the cry from the heart that I feel in me too:
"There simply must be more protections for citizens in these cases. There must be!
This environment of death and distrust is a threat to the fabric of society and to democracy itself."
Thank you, you have expressed the cry from the heart that I feel in me too:
"There simply must be more protections for citizens in these cases. There must be!
This environment of death and distrust is a threat to the fabric of society and to democracy itself."
10
This officer had a deep problem with his self-esteem. Has anyone traced his past?
3
The video does not prove that what the officer said happen did not happen, as Mr. Blow asserts. As Richard Perez-Perna of the New York Times reported, the video shows that "DuBoise pulls the door closed again and restarts his car. What happens next is a flurry of blurred movements: The officer steps to the left; the car's engine can be heard reving; and the officer reaches into the car with his left hand, yells 'stop' twice, draws his gun, fires with his right hand and appears to fall backward." The video shows that far a moment the chest-mounted body cam is pointed straight up. You can see clouds directly overhead. It's possible the officer lost he footing because he was being dragged. The officer's lawyers says there is another video taken from a different angle that shows he officer was dragged. One officer says he saw Officer Tensing being dragged while a second said the back of Tensing's uniform looks as it had been dragged over a rough surface. People should wait for the second video to be released before declaring the officer guilty.
7
A voice of reason. Nah, it's a lot more fun for everyone to call police racist, call for training blah blah, and to assume because the cop was white and the victim Black that it had to be murder. And if you want people to wait for a trial or additional evidence, that would spoil their sense of self-righteous indignation.
As for CB, he wouldn't have much of a job if he couldn't try cops in print. Of course, so far he's been shown to be wrong in just about every case, but hey, who cares. Bashing cops is fun.
As for CB, he wouldn't have much of a job if he couldn't try cops in print. Of course, so far he's been shown to be wrong in just about every case, but hey, who cares. Bashing cops is fun.
As a retired NYC Police sergeant, it seems that in these white officer on black (Suspects? Perpetrators? Victims?) situations, the officers appear to be overly sensitive to the possibility of personal injury, and adopt a super aggressive mode to prevent that possibility. That's not what law enforcement is supposed to be about. No one wants to sustain an injury while performing their job, however killing someone due to the fear of being hurt is not a substitute for using proper police procedures to effect an arrest. There is nothing wrong with taking a step back if necessary, reviewing the situation, calling for help, or even allowing the person to escape to be caught up with later in a serious case. Most of these killings are occurring in situations which did not call for the amount of force used by any stretch of the imagination
20
Not only that, but in a lot of instances the cops PROVOKE the encounters. They WANT to do damage.
4
I've been pulled over a few times, and once had a revolver pointed through my car window at my face. I was frightened, and I was humiliated.
Because so many Americans have guns, I can only imagine what police officers feel when they pull over a car. For my part, I always move slowly, try to keep my mouth as shut as possible, ask before reaching in the glove compartment, etc. Some of this is respect, but a great deal is self-protection.
My last incident (me a 65 year old white guy) the officer told me to spit out my gum. (I'd pulled into a dark parking lot to check my tires--I'd heard a road noise.) He asked me why I was nervous. I responded that it was because he had his hand on the butt of his gun all the time. He was nervous, and I was afraid of him. A more experienced officer arrived and calmed him down. I didn't like this incident, but i can understand why the officer was nervous.
The loss of Mr Dubose's life sounds like an officer way beyond nervous at protecting his own life. He shouldn't have had a job with a gun. But really, how many of us qualify to walk around all the time armed? Obviously, not many.
Mr Blow, I'm not ignoring the racial component. The black lives lost to racism go so far beyond just those shot by the police. But this is vivid and horrifying, and it shows the pattern. Yes, cameras of course: it will help. What else, what else?
Because so many Americans have guns, I can only imagine what police officers feel when they pull over a car. For my part, I always move slowly, try to keep my mouth as shut as possible, ask before reaching in the glove compartment, etc. Some of this is respect, but a great deal is self-protection.
My last incident (me a 65 year old white guy) the officer told me to spit out my gum. (I'd pulled into a dark parking lot to check my tires--I'd heard a road noise.) He asked me why I was nervous. I responded that it was because he had his hand on the butt of his gun all the time. He was nervous, and I was afraid of him. A more experienced officer arrived and calmed him down. I didn't like this incident, but i can understand why the officer was nervous.
The loss of Mr Dubose's life sounds like an officer way beyond nervous at protecting his own life. He shouldn't have had a job with a gun. But really, how many of us qualify to walk around all the time armed? Obviously, not many.
Mr Blow, I'm not ignoring the racial component. The black lives lost to racism go so far beyond just those shot by the police. But this is vivid and horrifying, and it shows the pattern. Yes, cameras of course: it will help. What else, what else?
9
I was jaywalking across a street in downtown Chicago around noon today and had to pick up my pace to avoid a car that had sped up. I walked pretty quickly toward a temporarily parked car that I hadn't paid attention to, but when I got closer I saw a young black man in it, and he looked apprehensive about me - a white male. Gave me an additional pause. I wonder what he was thinking when I hurried up toward his open car window. Looking for a gun in my hand?
2
As a middle-aged white man who has experienced disrespectful policing during an unwarranted routine traffic stop (in plush Bedford, NY, of all places) I'm counting my lucky stars I'm not a black man in Cincinnati, Prairie View, or Staten Island.
15
This is unbelievable! And the fact that Tensing's fellow officers corroborated his lies immediately just shows how quickly and automatically the police cover-up culture kicks in! It's amazing! And they KNEW there was video footage and lied anyway! Simply amazing! They really believe that since they are cops, they will automatically be believed. Well, it's a new day.
10
Be suspicious of Deters and what he says. He is either incapable of a disinterested analysis of the events or he wants to avoid one. I wonder what the presentation to the grand jury was like. For the past few weeks Cincinnati has been sponsoring some local events dealing with baseball which have been expected to bring a significant amount of business revenue to the city, and there has been great concern about the possibility of blacks again rioting. The current police chief, a black, has been threatened with dismissal because of tensions with the black community.
Now look (a "content analysis") at the various subjects he introduces into his remarks: he discredits the University campus police, saying in his TV presentation that they were not as good as city police. (Why do campuses want their own police? Because students in many cases, as with Cincinnati, live next to a ghetto, something they are not prepared for, and crimes they commit (smoking marijuana) are not likely to be overlooked by other police). But placing the blame on the University police, Deter's local police are told they are superior and not to worry about a cop being charged with murder. It's startling how many political fences Deter's deals with in his remarks. The Times might want to take a serious look at what has gone on. Could be we're seeing what black threats over police violence are producing results indeed.
Now look (a "content analysis") at the various subjects he introduces into his remarks: he discredits the University campus police, saying in his TV presentation that they were not as good as city police. (Why do campuses want their own police? Because students in many cases, as with Cincinnati, live next to a ghetto, something they are not prepared for, and crimes they commit (smoking marijuana) are not likely to be overlooked by other police). But placing the blame on the University police, Deter's local police are told they are superior and not to worry about a cop being charged with murder. It's startling how many political fences Deter's deals with in his remarks. The Times might want to take a serious look at what has gone on. Could be we're seeing what black threats over police violence are producing results indeed.
3
"Black threats" over police violence? From whom exactly? I mean, other than "blacks". You charge Deters with being incapable of a "disinterested analysis"; I say to you, physician heal thyself.
A sorrowful event indeed, and well and rightly called out. But as you have asked the question aptly, "What kind of person takes another person’s life so cavalierly?", do you likewise ask this with such fervor on the exponentially more frequent occasions when a black or brown man pulls the trigger on another in their own circle? You ask, "How little must anyone think of the person at the other end of the barrel to shoot him when there appears to be no threat?" Have you considered that the problem may in fact originate with you understated point that "community violence, sadly, surpasses police violence," and that police officers, as subject as any who encounter the everyday effects of this cultural poison, are likely to anticipate the worst that has become all too common. There are no excuses for the tragic outcomes on either count. But please call them both out with equal prejudice.
5
Do not loose sight of the real problem. The demoralization institution in this case is the police department, justice system and prison system. In the last 30 years, we have seen the police become an armed military style force. They receive no help with PTSD and pass evaluations that have no meaning. The police departments all over this country believe force is the only response to criminals that constantly return to their neighborhoods after serving their time. Employers cannot afford to hire people who cannot pass background checks. The system is broken. The reality is that police will continue obey rules guidelines from their Police Chiefs a closed door meeting that citizens are not allowed to hear. The police know they have the law backing them up, and they have a weapon. They have no oversight, accountability is left with their supervisors and co-workers. Body cameras may weed out the bad cops, but will not fix the system. Gun laws allow citizens to be armed but also make that encounter with police intense. Add to this, bigotry from some police towards minorities and the mix is lethal. These tense situations bring about for an explosive tragedy to occur. We need leaders now and we need people to fix the system. Elected officials are the problem. We have reached the point where the idea we don't care about who gets elected is not only irresponsible but now it can be deadly.
10
until we become perfect humans, until training improves,
cameras
rubber bullets
tasers
mace
rinse and repeat
cameras
rubber bullets
tasers
mace
rinse and repeat
6
Add the National Guard to protect minorities from racist cops.
3
Anyone look up the criminal history of Samuel Dubose. Apparently he had been arrested 75 times -- mostly for nonviolent offenses. Also, why doesn't Charles link to the full video? This video misses the cop being initially polite and Mr. Dubose being uncooperative.
Obviously the cop shot way to quick IMO, but that's for a jury to decide. But if you watch the full video you see a polite (on the cop's side) interchange that goes on for a few minutes while Dubose is uncooperative, hands over a bottle of gin -- so it's difficult to say why things erupted, but Dubose clearly tried to drive away. Maybe those 75 past arrests might have something to do with that.
Obviously the cop shot way to quick IMO, but that's for a jury to decide. But if you watch the full video you see a polite (on the cop's side) interchange that goes on for a few minutes while Dubose is uncooperative, hands over a bottle of gin -- so it's difficult to say why things erupted, but Dubose clearly tried to drive away. Maybe those 75 past arrests might have something to do with that.
7
I fail to see how any of the facts you mentioned pertain to the issue that an unarmed man was shot in the head by a police officer who was in no way at risk. You instead imply that his previous behaviors somehow justify or legitimize the officer's behavior. Even if the officer knew all of these facts ahead of time, was he any more justified in murdering a man who posed no legitimate threat to him, even if that man was not following his orders?
10
Something is wrong with you.
7
So Dubose is an uncooperative (and apparently drunk) jerk, so what? There are many reasonable and legitimate ways to handle such people -- killing them is NOT one of them. And the usual "I was in fear of my life" excuse trotted out with the regularity of a metronome is simply a crock.
7
For all those blaming the victim, let me suggest watching the video very carefully, and listening very carefully. You can even see a slowed down version here.
http://tinyurl.com/p6rx7q6
What you are failing to realize is that Tensing is the one who initiated a violent confrontation. Note that he *did not* ask Dubose to exit the vehicle, and back away a few paces to establish a tactical advantage by virtue of being armed, towards the rear of the vehicle. What he did was tell him to remove his seat-belt while aggressively trying to open the door.
Now, I'm an old white guy, who has never been arrested, but even I know what was being signaled to Mr Dubose-- you are going to be dragged out and "taken to the ground". So, yes, this not-model-citizen panicked-- maybe even "feared for his life"-- and could think of nothing to do but run, perhaps just to get to his nearby home where there would be sympathetic witnesses.
He did not try to "run the cop over". He did not "drag the cop". Watch the slowed down video if you can stomach it. This was a frightened man being killed by someone who is not psychologically fit to be even an *un-armed* campus cop.
And was there racism? Yes, perhaps in an unconscious form as others have suggested, creating a fantastical fear in the unstable mind of 'Officer' Tensing.
http://tinyurl.com/p6rx7q6
What you are failing to realize is that Tensing is the one who initiated a violent confrontation. Note that he *did not* ask Dubose to exit the vehicle, and back away a few paces to establish a tactical advantage by virtue of being armed, towards the rear of the vehicle. What he did was tell him to remove his seat-belt while aggressively trying to open the door.
Now, I'm an old white guy, who has never been arrested, but even I know what was being signaled to Mr Dubose-- you are going to be dragged out and "taken to the ground". So, yes, this not-model-citizen panicked-- maybe even "feared for his life"-- and could think of nothing to do but run, perhaps just to get to his nearby home where there would be sympathetic witnesses.
He did not try to "run the cop over". He did not "drag the cop". Watch the slowed down video if you can stomach it. This was a frightened man being killed by someone who is not psychologically fit to be even an *un-armed* campus cop.
And was there racism? Yes, perhaps in an unconscious form as others have suggested, creating a fantastical fear in the unstable mind of 'Officer' Tensing.
36
Race/Color is only skin deep. Attitudes are the biggest barrier.
3
No one should be happy that the man died, but I am shocked that the author and many commentators below are so easily persuaded by the District Attorney's grandstanding. Why would the officer "purposefully kill" the victim here? Do you really believe he set out to kill the victim all along? Why? What could the motive have been?
I've watched the video and I see a policeman who acted improperly and shot too fast, yes. But that was not an intentional, purposeful murder. It was an example of how quickly things will go wrong when a tense situation takes an unexpected turn, as happened when Dubose drove off.
This was a tragedy for all involved, and while I feel for Dubose, who did not deserve to die, I feel for Officer Tensing as well. He's not a murderer.
I've watched the video and I see a policeman who acted improperly and shot too fast, yes. But that was not an intentional, purposeful murder. It was an example of how quickly things will go wrong when a tense situation takes an unexpected turn, as happened when Dubose drove off.
This was a tragedy for all involved, and while I feel for Dubose, who did not deserve to die, I feel for Officer Tensing as well. He's not a murderer.
6
It was purposeful murder, because that policeman did not have any reason to shoot Mr. Dubose other than he felt disrespected.
Feeling disrespected is a motive for a gang member, for a criminal, not for an honest and sane person. But perhaps we have to take into account that the police force is indeed a gang which feels above the Law.
Feeling disrespected is a motive for a gang member, for a criminal, not for an honest and sane person. But perhaps we have to take into account that the police force is indeed a gang which feels above the Law.
12
I guess the victim is less dead now.
Thanks.
Thanks.
11
Except...It was not a "tense" situation. Both the officer and the deceased were speaking calmly to each other until the officer tried to forcibly enter the man's vehicle without ever, even, asking the man to get out. It was not until the deceased, seemingly startled and scared, held his vehicle's door to prevent the officer from forcing his way in. Then the officer reached in the window, punched the deceased man (who posed absolutely no threat to the officer), put his gun to the man's head and pulled the trigger. The actions of the officer were certainly on purpose. Was there an "imminent threat" to the officer or the public due to not having a front license plate properly affixed? The comments from the police appoligists here would be funny if they weren't so horriffyingly ridiculous.
8
I have no doubt that Mr. Blow's points are well taken and his facts accurate, if disturbing.
But let's look at this terrible example from a slightly different point of view:
Assume for the moment that all the cops speaking in their own defense are telling the truth, that they felt mortally threatened and killed someone to protect their own lives in a dangerous situation. And then compare that to the high number of people of color who wind up shot, compared to whites.
Does this tell us that in addition to being trigger-happy, cops are routinely confronting more black and brown people than other people, and that even though the black and brown still make up a minority of the population in many places, the number of shooting victims reveals they are targeted?
Does this tell us that cops see being a racial minority, or being of a race different from that of the cop, as probable cause - that minority people are criminals as a result of who their parents were?
Don't they have training? If so, why is it so ineffective? Or, is it effective at meeting its own goals?
As Mr. Blow points out: I am paying (my share) for it and I deserve to know. This is NOT a situation I want my taxes to perpetuate!!
But let's look at this terrible example from a slightly different point of view:
Assume for the moment that all the cops speaking in their own defense are telling the truth, that they felt mortally threatened and killed someone to protect their own lives in a dangerous situation. And then compare that to the high number of people of color who wind up shot, compared to whites.
Does this tell us that in addition to being trigger-happy, cops are routinely confronting more black and brown people than other people, and that even though the black and brown still make up a minority of the population in many places, the number of shooting victims reveals they are targeted?
Does this tell us that cops see being a racial minority, or being of a race different from that of the cop, as probable cause - that minority people are criminals as a result of who their parents were?
Don't they have training? If so, why is it so ineffective? Or, is it effective at meeting its own goals?
As Mr. Blow points out: I am paying (my share) for it and I deserve to know. This is NOT a situation I want my taxes to perpetuate!!
12
this is a tragedy for the victim and his family. however, it is an infrequent occurrance. mr blow should state the number of black people killed by policemen across the country in the last year, and compare it to the number of black people killed by other black people in inner cities in the last year. i do not know, but would suspect that the latter is 100 times the former or even more. mr blow should talk about how to stop those tragedies.
3
Infrequent?? You are either shameless or you think Blacks are worthless. The killing of minority members by police "officers" is way too high, not too low!
12
What does one have to do with the other?
Blacks are killed by, presumably, criminals.
Cops, presumably not criminals (ha-ha) are supposed to be protecting US, not killing US.
Blacks are killed by, presumably, criminals.
Cops, presumably not criminals (ha-ha) are supposed to be protecting US, not killing US.
10
Alberto - Shameless? Worthless? Tell us how YOU feel about blacks killing other blacks in far greater numbers or is it just terrible and worthy of attention when the killings are cross racial?
1
Now, finally, white people (myself included) are beginning to get it. We were blissfully ignorant, and so, we would react with outrage at individual incidents. But it is not simply about the individual incidents (although the tragedies that the individual victims and their families face is beyond horrible). It is about the racist air that we breath, air that causes you, Charles Blow, to anticipate that your son will face what he faced on the campus of Yale University (while I have sent my kids to college without ever warning them about being stopped by the police); air that facilitates routine traffic stops of people of color; air that results in arrests for offenses for which I, a white person, would never, ever be arrested, let alone allowed to die in a prison cell; air that requires that people of color give their children a talk so that they are prepared, even though there is no way to prepare.
Now, finally, this is a national conversation. I hope that we can belatedly change the status quo and eradicate the racist underpinnings of this society. I am so sorry.
Now, finally, this is a national conversation. I hope that we can belatedly change the status quo and eradicate the racist underpinnings of this society. I am so sorry.
22
As with many other reported or editorialized stories on the shootings or deaths of blacks by white cops, we must rely on the comments of readers to get a fuller, more truthful picture of what actually happened then what is fed to us by the "professionals."
It's other commenters who inform us that the full video shows an entirely different narrative than what Mr. Blow gives us; that Mr. Dubose was not just a hapless driver whose front plate is missing, but a habitual offender of vehicle laws, etc.
It's other commenters who inform us that Officer Tensing was actually dragged by Mr. Dubose's car before firing his gun.
Almost every recently-reported instance of cops killing blacks has been a perfect storm of escalating circumstances triggered by a victim who instigated or escalated the tension or violence.
I am no friend of cops; as an ex-Noo Yawka who came of age in the late '60s/early '70s, I saw not only the usual thuggish demeanor of the average law enforcement officer, but the major police corruption scandals of our time--all of whose subsequent "reform" consequences led nowhere.
But this constant martyrization of people whose abysmal life choices helped to create these perfect storms is shameful. As so many note, we do not hear, from Mr. Blow or others, the names of the innocent gunned down weekly by other blacks. It is a specious argument to dismiss that by saying "those people weren't killed by those sworn to protect us."
They are just as dead.
It's other commenters who inform us that the full video shows an entirely different narrative than what Mr. Blow gives us; that Mr. Dubose was not just a hapless driver whose front plate is missing, but a habitual offender of vehicle laws, etc.
It's other commenters who inform us that Officer Tensing was actually dragged by Mr. Dubose's car before firing his gun.
Almost every recently-reported instance of cops killing blacks has been a perfect storm of escalating circumstances triggered by a victim who instigated or escalated the tension or violence.
I am no friend of cops; as an ex-Noo Yawka who came of age in the late '60s/early '70s, I saw not only the usual thuggish demeanor of the average law enforcement officer, but the major police corruption scandals of our time--all of whose subsequent "reform" consequences led nowhere.
But this constant martyrization of people whose abysmal life choices helped to create these perfect storms is shameful. As so many note, we do not hear, from Mr. Blow or others, the names of the innocent gunned down weekly by other blacks. It is a specious argument to dismiss that by saying "those people weren't killed by those sworn to protect us."
They are just as dead.
5
Blacks who kill blacks are presumably criminals and murders.
Cops, supposedly the upholders of the law, shouldn't be shooting us.
Period.
Cops, supposedly the upholders of the law, shouldn't be shooting us.
Period.
8
People like yourself, who trust the interweb and comments on it to "know the facts" are what scares me to death about my own country. I have watched (with tears welling) every video of this encounter. At no point was the officer ever "dragged" by the vehicle. The officer's only interaction with the vehicle was trying to force his way into it without ever saying anything like "please step out of the car", followed by reaching through the window to assualt the driver with a punch or two, a gun to the head, and a bullet in the brain. Shame on you. I have always held great respect for NH residents but you, Sir, are an embarrassment to your great state and this, seemingly once great, nation that we all love.
6
Meh - But cops could shoot criminals of any color who put the cop's life in jeopardy. Now period.
2
a gun should not be the only weapon a cop carries.
crimes vary in demands of force.
you have words, nonverbal cues, batons, tasers and etc
increasing modes of escalative devices.
in these rapid situations, mistakes will be made regardless of how much training.
cameras will be there to mock or praise your split second decisions for perpetuity.
crimes vary in demands of force.
you have words, nonverbal cues, batons, tasers and etc
increasing modes of escalative devices.
in these rapid situations, mistakes will be made regardless of how much training.
cameras will be there to mock or praise your split second decisions for perpetuity.
4
We do not live in an authoritarian society, or a dystopia for that matter, where law enforcement has the right to exercise brute force against citizens that are not directly threatening their lives or the lives of others. Police officers represent one aspect, one arm of the law. They are not judge, jury and in this case executioner. It is not their job to be such in a democratic society. That was pretty much decided way back in 1215 with the Magna Carta, and has remained a fundamental tenet of our legal system. The notion that law enforcement has the right and duty to use excessive and deadly force in even the most innocuous of situations (such as this and the many others documented in recent weeks and months) is absolutely ludicrous and inherently antithetical to democracy in general.
15
Another nightmare which turns out to be reality - a reality for black lives Only now with video-cameras and iphones have they become vivid and truth bared. The viciousness in our society witnessed is just a continuum of viciousness past. No change in the degree of cruelty. But thanks to our modern gizmos the injustice has been brought to the fore. We are still very far away from resolving serious issues. But even concrete evidence does not seem enough. The evil-doers keep committing crimes because they know they can get away with impunity as black lives don't seem to matter. Our shameful past, now in the present which is relentlessly moving into the future. And we consider our country to be a developed nation. The irony!
11
How long will it take for White Folk to begin to fathom why people who do not look, talk or act like good, polite White people always seem to do might have some valid reasons to be fearful of the police? The question is not really rhetorical, except I imagine for some.
Please, at least try to walk in another person's shoes. Only then possibly can you begin to see. I once was blind, but now I see.
DD
Manhattan
Please, at least try to walk in another person's shoes. Only then possibly can you begin to see. I once was blind, but now I see.
DD
Manhattan
11
"Police violence may not be the greatest threat of violence to black lives — COMMUNITY VIOLENCE (caps are mine), sadly, surpasses it —" ~Charles Blow
I agree with Mr. Blow and also believe that an answer to this question may be contained in his statement. Why do the police shoot when it's not necessary? I think it's because they're scared. Why are they scared of a belligerent and confrontational black person in a car or on the street? Because they've seen first hand, or have a knowledge of, the disproportionate amount of violence "in the community", as Mr. Blow states.
Can the police be trained to be fearless and rational when confronted by an angry, confrontational person who appears to be a member of a violent community? When officers say, "I feared for my life," I believe them. Is it OK for our police to afraid of angry black people?
In both this and the Bland shooting, the victim became confrontational. Mr. Dubose did not answer the simple question about having his driver's license, yes or no. He too, like Ms. Bland, challenged the officer about the traffic stop. Of course, this alone does not make someone deserve to be shot! However, a little politeness goes a long way to avoid confrontation and harsh consequences with authority figures.
Has anyone here ever challenged the TSA about anything? In a milli-second you will be escorted out of the line and into a holding area, where they will see to it that you miss your flight. But I digress...
I agree with Mr. Blow and also believe that an answer to this question may be contained in his statement. Why do the police shoot when it's not necessary? I think it's because they're scared. Why are they scared of a belligerent and confrontational black person in a car or on the street? Because they've seen first hand, or have a knowledge of, the disproportionate amount of violence "in the community", as Mr. Blow states.
Can the police be trained to be fearless and rational when confronted by an angry, confrontational person who appears to be a member of a violent community? When officers say, "I feared for my life," I believe them. Is it OK for our police to afraid of angry black people?
In both this and the Bland shooting, the victim became confrontational. Mr. Dubose did not answer the simple question about having his driver's license, yes or no. He too, like Ms. Bland, challenged the officer about the traffic stop. Of course, this alone does not make someone deserve to be shot! However, a little politeness goes a long way to avoid confrontation and harsh consequences with authority figures.
Has anyone here ever challenged the TSA about anything? In a milli-second you will be escorted out of the line and into a holding area, where they will see to it that you miss your flight. But I digress...
6
Yes, you do digress. And also I have never seen the TSA shoot someone for being rude.
8
Maybe the black people are scared.
6
White people AND black people have apparently achieved an equality of sorts. Both are mistreated and murdered by police. White men are beaten, denied medication, die in jail cells; white women "strangle themselves" while chained to a radiator in handcuffs, others "die mysteriously" while in police custody. By my own experiences I KNOW POLICE LIE!
I used to love to drive. I loved my cars. I took long drives to relax. I attended "driver's education" weekends at a local racetrack and participated in weekend sports car rallies. I drove a taxicab in NYC for 30 hour weekends in my last year of graduate school.
Now I only drive when necessary. I'm afraid of being stopped or jailed on trumped up charges. This results from my own experiences with NY and FL police, and from news reports showing police lying and mistreating other American citizens. I believe these reports, because police have lied about me too since I've been driving at age 16. That's over half a century ago.
This is not a new problem. As a lifetime member of the NRA and a believer in "Law and Order", I used to wonder why police are unarmed in some countries. Now I wonder if this might be a solution to our police problem. I don't want to give up my own right to defend myself with a firearm, but I'm starting to think disarming our local police force would work wonders and solve our problem of a growing out-of-control police state.
Armed citizens, disarmed police? Sounds like a good start to me!
I used to love to drive. I loved my cars. I took long drives to relax. I attended "driver's education" weekends at a local racetrack and participated in weekend sports car rallies. I drove a taxicab in NYC for 30 hour weekends in my last year of graduate school.
Now I only drive when necessary. I'm afraid of being stopped or jailed on trumped up charges. This results from my own experiences with NY and FL police, and from news reports showing police lying and mistreating other American citizens. I believe these reports, because police have lied about me too since I've been driving at age 16. That's over half a century ago.
This is not a new problem. As a lifetime member of the NRA and a believer in "Law and Order", I used to wonder why police are unarmed in some countries. Now I wonder if this might be a solution to our police problem. I don't want to give up my own right to defend myself with a firearm, but I'm starting to think disarming our local police force would work wonders and solve our problem of a growing out-of-control police state.
Armed citizens, disarmed police? Sounds like a good start to me!
4
What about no guns period? If you think officers are reacting out of fear now, just imagine how scared they'll be if people are packing heat and they aren't.
4
Is it time to delay issuing a handgun to newly minted police officers until a senior officer certifies their eligibility to use lethal force? These unarmed officers would be paired with armed officers . Mace ok. Taser maybe. Gun not till they are certified to carry it.
3
Traffic violations should never have the Death Penalty attached to them.
I believe the bigger issue here is the police acting like public executioners.
Makes you wonder if Steroids plays a role in the level of agression in some police officers. I remember in the 90s a lot of cops were using Steroids to bulk up. The idea being that if you were bigger and stronger the less likely you were to be overpowered on the street. The problem could be the Road Rage that comes along with the Steroids.
I believe the bigger issue here is the police acting like public executioners.
Makes you wonder if Steroids plays a role in the level of agression in some police officers. I remember in the 90s a lot of cops were using Steroids to bulk up. The idea being that if you were bigger and stronger the less likely you were to be overpowered on the street. The problem could be the Road Rage that comes along with the Steroids.
8
Abuse and even murder under the color of authority is an ever present threat in all human societies. It does not require a psychopath or socially maladjusted individual to sadistically abuse those under their control or even to commit heinous crimes when placed in positions of absolute power, and make no mistake about it, America has fetishized its police for decades now, imbuing them with such power that all citizens are required to obey them immediately and without question. They are rarely held to account. While most civilized societies place strict constraints on the actions of their police, we give them military weapons and training. Indeed most instances of police violence result from citizens questioning (resisting) the actions of the officers involved. We have cast our selves as the prisoners and they are the Stanford guards, or worse they are the occupying army and we are the conquered. Combine our mindless hero worship of the police with their unchecked power and a racially polarized society and you have the recipe for the serial tragedies we read about daily.
4
The lies that Tensing is telling just infuriates me. And the fact that others in blue (if you want to call them that) went along with it was equally disturbing. Then I hear Tensing's attorney saying that Tensing feels like "he has been run over by a freight train" and "everything is going so fast" - honestly, the other man is dead for God's sake. There is no freight train for this 43 year-old victim.
It was murder and these killings have to stop. Sorry, pseudo-cop Tensing but you are going to change the way policing is done in America.
It was murder and these killings have to stop. Sorry, pseudo-cop Tensing but you are going to change the way policing is done in America.
16
The indictment was well-warranted and important. But where are the indictments for the other officers who backed up Tensing's patently false report?
We need to break the knee-jerk covering of other officers by police. Let's start with making submitting a false police report a felony.
We need to break the knee-jerk covering of other officers by police. Let's start with making submitting a false police report a felony.
12
DA has no case against them. He does not know what they saw. He accomplished what he wanted (to defuse community tensions) by indicting Tensing. Didn't need to do more. If he gets Tensing convicted, then he can go back and get others.
I think body-cams are a good idea for police. I think they should also be required for any individual carrying a fire arm. Dead men tell no tales no matter who shoots them.
3
Good idea, now get all the criminals who carry guns to wear them and we won't have any crime!
I'm so tired of reading these knee-jerk articles automatically condemning a policeman for the death of a criminal. Oh, sorry, is it not correct to call the alleged victim a criminal b/c he never had the benefit of a trial for his alleged crimes (which in this case included attempting to kill a police officer)? That's exactly the problem with this article. The cop is assumed to be guilty already before any trial has taken place. Whatever happened to innocent before proven guilty?
4
I am pretty sure the evidence that the cop was a criminal is a whole lot stronger than that the person he killed was a criminal.
6
Why for the love of a God,does a university /campus police officer Need a Gun?
I know all weapon lovers will defend the need.
A college campus should be weapon free, or hire better trained personnel.
No one's safe when armed staff roam the campus!
I know all weapon lovers will defend the need.
A college campus should be weapon free, or hire better trained personnel.
No one's safe when armed staff roam the campus!
9
The people of Ohio should get ready for higher taxes as the university is going to get its pants sued off. This guy had 10 kids. A nickle and dime traffic stop made off campus? Why? Did this cop have authority off campus? Was the city complicit in allowing campus officers to make stops off campus? Ahhhh...many legal avenues here for plaintiffs' attorneys to explore. Even as a non-lawyer I could win the civil case, and you can bet it will be a whopper. 10 kids? That's going to be huge.
5
If laws are go be enforced, under and overreactions are going to happen. While some may occur because of unreasonable perceptions about people, most will be due to misperceptions or poor judgments besides any prejudices people might have. The criminal law trials regarding felonies ends up in people losing their freedom or their lives or walking free, which is why many lawyers avoid practicing criminal law. The circumstances in which law enforcement officers are more likely to be attacked is during car stops for traffic violations and responding to disturbing the peace complaints arising from disputes between people who live together. In neither situation are the legal issues felonious crimes but misbehaviors which are disturbing or perilous lack of consideration for others. Those who propose that police officers should just let the little stuff go if things get unpleasant simply do not understand what really goes on. People who are upset, under the influence, or who are afraid of being found out to have committed other far more serious crimes can resemble everyone else until confronted when they suddenly react in ways that nobody would anticipate before hand. A lot of the time, after the fact examination proves that there were indications of what might happen, but they only seem significant once the events have happened.
3
I wonder when we will begin to consider unarmed police officers, such as the system in Britain. At the least, that would eliminate this "instant justice" thing.
3
Lots of police officers in Britain are armed. They used to be able to go unarmed because the criminals were not armed to the teeth. Now they are.
1
An unarmed populace would make this suggestion more plausible.
The good police need to speak out against the bad police. Where are they? Why are there no good police officers speaking out? Or the police union reps? If you're silent, you condone it.
8
Why was a university police officer stopping someone for a traffic violation in the first place? And secondly, should university cops carry guns? Obviously car cams and iPhones have created real eye openers for us white people. I feel pretty helpless to stop violent actions and racism. I am really thinking about what I can do in my little way to build more community with people of color and I applaud them for having the courage to even walk down the street. It's a really scary world out there if you aren't white and I had no idea it was this scary.
7
There are really no "ifs, ands, or buts" here, people. Samuel DuBose was executed by a police officer for a traffic violation.
Cops not only need to be held legally responsible for their actions just like any citizen, but held to a higher standard, as their abuses of power tyrannize and terrorize the populace they are sworn to serve. Not to mention the tremendous drain on taxpayer resources for trials and the inevitable civil damages.
Let's see what charges are brought against the police who conspired with Tensing on his false testimony, as they are complicit in a miscarriage of justice.
Cops not only need to be held legally responsible for their actions just like any citizen, but held to a higher standard, as their abuses of power tyrannize and terrorize the populace they are sworn to serve. Not to mention the tremendous drain on taxpayer resources for trials and the inevitable civil damages.
Let's see what charges are brought against the police who conspired with Tensing on his false testimony, as they are complicit in a miscarriage of justice.
13
Why are not all the good, responsible police not coming out against illegal police conduct? Where is the outrage among police? By not coming out against police violence, the police unions are in fact condoning it. It is way past time for the police to start truly policing their own.
11
As a citizen I DO NOT want my police officers EVER killing someone for a traffic stop. If a person runs, make a non-lethal attempt to catch them and then let it go. This is basic HUMAN common sense. We need to re-train officers to help them understand they are here to help us. NOT TO KILL US.
16
When I was in college back in the 1970's, (a Northern NJ public college) we had unarmed campus security. If anything more was needed they would call the local police department. I don't understand why this guy was armed in the first place, why he was patrolling off campus and why, if he felt the need to get involved, he didn't simply call the Cincinnati city police and report the license plate and the problem. Samuel Dubose should not be dead because his front license plate was not attached. Sandra Bland should not be dead because she neglected to signal when she hurriedly moved out of the way of a speeding police car.
I estimate that I've driven about a million miles since I got my license back in the mid 1970's. I've been stopped by police twice. Once in college when I was driving around in a convertible with friends sitting on the trunk (I got a warning that insurance would not cover any injuries) and once when a police officer mistakenly thought I was talking on a hand-held cell phone (I got an apology) I'm white. Perhaps my record is a bit unusual, perhaps not but I would be willing to bet that very few black people could say that they've driven a million miles over 40 plus years and had so few encounters with police and that their encounters were all polite. Driving while black should not be grounds for suspicion and it shouldn't escalate so quickly to being dead. It's shameful that 50 years after the Civil Rights Act was signed, this is still happening.
I estimate that I've driven about a million miles since I got my license back in the mid 1970's. I've been stopped by police twice. Once in college when I was driving around in a convertible with friends sitting on the trunk (I got a warning that insurance would not cover any injuries) and once when a police officer mistakenly thought I was talking on a hand-held cell phone (I got an apology) I'm white. Perhaps my record is a bit unusual, perhaps not but I would be willing to bet that very few black people could say that they've driven a million miles over 40 plus years and had so few encounters with police and that their encounters were all polite. Driving while black should not be grounds for suspicion and it shouldn't escalate so quickly to being dead. It's shameful that 50 years after the Civil Rights Act was signed, this is still happening.
8
All lives matter. Not just #blacklives, or women's, or babies, or lions, but all of these and all the rest. All. This should not need to be said. Sadly, it does.
5
Why do university cops have guns in the first place? As long as the Black community is perceived, and perhaps is, disproportionately violent it will a dangerous confrontation between cops and Black civilians.
3
The video is heart breaking. Senseless. Heart breaking.
11
Blow's analysis is perhaps correct but also one-sided. The experience of blacks is different from many brown people (e.g. Indians from India) who are typically highly educated, well behaved and generally much more successful.
No one will argue that any of the black victims in the cases we have seen deserve to be shot or strangled but in many cases there are triggers. See Rocketscientist's analysis of Mr. Dubose; in Ferguson the victim had just roughed up a store owner and stolen his goods, in Cleveland the victim pointed a toy, but realistic gun at an officer, in NYC the victim was selling cigarettes illegally.
The policeman who stops you has a 12 shot Glock and likely feels civilians, especially (but not exclusively) black ones are a threat to his life. It's time for black parents to start believing that when you're stopped by the police the answers are, "Yes, sir" and "No, sir" and your hands need to be at 10 and 2. You can worry about your rights later.
No one will argue that any of the black victims in the cases we have seen deserve to be shot or strangled but in many cases there are triggers. See Rocketscientist's analysis of Mr. Dubose; in Ferguson the victim had just roughed up a store owner and stolen his goods, in Cleveland the victim pointed a toy, but realistic gun at an officer, in NYC the victim was selling cigarettes illegally.
The policeman who stops you has a 12 shot Glock and likely feels civilians, especially (but not exclusively) black ones are a threat to his life. It's time for black parents to start believing that when you're stopped by the police the answers are, "Yes, sir" and "No, sir" and your hands need to be at 10 and 2. You can worry about your rights later.
6
You know, if police got used to the idea that they couldn't routinely bully blacks, they'd stop killing blacks who refused to be bullied. You're blaming the victims here for not being deferential enough to those who are always harassing them.
I have seen plenty of whites get vexed with the police. Cops seek more used to that.
I have seen plenty of whites get vexed with the police. Cops seek more used to that.
3
I watched the video and I came away with a very different opinion than Mr. Blow. What I saw was a very polite policeman confronting an evasive drunken driver. When a person respectfully approach another individual in the course of his work, he is soliciting a respectful response:"I treat you nicely and I would like to be treated nicely back". When this social norm is to be broken down, it elicits a sense of betrayal. I am not sure this reaction has anything to do with race. It is highly doubtful that the officer would react differently should the driver be a different race. For Mr. Blow to fail to acknowledge that Dubose's irresponsible behavior was the key trigger of the escalation to the tragic end is actually pure racism. We live in a society where common decency demand us to respect people, including police officer who treat us respectfully. This tragic incident shows that violation of this social norm can lead to serious consequence. I would imagine the police officers involved in many of these incidents would regret their over reaction to the disrespect shown by the people they encounter during their work, but they are also human beings. As for the mis-representation the officer made after the incident, those who have never cheated on a test or on his tax return can cast the first stone.
5
It is incomprehensible to me, and an indication of the depth of thought (very little) that you put into your post, that you can compare shooting someone in the head to cheating on a test or on a tax return. If tall the people who cheated on test or tax return shot someone in the head we would certainly not have a population control problem. This is America WE DON'T SHOOT PEOPLE for being rude, for traffic violations, for calling us names.
Despite the silliness of your metaphor, I actually find your comment horrifying.
Despite the silliness of your metaphor, I actually find your comment horrifying.
9
So if you don't show me respect I can kill you? Kind of severe don't you think CM. We apparently have too many police you should not be police officers. And we have too many "good" police officers who tolerate the bad ones. And in some cases cover for them. What's the difference between "the blue wall of silence" and the Mafia's "omertà?
5
It's the job of the police to accept abuse from people they stop, especially if they're making overly aggressive stops. This guy killed someone for being rude. The guy shouldn't have been rude. But if ever rude person were killed, there would be about three people left.
4
Thank God for the body camera. This demonstrates unequivocally blatant lying and murder! Who are these people and what happened in their lives to create such behavior? I am sick of people defending police officers. CHances are good that most police officers are decent. Most citizens are decent- any color. So what gives? Perhaps this has been going on forever (white cops mistreating/murdering black citizens) but now the media is catching on. Remember Johnnie Cochran and the LAPD....
2
What must be remembered is that the Officer Tensing is considered innocent until proven guilty. I have some concerns about the release of the video - is that not making it more difficult to obtain an unbiased jury? The release of the video from the camera worn by the policeman should have been accompanied by the release of the videos from cameras stationed on nearby buildings. That way all video evidence is in the public domain. I have some concerns about police worn cameras - does that not bump up against the right of a person to take the fifth - since the video contains the police officer's comments (incriminatory?). I do not think that the statements made by local prosecutor were warranted. The prosecutor's job is to seek justice. It may very well be, when all the evidence is presented before the jury which considers it as they should, that the jury returns a guilty verdict. Until that time, the prosecutor should not try the case in the court of public opinion.
2
This is so sad. Even when police are wearing body cams, they continue to shoot and kill unarmed blacks. As Charles states near the end of the article, it really is about where a person's mind and heart is (paraphrasing) and sadly that can't be corrected so easily. This is another reason added to the millions of others that pushes us to teach future generations about how to treat ALL people-- not with pre-conceived misconceptions of race and unequal treatment of different races but with respect and fairness towards all individuals.
2
There is nothing in the video to suggest that victim or officer's race had anything to do with this case. Purely happenstance. If racism were at play then certainly DA would have lodged a hate crime?
But, as we know about Charles Blow, when you are a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
But, as we know about Charles Blow, when you are a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
It is getting so that I don't want to turn on my TV because my horror at these events is such that I cannot trust in much anymore and it is becoming a daily experience. That said, I recognize we have a deep problem here between over zealous, power and control crazy officers and brown skinned citizens. Attitude is built into these stops. It is clear from the video cams that the need to control the situation in a particular way has escalated to murder in short order. I have run out of fingers to recite the names at those killed in the last year in one of these incidents.
Why would a university cop stop a citizen outside of university property? At what point can you draw your gun? By what authority did this cut-rate cop detain a citizen?
I don't have the answers but this needs to be fixed. I commend the prosecutor in Cincinnati for taking swift action but prosecution after tragedy doesn't help the families or the issue much. Psychological testing, training and periodic check-ins on actions taken needs to be incorporated.
I cannot help the horror I feel at how risky life continues to be for unarmed black women and men with minor traffic violations. I wonder how much more of a descent into this hell can be tolerated by this country before everything is changed. If equal rights and civil right don't matter, what does?
This is not some banana republic with a para military force waiting to kill any of us at their whim but it could become one.
Why would a university cop stop a citizen outside of university property? At what point can you draw your gun? By what authority did this cut-rate cop detain a citizen?
I don't have the answers but this needs to be fixed. I commend the prosecutor in Cincinnati for taking swift action but prosecution after tragedy doesn't help the families or the issue much. Psychological testing, training and periodic check-ins on actions taken needs to be incorporated.
I cannot help the horror I feel at how risky life continues to be for unarmed black women and men with minor traffic violations. I wonder how much more of a descent into this hell can be tolerated by this country before everything is changed. If equal rights and civil right don't matter, what does?
This is not some banana republic with a para military force waiting to kill any of us at their whim but it could become one.
4
This video is so strange. The officer is not aggressive with Dubose and quite polite. Dubose is being evasive, hands him an open container instead of a drivers license which was very provocative but the officer kept his cool. It makes me think he used the plate as an excuse to pull him over for some other problem with his driving like driving too slow, something that made him suspicious he was intoxicated.
There is absolutely no hint watching the video that something horrible is going to happen but all of a sudden, boom, the officer shoots him in the head. For no reason.
There is absolutely no hint watching the video that something horrible is going to happen but all of a sudden, boom, the officer shoots him in the head. For no reason.
2
You should watch the complete body cam video, not the edited one that Blow links to. In the full video, Dubose pulls the door shut when Tensing tries to open it, and then drives off, dragging Tensing for five or six feet, knocking tensing to the ground. There is a longer build up. Tensing is still in the wrong for the shooting, but it is also clear that Dubose assaults Tensing with his vehicle in the course of trying to flee from a legal traffic stop. The piece that you will not see on the video is that Dubose has a record of 75 charges, mostly pertaining to driving violations.
the video shows that something happened all right, Dubose tried to drive away. You don't do that -- and if the officer was dragged as stated, he may not have had a lot of options. But certainly, Dubose would be alive now if he (1) had his license (2) wasn't drinking (3) cooperated with the cop and finally hadn't tried to drive away.
When is this behavior going to end? Who else must die? As an African American Veteran, one who was willing to give his life in defense of the United States of America, must I?
You say, "And the very idea that this violence is conducted by people acting as an arm of government, in your name but against your body, is too hard a pill to swallow. How can my taxes pay your salary while your actions drain blood from my body? How is it that I have to be afraid of cops as well as criminals? Whom do I turn to when the cops become the criminals?"
This is wrong!
You say, "And the very idea that this violence is conducted by people acting as an arm of government, in your name but against your body, is too hard a pill to swallow. How can my taxes pay your salary while your actions drain blood from my body? How is it that I have to be afraid of cops as well as criminals? Whom do I turn to when the cops become the criminals?"
This is wrong!
8
It has become increasingly more dangerous for cops - and drivers - to confront one another during a traffic stop. It puts the officer and driver in adversarial positions. Why can't the cop simply be recording the infraction in the same manner he is radaring? If there is the technology to take a photo of a license plate at a 4 way stop to record a driver running a red light WITHOUT INVOLVING AN OFFICER, why can't we incorporate the same technology into police cruisers? 90% of these incidents would be solved. Period.
2
Few trigger happy racist gives bad name to the Police force in general. There are a lot of police officers very respectful and performs their duty lawfully. They definitely earns my respect. But Tensing et al are the problems, it is the Police Commissioner's (or who ever have the authority to hire them) responsibility to make sure they don't hire poorly educated, drop outs, who wants to join police force just to feel superior and show power over innocents.
The civilian police force in ALL CIVILIZED COUNTRY in the world do not carry lethal weapons, and they established peaceful society and enforce law of the land without killing anyone because of a missing license plate or failure to produce valid driving license.
It's time to establish minimum "qualification" for a police officer, and "MANDATORY" psych and personality evaluation. Specially here is US where gun lobbyist want to put automatic assault rifles (weapons of war) in the hand of civilian police force in our neighborhood.
The civilian police force in ALL CIVILIZED COUNTRY in the world do not carry lethal weapons, and they established peaceful society and enforce law of the land without killing anyone because of a missing license plate or failure to produce valid driving license.
It's time to establish minimum "qualification" for a police officer, and "MANDATORY" psych and personality evaluation. Specially here is US where gun lobbyist want to put automatic assault rifles (weapons of war) in the hand of civilian police force in our neighborhood.
4
Here are some related issues:
a) I have never seen a person with better options in life to join police as street cops. Those who join are necessarily (but not all) the folks who have failed to achieve something else. Probably, most of the officers on streets are with only high school degree and have troublesome history themselves. Who in the sane mind will voluntarily take up such jobs? So they are either self-righteous folks or folks that want to establish their authority.
b) On the contrary, this is the job which require sane and very smart folks. Folks who understand that life is not all black and white but grey.
c) Poor people of color get harassed more as I will take the officer to court if I see harassment or discrimination. Not everyone has time and money to do that.
d) As far as respect goes, everyone should be respected including citizens and the police.
a) I have never seen a person with better options in life to join police as street cops. Those who join are necessarily (but not all) the folks who have failed to achieve something else. Probably, most of the officers on streets are with only high school degree and have troublesome history themselves. Who in the sane mind will voluntarily take up such jobs? So they are either self-righteous folks or folks that want to establish their authority.
b) On the contrary, this is the job which require sane and very smart folks. Folks who understand that life is not all black and white but grey.
c) Poor people of color get harassed more as I will take the officer to court if I see harassment or discrimination. Not everyone has time and money to do that.
d) As far as respect goes, everyone should be respected including citizens and the police.
1
In Sweden, where I am from, police officers certainly do carry and use lethal weapons. They have to, because we have a significant problem with organized crime. Our criminals drive up to ATMs with machine guns, chain them to their vehicles and drive away with them, spraying pursuing police with bullets. In one recent case criminals used a helicopter and machine guns to commit a crime. In our urban centers, we see driveby shootings, armed robberies, stabbings, grenade attacks, and firebombing. Don't sell America short; it is more similar to the rest of the Western world than perhaps you think.
Also, how do you know for sure that Tensing is a racist, and not simply a terrible police officer? Is there a history of comments or actions on his part that would suggest this, or have we gotten to the place where it is acceptable to accuse anyone of racism at any time? Trigger-happy, yes. Racist? Maybe. Maybe not.
Also, how do you know for sure that Tensing is a racist, and not simply a terrible police officer? Is there a history of comments or actions on his part that would suggest this, or have we gotten to the place where it is acceptable to accuse anyone of racism at any time? Trigger-happy, yes. Racist? Maybe. Maybe not.
Most police in "civilized" countries carry firearms. In countries like the UK or Denmark where police officers usually patrol unarmed, specialized firearms officers are usually a phone call away.
2
There are commonalities between the cases of Mr.'s Dubose and Scott and Ms. Bland. In all three cases the police officers seem to have actively escalated the situation. In all cases there was at some point a failure to immediately obey an order by the police officer, and in two of the cases an attempt to flee. In all three cases the police used inappropriate force. In all three cases the officers lied about what occured, over stating the danger to themselves. In absence of the videos, the officier's testimony would have been considered the only credible account of what happened. Independent witnesses and victims when they disagree with the police accounts are always considered suspect and the police above reproach. How to fix this? First, asserting your rights, questioning a police officer's authority, or even relatively minor acts or resistance gives them the excuse to escalate. These officers are on a 'power trip', and they are just itching to show you who is in charge. You may be right, but that is little comfort if you are dead. Second, until police and district attorneys face real legal jeopardy, they will continue to act with impunity and continue to cover up misdeads among their own. No real accountability, no effective restraint. The solution is the balot box. Support candidates (DAs or those that appoint them) that pledge to uphold the rule of law, civility towards all, and application of those standards those who wear blue. If they don't deliver, vote them out.
4
This is why the push by NYPD Commissioner Bratton to felonize resisting arrest endangers the people of NYC. And it is particularly alarming that Mayor DeBlasio supports it when it would undermine many of his stated goals, including increasing job opportunities, decreasing the population at Rikers, etc
1
Samuel Dubose did not attempt to flee. And even if he had, should not have been shot in the head because of it.
Police departments in the United States should learn from European police, how to effectively do their jobs and interact with the community. Instead it seems that all too often American police departments emulate the worse of police in Third World dictatorships.
I remember thirty years ago traveling on business in West Africa, and my host was pulled over by the police, and he was treated very badly and was scared out of his mind, I was so shocked, as that was not the norm in America, sadly today it is.
I remember thirty years ago traveling on business in West Africa, and my host was pulled over by the police, and he was treated very badly and was scared out of his mind, I was so shocked, as that was not the norm in America, sadly today it is.
8
I remember vividly the fight for civil rights 50 plus years ago: the outrageous, fascistic behavior on the part of the police, not just in the deep South but everywhere in the country. In so many ways the current events involving excessive violence by police resembles that time. We were clubbed and carted off for daring to protest an illegal, immoral, insane war and we were clubbed, gassed and some of us killed for simply wanting the right for all American citizens to vote.
Now we have right-wing dominated governments at all levels and these right wingers are successfully diminishing the right to vote through voting ID and other restrictive election laws. The self-appointed right-wing religious zealots try to dictate how we all should live and conduct our sexual lives. They militarize the police and turn a blind eye to police killings of unarmed and generally innocent people. They turn a blind eye to poverty, to racial discrimination, to income disparity and reinforce white male dominance in all aspects of our society.
Like so many of my generation, I thought the battle was pretty much won, that civil rights were guaranteed for all, that we all could live without fear of being executed by the police in the daytime in a public place, that women could control their bodies and their lives, that the American dream, whatever that is, was within the reach of all, that life, liberty and the lottery of happiness was meant for all of us. How naive.
Now we have right-wing dominated governments at all levels and these right wingers are successfully diminishing the right to vote through voting ID and other restrictive election laws. The self-appointed right-wing religious zealots try to dictate how we all should live and conduct our sexual lives. They militarize the police and turn a blind eye to police killings of unarmed and generally innocent people. They turn a blind eye to poverty, to racial discrimination, to income disparity and reinforce white male dominance in all aspects of our society.
Like so many of my generation, I thought the battle was pretty much won, that civil rights were guaranteed for all, that we all could live without fear of being executed by the police in the daytime in a public place, that women could control their bodies and their lives, that the American dream, whatever that is, was within the reach of all, that life, liberty and the lottery of happiness was meant for all of us. How naive.
17
And now FORMER Officer Tensing's bail has been set at $1,000,000, the same as any other murderer who comes before her court, as Judge Megan Shanahan said this morning. It's nice to see some equality in justice meted out, finally -- cops treated like ordinary citizens are treated. Mr. Tensing will have plenty of time to feel sorry for himself while languishing in the Hamilton County jail, awaiting trial.
13
I am not surprised that minorities are treated more harshly than whites by the police. I am somewhat surprised by the regularity that policemen take the lives of unarmed black men. I am astonished, after all that has preceded this murder in the past year and with a camera recording the event, that a policeman would still take a life so casually. Even with a lack of empathy toward the victim, it would seem a cop would exercise more restraint, if only for selfish reasons.
7
These shooting events seem to happen when a officer is alone. Therefore, one solution is to have two officers in every squad car. This would calm everyone. Of course, it would be expensive but it would benefit the community.
3
The video clearly shows Tensing discharging his firearm at close range with little-to-no provocation for deadly force. For that, charges are justly being brought against him.
However, the video also clearly shows Dubose acting disoriented, and handing over a bottle of gin (!) in response to being asked for his license. He then becomes agitated, turns the engine on, and attempts to flee.
If he was driving drunk or under the influence of drugs (which it looks like he clearly was), the situation could have ended even more tragically had he led the police on a car chase through what looked like a residential area.
The cop was absolutely wrong to discharge his firearm at that time. But it should also be noted that Dubose was driving incapacitated and without a driver's license. I'm angry and upset that he was killed, but I'm also relieved he didn't hurt anyone else.
However, the video also clearly shows Dubose acting disoriented, and handing over a bottle of gin (!) in response to being asked for his license. He then becomes agitated, turns the engine on, and attempts to flee.
If he was driving drunk or under the influence of drugs (which it looks like he clearly was), the situation could have ended even more tragically had he led the police on a car chase through what looked like a residential area.
The cop was absolutely wrong to discharge his firearm at that time. But it should also be noted that Dubose was driving incapacitated and without a driver's license. I'm angry and upset that he was killed, but I'm also relieved he didn't hurt anyone else.
6
The officer specifically asked for the bottle. The man did not hand it over in response to a request for the drivers license. The officer saw the closed bottle in the car. The video shows this clearly. This distortion comes from the police report. There is no indication the driver was drunk or even took a sip of this whisky.
4
You do not know that he was incapacitated. The bottle of gin was full and not opened.
3
He could have shot out his tires.
1
We must unite with our black brothers and sisters to make this stop. #respect
11
Blow sees everything a black and white, but this is part of a bigger problem. Police and, more generally, the justice system is very imperfect. The system is often aggressive, arbitrary, and harsh to everyone.
8
After reading many posts on this subject, here and in other forums, I'm struck by the ignorance of so many people who are attacking the prosecutor, Joe Deters, without knowing much about him. A profile piece on Mr. Deters would go a long way in providing context for the incident.
He is a no-nonsense prosecutor who faced this kind of mess before, previously standing up for officers who have killed unarmed civilians — choices that led to racial violence in the community. His toughness on murderers has earned him the moniker, "Death Penalty Joe." No other prosecutor has put as many people on Ohio's death row (27 people) as Deters. He is a former Republican treasurer for the State of Ohio. He was harshly critical of Xavier University and its pursuit of false rape allegations against basketball player Dez Wells. And he is outspoken on his support for cannabis legalization because he feels marijuana prosecution because it is a drain on law enforcement resources. In a world of polarized, carbon-copy politicians, Mr. Deters is unique.
I strongly believe that Mr. Deters views the offending officer as a disgrace to the good, hard-working law enforcement officers in Hamilton County, Ohio.
He is a no-nonsense prosecutor who faced this kind of mess before, previously standing up for officers who have killed unarmed civilians — choices that led to racial violence in the community. His toughness on murderers has earned him the moniker, "Death Penalty Joe." No other prosecutor has put as many people on Ohio's death row (27 people) as Deters. He is a former Republican treasurer for the State of Ohio. He was harshly critical of Xavier University and its pursuit of false rape allegations against basketball player Dez Wells. And he is outspoken on his support for cannabis legalization because he feels marijuana prosecution because it is a drain on law enforcement resources. In a world of polarized, carbon-copy politicians, Mr. Deters is unique.
I strongly believe that Mr. Deters views the offending officer as a disgrace to the good, hard-working law enforcement officers in Hamilton County, Ohio.
9
From what I can see from the video Dubose is a victim of poor judgment --- for both parties. As an officer, you don't need a gun for a typical traffic stop. As a citizen at a traffic stop you don't wave a half-emptied bottle of whiskey in the face of the officer. Dubose argued for almost 5 minutes. He was asked several questions more than once. He could not produce license and registration when requested. Dubose did not get out of the car when ordered. When the officer tried to remove him from the car he resisted, then started his car and tried to drive away. Let's see, that's: 1) driving drunk; 2) open alcohol container; 3) failure to provide registration or license; 4) fighting with an officer; 5) attempting to flee; 6) possible endangerment of officer.
Dubose didn't deserve to be shot, that's poor police work. Dubose was going to jail.
Dubose didn't deserve to be shot, that's poor police work. Dubose was going to jail.
5
The bottle was sealed and on the floor of the car. The officer asked for it and the driver handed it over. He did not wave it. What video did you see?
4
Hey Rocketscientist, maybe you should watch the video again. The bottle was completely full. He said it was air freshener and gave it to the officer to open. The confrontation was less than 2 minutes. He did not argue with the officer. He did not fight the officer. He wasn't asked to exit the car, just remove his seatbelt. He did attempt to flee because he didn't have ID,but the cop's life was not under threat. A man is dead. Why do you feel the need to denegrate the dead? You talk as if his perceived failings provide a valid reason for his death. He's dead. He's not going to jail. He's dead. Doesn't his life (even if it was an unlawful life) matter at all to you? It is more than just "poor police work". That's so cavalier. It's a blatant disregard for human life. Please, Sir or Madam, stop this.
2
The NRA (and the SCOTUS) advocates the right to own a gun for self defense. Based on that logic I would think they would be advocating for all citizens to own a gun to protect themselves from the police ! Of course the real but totally unpractical solution is to get rid of all guns.
4
Refreshing, a prosecutor who isn't part of the circle the wagons club.
8
I was having a conversation with a White co-worker about the Dubose killing and the spate of similar police shootings of unarmed Black men in addition to the amount of force and reaction to Black women who aren't deferrential to officers when the officers are addressing them. She agreed that the Dubose shooting was an atrocity but when I mentioned the shooting of the unarmed Black man who was running from the police in South Carolina she looked at me with dismay and said that he shouldn't have been running away. I said really? Why was it necessary to use deadly force to shoot an unarmed man in the back who didn't pose a threat to the officer or the community? I told her that deadly force is to be used in a narrow set of circumstances where the officer believes that his life or the life of another person is in danger. I was truly amazed that she wasn't aware of the guidelines for the use of deadly force. However I think that the profiling and dehumnanization of African American males as criminals and dangerous thugs justifies force regardless of the violation (traffic, petty crime, criminal misdemeanor )of law which surrounds the stop.
18
I cannot bear to read such accounts, day after day, of the governmental / police assault on our fellow citizens. Yet I must read them, because this is happening to people everywhere in our country. Combined with evidence of economic destruction, incarceration rates out of this world, and deliberate voting disenfranchisement, one can do nothing but conclude that this is a war against citizens of color in the US. As a middle-class white woman, I am taking up this war in whatever tiny way I can. Thank you, Charles Blow, for again writing so movingly at a moment of despair.
16
This has been going on for decades. We just didn't have the video cameras to catch it all. Before, corrupt police could spin away the story and get their partners to back them up. Now the evidence is posted in video for the world to see the truth. Sadly, surveillance needs to be pervasive and complete--both formal and caught by bystanders--for justice to be reached. One wonders about other more racially motivated injustices that are being spun away, not caught on camera--say in real estate, banking, travel, education and legislation. Police are not the only one guilty of this profiling.
21
The rejection of authority by so many young adults, particularly males, is a problem that could be ameliorated by requiring every person 18 years old or after graduation from college to serve in the military for a reasonable period, say two to four years. In the merit based military system, recruits learn discipline and respect for authority. Often they are given significant responsibilities at an early age which makes them more employable and self-sufficient in civilian life. Getting rid of the draft was a huge mistake.
1
As a veteran who is concerned that so few of our citizens serve our country these days I agree that getting rid of the draft was a bad idea, but the rejection of authority we often see today stems in part from the fact that our authorities are often bigoted, closed-minded, and more interested in getting re-elected than in serving ALL the people. The poor, people of color, and women are often poorly treated by authorities as we're re seeing as these videos keep surfacing.
1
What does that have to with a cop who shoots a civilian in the head?
Many developed nations require a one year hitch in their army.
1
The high incidence of police shootings is an indication of extremely poor police leadership; things need to start changing at the top. Of course there will be accidents in a profession that goes hand in hand with high-risk situations; however, the extremely high incidence compared to other developed countries, is an indication that the screening process in hiring police force, and the training given to these individuals is not enough. Perhaps this disturbing trend has been hastened by a hiring spree, in an effort to keep up with draconian laws, and the incarceration rate (the second worst in the world in a recent article I read).
1
I've seen many "funny" videos of citizens swearing, threatening cops jobs, tearing up tickets and throwing them in the officers face - outrageous behavior. None died, all were white.
17
The ratio of "ease of use" to "extreme consequence" whether in the hands of a homicidal maniac or an officer of the law, is what makes the firearm so inviting and so dangerous. The mass distribution of guns enables the former to do their predictable thing. The lack of consequences for incompetent ,undisciplined and personal rage enable the latter, to too often, kill with impunity.
3
The harsh facts of whites' fear of and contempt for blacks:
*white cops shoot first (even in the back), explain later;
*blacks getting stopped for driving while black;
*cops frisk 8% of whites stopped on the street and 85% of blacks, and whites tell blacks, "If you're not doing anything wrong you've got nothing to worry about";
*blacks comprise 14% of drug users but 37% of drug arrests;
*blacks get 83% of New York life sentences;
*chance a black male born in 2001 will go to jail is 32%, white males 6%;
*white-on-black hate crimes (Coatesville PA lynch mob 1911; 4,000 black men, women and children lynched between 1877 and 1950; James Byrd Jr. 1998; election night 2008 assaults by whites on blacks in Staten Island);
*white rule over blacks by terror, violence and discrimination for most of US history.
*Redlining by realtors, lenders and the federal government;
*restrictive covenants in homeowners associations;
*shipping center-city jobs to the suburbs so white employers can exploit recent Latino immigrants with low wages, then whites telling blacks, "stop being drug dealers and get a job!";
*whites let black schools fall apart and students fail, and then say, "you don't care about education!"
In effect, whites replaced Jim Crow with the "justice" system such that blacks approach life in white society with great caution. And the white attitude about the legacy of slavery? "Oh, get over it!"
I'm surprised blacks will even talk to whites.
*white cops shoot first (even in the back), explain later;
*blacks getting stopped for driving while black;
*cops frisk 8% of whites stopped on the street and 85% of blacks, and whites tell blacks, "If you're not doing anything wrong you've got nothing to worry about";
*blacks comprise 14% of drug users but 37% of drug arrests;
*blacks get 83% of New York life sentences;
*chance a black male born in 2001 will go to jail is 32%, white males 6%;
*white-on-black hate crimes (Coatesville PA lynch mob 1911; 4,000 black men, women and children lynched between 1877 and 1950; James Byrd Jr. 1998; election night 2008 assaults by whites on blacks in Staten Island);
*white rule over blacks by terror, violence and discrimination for most of US history.
*Redlining by realtors, lenders and the federal government;
*restrictive covenants in homeowners associations;
*shipping center-city jobs to the suburbs so white employers can exploit recent Latino immigrants with low wages, then whites telling blacks, "stop being drug dealers and get a job!";
*whites let black schools fall apart and students fail, and then say, "you don't care about education!"
In effect, whites replaced Jim Crow with the "justice" system such that blacks approach life in white society with great caution. And the white attitude about the legacy of slavery? "Oh, get over it!"
I'm surprised blacks will even talk to whites.
17
The video record of the event is crucial—not just for evidence but also for those of us who do not experience this kind of interactions with police to see first hand what people of color experience on a regular basis. Of course there are those people who say he brought it on himself by not cooperating and to that I ask, would you feel the same if it were your son, brother, father who for a moment hesitated to get out of the car and ended up dead? I have 20-something year old sons and I can see them questioning a police officer about why they would have to get out of the car for a missing front plate. What shocks me the most about all of these incidents is how ill equipped and poorly trained these officers are to deal with the slightest provocation. The use of deadly force would be the absolute last resort but all too often it's the first.
12
This is what the jury will see when they watch the full body cam video, as opposed to the heavily edited video Blow links to:
(1) a driver who is operating under the influence, has a suspended license and no front plate.
(2) a driver who has 75 arrests on his record, yet refuses to comply with the directions of a police officer or to answer the police officer's questions.
(3) a driver who pulls the car door shut when the officer tries to open it, and then drives off, dragging the officer five or six feet, and knocks the officer to the ground with his vehicle.
(4) an officer who is calm and professional up to the point that he is dragged by the car, and then over-reacts with the use of deadly force when it is not called for.
If the prosecutor insists on calling this "murder", he is unlikely to get a conviction. This is perhaps a case of aggravated manslaughter, but there is also the issue of the body cams of the other officers. They may add to our knowledge of what happened.
On AM radio, Dubose will be portrayed as an attempted murderer, and in Blow's world, the officer is a murderer. I would posit that Dubose was engaged in reckless criminal behavior and the officer was incompetent, but that neither meant for this to go down the way it did.
(1) a driver who is operating under the influence, has a suspended license and no front plate.
(2) a driver who has 75 arrests on his record, yet refuses to comply with the directions of a police officer or to answer the police officer's questions.
(3) a driver who pulls the car door shut when the officer tries to open it, and then drives off, dragging the officer five or six feet, and knocks the officer to the ground with his vehicle.
(4) an officer who is calm and professional up to the point that he is dragged by the car, and then over-reacts with the use of deadly force when it is not called for.
If the prosecutor insists on calling this "murder", he is unlikely to get a conviction. This is perhaps a case of aggravated manslaughter, but there is also the issue of the body cams of the other officers. They may add to our knowledge of what happened.
On AM radio, Dubose will be portrayed as an attempted murderer, and in Blow's world, the officer is a murderer. I would posit that Dubose was engaged in reckless criminal behavior and the officer was incompetent, but that neither meant for this to go down the way it did.
7
You didn't see the same video I saw.
There is an unedited version of the video online. Nowhere does it show the officer being dragged by Mr. DeBose's car. Investigators theorize that the officer's uniform was damaged when he hit the pavement as a result of discharging his weapon.
1
A much more realistic perspective. But that doesn't sell papers.
Eloquently expressed, Mr. Blow. Thank you.
6
We can only imagine the injustices that have piled up over the decades before social media and cameras. Heartbreaking to see different city, same scenario, day in day out. I would like to think that anger management and improved police training will end this, however much more likely, it will be continued multi-million dollar settlements to the families paid for by taxpayers, that will become a bizarre form of reparations.
3
Is Mr. Blow troubled by the carnage, orders of magnitude greater, that takes place on a daily basis in inner city neighborhoods? Singling out a bad police shooting seems political to me.
3
STOP THE KILLINGS! Police body and vehicle cams along with videos made by citizens, are providing clear evidence of systematic slayings being carried out with terrifying regularity by those sworn to uphold the law. That the slayings involve mainly persons of color is yet another horror piled on top of this national disgrace. How can we consider ourselves a civilized nation if we permit rogue police officers who are mentally unstable and untruthful to wield guns against unarmed, innocent civilians? What is desperately needed is better screening of police candidates for mental stability, accompanied by ongoing training and supervision in maintaining a calm professional demeanor to the fullest extent possible. Each time I learn of one of these slayings, I am shocked and horrified anew. When will it end? If the police are shooting one group of citizens now, they may change their targets at any time and start shooting at members of a group you belong to. If persons of color are unsafe, we are all unsafe!
3
Advice to drivers: When stopped, don't play games with the officer and make him or her angry.
1
Oh honey, if you are a white driver you can be plenty guilty and obnoxious and you still won't be threatened with death. I've seen it happen enough to be sure of that.
9
My initial reaction is "Why is a U of Cinci" police officer #1 carrying a firearm and #2 why are University police officers making random (he was stopped for not having a front license plate) traffic violations stops?
6
I just took a look at the video of the Dubose shooting and it appeared to me Dubose started his vehicle and tried to drive away without permission from the officer and without any adequate explanation for not having had his driver's license after having repeatedly been asked by the officer for his license and admitting he did not have it...
However this does not excuse the officer of the shooting at all. Which brings me to a troubling aspect of American police culture: It seems police culture is such that it is not the American citizen who is given benefit of the doubt but the officer (police culture talk such as the officer must do all he can to protect himself, officer's lives matter, etc.). In other words there seems a police culture of jumping the gun, that it is more important and safe for the officer to be quicker on the draw than the citizen (as if citizens are naturally going about with guns) rather than a culture of giving the citizen benefit of the doubt (which of course would put more officer's lives in jeopardy, but in my belief that is the price of being a police officer).
In short there seems no police culture of true service to community, one of necessary self-restraint even if does cost officer lives. Rather the emphasis seems on the safety and importance of officer which results in greater officer safety but also any number of citizens of all color killed or wounded by aggressive officers. Consequence of camera will probably be revision of police culture.
However this does not excuse the officer of the shooting at all. Which brings me to a troubling aspect of American police culture: It seems police culture is such that it is not the American citizen who is given benefit of the doubt but the officer (police culture talk such as the officer must do all he can to protect himself, officer's lives matter, etc.). In other words there seems a police culture of jumping the gun, that it is more important and safe for the officer to be quicker on the draw than the citizen (as if citizens are naturally going about with guns) rather than a culture of giving the citizen benefit of the doubt (which of course would put more officer's lives in jeopardy, but in my belief that is the price of being a police officer).
In short there seems no police culture of true service to community, one of necessary self-restraint even if does cost officer lives. Rather the emphasis seems on the safety and importance of officer which results in greater officer safety but also any number of citizens of all color killed or wounded by aggressive officers. Consequence of camera will probably be revision of police culture.
6
The beginning of reasonably consistent reporting of these kinds of incidents, in the last year, shows how many of them there have been for years. What is mind boggling is that even when many of the perpetrators know they are on video their instinctive behavior still isn't suppressed.
4
What is mind boggling to me is the number of people defending cop killings.
2
While I agree that officer Tensing appears to have over reacted, based on what we can see in the video, there is some shared responsibility here on the part of the victim. The same is true for the Sandra Bland case in Texas. That is the painful truth that I believe a lot of commenters want to avoid. Traffic stops are very dangerous situations for police officers. Unfortunately for Mr. Dubose, his actions put him in a situation where he lost his life. This is a tragedy all around.
4
I think that is utter nonsense. No one who does not threaten a police officer or anyone else with weapons can be said to have any responsibility for being shot by an officer.
Why were the traffic stops in this case and the Bland case dangerous for the officers involved, considering that in both cases the motorist was unarmed? What was the officer in the Bland case afraid of, that Bland would blow cigarette smoke in his face?
Why were the traffic stops in this case and the Bland case dangerous for the officers involved, considering that in both cases the motorist was unarmed? What was the officer in the Bland case afraid of, that Bland would blow cigarette smoke in his face?
6
No, there is no shared responsibility on the part of the victim. Neither person did anything illegal before the officer in question used excessive force. Your "logic" is preposterous.
4
Yes, there is some criminal behavior in every sector of society. But why are we surprised when a long history of bad behavior by "The Establishment" (slavery, segregation, poor schools, discrimination, etc.) leads to a lack of respect for it or acquiescence to it? Now it falls to the police, representing that establishment, to punish big and small violations perpetuated by victims of the original violator. It's time to rethink this madness.
3
If you decide to drink while driving, and drive around with a suspended license and no front plate, and then when you are stopped by a policeman, refuse to follow his directions, refuse to answer his questions, pull the door shut when he tries to open it, drive off, dragging the police officer five or six feet, and knock the officer to the pavement with your car, what do you really expect will happen?
A better officer hopefully arrests you without shooting you, but Tensing is not a better officer. His judgement is poor and he over-reacts. But Dubose has been arrested 75 times already, demonstrating a reckless disregard for the law and public safety.
One of the problems here is that Blow chooses to link to a heavily edited video that looks like an execution, rather than the full video that shows an inept police officer dealing incompetently with a drunk and reckless driver.
A better officer hopefully arrests you without shooting you, but Tensing is not a better officer. His judgement is poor and he over-reacts. But Dubose has been arrested 75 times already, demonstrating a reckless disregard for the law and public safety.
One of the problems here is that Blow chooses to link to a heavily edited video that looks like an execution, rather than the full video that shows an inept police officer dealing incompetently with a drunk and reckless driver.
7
All the things you describe in your first paragraph did not happen. He was not rude, it's not clear that he was drunk (having an unopened bottle in the car is not evidence of drunkenness), his license had not been suspended, he did not refuse to answer any questions, and he did not drag anyone anywhere. The officer tried to open the car door himself, which would have frightened anyone (officers are supposed to ask the person to stop out, not to invade the person's space) and as he did, the man panicked and in a split-second, the officer shot him, which sent the car careening down the street, a dead man's foot on the accelerator. It's a blessing the out of control car with the murdered man inside did not kill someone else.
Admittedly, the man was not as responsive as he might have been, but none of that justifies being KILLED, shot at point blank range.
How many times do white cops, or even black cops, stop white people, and shoot them for being less responsive than the officer would like?
And the only part of the video that is edited is the part that shows the officer shooting the man directly in the face, which was deemed to graphic to publish (wise choice). And yes, it was an EXECUTION.
Admittedly, the man was not as responsive as he might have been, but none of that justifies being KILLED, shot at point blank range.
How many times do white cops, or even black cops, stop white people, and shoot them for being less responsive than the officer would like?
And the only part of the video that is edited is the part that shows the officer shooting the man directly in the face, which was deemed to graphic to publish (wise choice). And yes, it was an EXECUTION.
5
ON- If you watch the full video, you see a very different scenario than the edited video. And here is Dubose's record:
driving without a license 13 times, driving while suspended eight times, failure to display a proper a proper license plate on his vehicle four times. Dubose wracked up 75 offenses. His judgement is just as suspect as Tensings.
I am not justifying Tensing shooting Dubose, but I am reacting to the narrative of many of the posters here that Tensing is evil and Dubose is a martyr of the civil rights movement. Tensing is an incompetent cop and Dubose shouldn't be on the roads.
One thing I agree with you about is that Tensing shouldn't have tried to open Dubose's car door. He should have ordered Dubose out of the car, as you said, and called for backup to cut off Dubose's car as Dubose made a run for it.
driving without a license 13 times, driving while suspended eight times, failure to display a proper a proper license plate on his vehicle four times. Dubose wracked up 75 offenses. His judgement is just as suspect as Tensings.
I am not justifying Tensing shooting Dubose, but I am reacting to the narrative of many of the posters here that Tensing is evil and Dubose is a martyr of the civil rights movement. Tensing is an incompetent cop and Dubose shouldn't be on the roads.
One thing I agree with you about is that Tensing shouldn't have tried to open Dubose's car door. He should have ordered Dubose out of the car, as you said, and called for backup to cut off Dubose's car as Dubose made a run for it.
1
Was he drinking while driving? The bottle was full and not open. It was an execution.
3
Police officer Tensing engaged in casual
white supremacist domestic terrorism under
color of authority, because he truly believed
he could get away with it.
white supremacist domestic terrorism under
color of authority, because he truly believed
he could get away with it.
23
Ominous that it's a university police officer this time. In what way was Samuel Dubose threatening the university? What relevance did the missing license plate have to the university's safety and security? Or have we come to the point that every type of police or guard is now armed and justified in enforcing all laws with lethal violence? These killings, rightly seen as race-based now, are the canary in the mine. Each one of us is at risk if our society becomes an over-militarized police state.
7
I think it is time to determine that police need to be REQUIRED to use non-lethal force at all costs--tasers, a baton or required to shoot to stop, not to kill. Also, if in EVERY ONE OF THESE CASES the police chief was immediately fired with no question, things would change and quickly.
1
It may be time for American citizenry at large to have body and/or car cams to use in their own defense in court after being stopped by the police, or for their relatives to use to learn the truth after the police kill a family member.
1
So many police must imagine themselves as today's Sheriffs. They're out looking for strangers, in their lily white town. Or they are the Lonesome Cowboy, alive and well in the Old Wild West, always ready with their trusty firearms. And so many show no fealty to the greater society - their personal liberty (choice) is so much more important. We're stuck in the 19th century, (except for gadgets), while the rest of the civilized world is living in the 21st century where compromise is necessary and valued.
5
Hey, NRA! Maybe if this law abiding citizen had been carrying a hand gun he might have saved his own life. Not a chance? Gotcha.
5
I think a large number of police departments across the country have adopted policies of pretextual stops of black men in high-crime areas, not for the stated reason for the stop, but to see what the guy is really up to. It's these policies that lead to stopping black men for burned out light bulbs, missing tags, tint on the windows and a host of other reasons that don't lead to stops of white people. These policies give credence to claims by African-Americans that there is a widely recognized offense of driving while black. It is frustration with these stops that leads to the "attitude" shown by black drivers when they are stopped for petty reasons that are not considered sufficient to stop a white driver.
6
You are correct, and it's already been proven that this is a routine practice. It's called "Driving While Black," or DWB.
3
The traffic stop that began this whole incident makes little sense. The campus police have a mutual aid agreement with the city police, but why did a campus officer feel the need to perform routine traffic patrol at an off-campus location?
At most colleges and universities, this officer would have been reprimanded for wasting his time doing routine traffic patrol off campus when he should be working on campus safety -- unless of course, the real motive here was the assumption that a black person driving near campus is automatically a suspect.
This incident went bad long before the shooting itself.
At most colleges and universities, this officer would have been reprimanded for wasting his time doing routine traffic patrol off campus when he should be working on campus safety -- unless of course, the real motive here was the assumption that a black person driving near campus is automatically a suspect.
This incident went bad long before the shooting itself.
5
There is a deeper problem with American law enforcement that all the body cameras in the world won't fix. Police in this country operate based on a philosophy of dominance and submission. As soon as a member of civilian society interacts with a police officer they are expected to show submission. This is especially true for African Americans, Native Americans, Hispanics and other disempowered minorities. If the civilian in question doesn't submit to the dominant police officer, ever greater force is used to compel that submission. You can see this dynamic at work in all the videos of police shootings we have been subjected to recently. Samuel Dubose argued with Officer Tensing. He did not show proper submission, so he was killed. Eric Garner didn't submit to the officers on Staten Island, so he was choked. Walter Scott didn't submit, so he was shot in the back. For these killings to stop the fundamental approach taken by police officers in this country must undergo a profound change. It will be difficult to enact this change, given that police work seems to attract petty tyrants who enjoy the feeling of dominance they demand. I guess body cameras are a place to start, but in the end it's not going to get the job done.
12
This convinces me that it's time that I, an old white guy, join and support the Black Panthers.
14
The sad part is a man is dead because he failed to attach a front plate to his car. If he only had went to Auto Zone and bought a couple of screws he would be alive? If one lady had of just put on her turn signal she would be alive. If a guy had of only knew his tail light was out he wouldn't have got shot in the back in South Carolina. If the twelve year old had of only knew not to pull off the orange cap on his toy pistol. If Mister Garner had only have not gotten upset for being arrested. If Shawn Bell only had not wanted to celebrate before he got married. Starting to sound like the old line about females. If she only wasn't wearing that dress! All I can say is maybe its time we stop saying only if.
159
And you seem to have entirely missed the point of Mr. McCain's comment. Maybe it IS time we stop saying, "only if...".
2
Guess the thing at the top is a hill. Maybe if you stop looking at the trees you would understand. I really do understand Pompous!
1
Force should never be used in a non life threatening situation.
New rules need to be made as to how to deal with uncooperative people like Samuel Dubose and Sandra Bland.
I propose that the officer ask for the keys to the car if the person does not cooperate.
Should the person refuse to hand over the keys, then the officer should inform them that they will shoot the tires of the car if cooperation is not forthcoming, then proceed to shoot the tires in the event of further non-cooperation.
I believe that will get the attention of the law breaker, and lives, if not propery will be spared.
New rules need to be made as to how to deal with uncooperative people like Samuel Dubose and Sandra Bland.
I propose that the officer ask for the keys to the car if the person does not cooperate.
Should the person refuse to hand over the keys, then the officer should inform them that they will shoot the tires of the car if cooperation is not forthcoming, then proceed to shoot the tires in the event of further non-cooperation.
I believe that will get the attention of the law breaker, and lives, if not propery will be spared.
I'd like to point out that shooting out the tire is a pretty violent use of force. And handing an officer the car keys is a level of submission that many people (perhaps myself) will refuse.
No--cops need training. For one thing, they already have the plate number of the car, and if someone speeds away, there are other avenues of response open to officials.
The level of violence (taught, among other things, by thousands of movies and TV programs) in America is appalling. We need to turn down the level. Even if that means someone gets away with not having a front plate on a vehicle.
No--cops need training. For one thing, they already have the plate number of the car, and if someone speeds away, there are other avenues of response open to officials.
The level of violence (taught, among other things, by thousands of movies and TV programs) in America is appalling. We need to turn down the level. Even if that means someone gets away with not having a front plate on a vehicle.
2
I'm starting to think that every non-white person in the U.S should be given a body-cam at birth. As far as I can tell, that is about the only way that safety could be assured.
3
A body cam at birth would not assure safety.
It would just mean there'd be a record of what happened that resulted in bodily harm. That is if the camera were not confiscated or otherwise damaged beyond repair.
It would just mean there'd be a record of what happened that resulted in bodily harm. That is if the camera were not confiscated or otherwise damaged beyond repair.
2
The body camera here did not prevent the man's death, and even with that evidence, this cop and his cohorts conspired in a cover-up. And though it will help the prosecution prove that the officer committed murder, it certainly won't bring back the victim.
3
Racism. Partisan politics. Hate radio. Mealy mouth media. Dysfunctional government...............and then we elect a Black President and watch the racism that was hiding in the back room, explode in the disrespect of our Commander and Chief and the apparent license to openly violate a black person's right to be an equal member of this society. It's more than a disturbing trend. It's frightening.
16
Very little has changed since 1865.
3
Cameras do indeed change so much, if not everything.
They speak for the dead.
They speak for the dead.
6
Would the policeman have been charged if he had been regular police rather than a mere campus policeman?
4
The cop was wrong. No doubt. He should have let the motorist drive away and called for backup to stop the motorist down the road. But, again, we have someone who could have easily prevented his death by doing what a motorist is required to do - hand over his license to the cop. Instead he turns his car on and tries to drive away with the cop reaching through the window trying to turn the car off. This provocative, uncooperative and/or intransigent behavior to the cop has been the same on almost all these cop shootings. Why doesn't someone with a public voice tell people, especially blacks, to cooperate with the police no matter how much they may hate the police. The focus of the solution to police shootings should not only be on the police.
4
You are missing the fact that Tensing's gun was drawn before Dubose turned on his car. No way Tensing reached in and drew his gun and fired one lethal shot to the head in the brief instant of time that erupted as captured by the video. Go back and look and try to imagine him drawing his pistol and firing in that quick flash of time.
Or his death could have been prevented had the officer not drawn his gun over such an incidental situation. The guy's crime was no front license plate and no license to produce. He wasn't wanted for murder, rape, assault. Why draw the gun?
Your point Mr. Williams is valid, as far as it goes. Indeed, when I've been stopped by the police, I've made it a point to be polite and cooperative. But to understand the problem, we could usefully try a little thought experiment: imagine the same scenario that we witnessed in Cincinnati, only this time let's make the drunk driver (if that's what he was) an affluent middle-aged white "gentleman" behind the wheel of a Bentley. The "gentleman", like Mr. Dubose, waves a bottle of liquor instead of his license and proceeds to drive slowly on. Now, does our uniformed upholder of the law shoot him dead or does he let the fellow drive on, follow him and call for back-up? I think we both know the answer and therein lies the problem.
The Supreme Court has ruled that during a traffic stop police officers can order people to get out of their cars as a matter of course because police officers must have "unquestioned command of the situation." Officer Tensing first mistake was not ordering Dubose, who seemed disoriented or inebriated, out of the car Perhaps he didn't want to escalate the situation.
1
No, his mistake was drawing his gun and shooting an innocent man in the head. What's the most the driver would have done? Drive away? And so what. He wasn't wanted for murder or rape. They could have easily summonsed him into court.
4
As of U of C officer, not a city of Cincinnati officer, did Mr. Tensing have the right to stop Mr. Dubose in the first place?
1
More likely he was poorly trained and a hothead.
Race=POWER, Policeman vs Black Man challenging him him = moment of increased control to restore racial domination and superiority. These are the unconscious motivations of all these situations.
This wannabe police officer hoping to become a big time real officer is being challenged by an uppity inferior black man. Thus he seeks to dominate him and assert his superiority over him. The man attempts to flee this humiliating condition. The officer becomes enraged and kills him. He feels invulnerable and has a sense of being able to justify his actions by being able to say is can get away with stating he feared for his life and be believed. If not for the body cam he would be right as his fellow officers attempted to cover for him. And who knows he may still get off despite the national attention thrown on this moment.
But the personal is political. And the national problem is that in our country the problem is not limited to the police. It is that us WHITE people do NOT want to give up our superiority our power, our status our money our influence our connections to education business and political power. We do not want a redistribution of wealth and equality of health care and opportunity for all. We are not as yet a democracy.
This wannabe police officer hoping to become a big time real officer is being challenged by an uppity inferior black man. Thus he seeks to dominate him and assert his superiority over him. The man attempts to flee this humiliating condition. The officer becomes enraged and kills him. He feels invulnerable and has a sense of being able to justify his actions by being able to say is can get away with stating he feared for his life and be believed. If not for the body cam he would be right as his fellow officers attempted to cover for him. And who knows he may still get off despite the national attention thrown on this moment.
But the personal is political. And the national problem is that in our country the problem is not limited to the police. It is that us WHITE people do NOT want to give up our superiority our power, our status our money our influence our connections to education business and political power. We do not want a redistribution of wealth and equality of health care and opportunity for all. We are not as yet a democracy.
7
The police often recruit people who are mentally unstable and psychologically unfit for the job. I have a distant cousin who is physicially very fit, but developmentally challenged and guess what? He recently joined the NYPD and is now a corrections officer!! This is a young man who without medication, is pretty unstable. My siblings and I are still in shock.
5
Inflection Point: "a point on a curve at which the curve changes from being concave (concave downward) to convex (concave upward), or vice versa." [Wikipedia] The concept of inflection point is inherent in the term "presumed innocent." It is the point at which a person's opinion (assumption) flips from innocent to guilty. It's also a marker on the spectrum of when an ordinary reader's default expectation that a sworn officer of the law has recounted truthfully the events leading to a homicide. Or not. For many, that is an uncomfortable but necessary awakening. The history of the virtual unassailability of police accounts and court findings of justifiable homicide is being shaken by recent killings. Technology, i.e., cameras on officers, patrol cars or held by bystanders, has shown our assumptions - nay, expectations! - of police trustworthiness may be at risk. Are we approaching that inflection point where our default assumption becomes, "let's wait to see what the video shows," before believing any police account or report? Or worse, that any official release is to be viewed with suspicion or disbelief until proven truthful, i.e., innocent? For some that point may be close, if not upon them.
1
Full disclosure: I am a white male, 33 years old, and all my interactions with police officers (mostly traffic cops) have been simple and the police have treated me politely. I also have no background in law so my opinion that it is manslaughter rather than murder may be totally unsound.
The most generous way that I think the events recorded on the body camera can be interpreted is:
Once Dubose started the engine Tensing tried to pull him out of the car. That was mistake number 1. Mistake number 2 was pointing his gun at Dubose who naturally tried to lean back/away from the gun. However, the angle Dubose was forced to contort his body while putting space between himself and the gun caused his foot to slightly depress the gas pedal. The increased engine sounds and slight forward movement caused Tensing to panic, thinking he was about to be dragged, and he shot Dubose. Dubose's slumping body subsequently depressed the gas pedal, causing the car to tear away, making Tensing lose his balance and tumble backwards. Since the amount of time between gunshot and the car speeding up was a split second, Tensing's adrenaline flushed brain remembered the events as "car sped up, I fired the shot", was still dragged," the adrenaline of the moment not distinguishing between dragged and knocked backwards.
Even with this generous interpretation, Tensing still deserves to be tried for murder/manslaughter. He put himself at risk by reaching into the car, panicked, and killed Dubose.
The most generous way that I think the events recorded on the body camera can be interpreted is:
Once Dubose started the engine Tensing tried to pull him out of the car. That was mistake number 1. Mistake number 2 was pointing his gun at Dubose who naturally tried to lean back/away from the gun. However, the angle Dubose was forced to contort his body while putting space between himself and the gun caused his foot to slightly depress the gas pedal. The increased engine sounds and slight forward movement caused Tensing to panic, thinking he was about to be dragged, and he shot Dubose. Dubose's slumping body subsequently depressed the gas pedal, causing the car to tear away, making Tensing lose his balance and tumble backwards. Since the amount of time between gunshot and the car speeding up was a split second, Tensing's adrenaline flushed brain remembered the events as "car sped up, I fired the shot", was still dragged," the adrenaline of the moment not distinguishing between dragged and knocked backwards.
Even with this generous interpretation, Tensing still deserves to be tried for murder/manslaughter. He put himself at risk by reaching into the car, panicked, and killed Dubose.
4
Ample evidence exists. The policing and justice system in America is broken. When did our police become an occupying military force rather than a caretaker entity designed to serve and protect? The result are police officers who view themselves as soldiers that view the citizenry as enemies. Violence in America is as intrinsic as apple pie.
This man deserves severe punishment for his actions. In a larger context, these police brutality incidences are a wake up call. The citizens of America are ultimately responsible for allowing the militarization of our police force to occur. Public demand for more oppressive actions in policing and stronger sentences in the penal system has created a monster within our midst.
This man deserves severe punishment for his actions. In a larger context, these police brutality incidences are a wake up call. The citizens of America are ultimately responsible for allowing the militarization of our police force to occur. Public demand for more oppressive actions in policing and stronger sentences in the penal system has created a monster within our midst.
4
I believe we can thank former President Bush and former Vice President Chaney for the shift from caretaker entity to occupying military force. Not long after 911, and upon the creation of Homeland Security, federal money began pouring into police agencies at every level. Terrorism could spring up anywhere at any time within the Homeland. Therefore all police would need to take on the role of soldier. The now-soldiers needed to be properly outfitted and equipped for their new mission. While we weren't paying much attention, the newly-militarized police were being uniformed in combat-level protective gear. Their weapons were being upgraded. Their arsenals were being supplemented. And used military vehicles began rolling through our communities. An accompanying shift in culture and training occurred as well. The soldier was no longer a caretaker. The soldier now needed to take control and command.
Guns, guns, and more guns. Why do police need guns for traffic enforcement? Why do police have to confront every situation like it's the wild west? Why are they so aggressive that any "backtalk" is met with violence and arrest? We really need to take guns away from the majority of police. Let specially trained individuals in the police force carry the guns. Let the police who are not armed, if the situation leads to a confrontation they can't address, let that situation pass, take, as Brad's comment suggests, the license plate number and/or description and then bring in the needed force to deal with it. Our justice system has collapsed. Police do not serve and protect, they are enforcers. Our courts do not dispense justice, they impose vengeance. Something has to give.
2
"Officer Tensing repeated that he was being dragged by the vehicle and had to fire his weapon.” Was Tensing given a physical examination after this incident to look for evidence of his alleged dragging?
3
Why is any campus cop, anywhere, allowed to enforce anything outside the campus? It's like allowing so-called "militias" to impose martial law. If these incompetents were real cops they'd be on real police forces. Sad to say, those "real" cops are too often just as unprofessional as the Kampus Klowns. And citizens get murdered by guys who took an oath to serve and protect.
7
I sense something deeper and more disturbing than the racial component of these shootings. Ever since 11 Sep 2001 the police and all other law enforcement agencies have seemed to take the position that everyone not part of the law enforcement profession is "The Enemy." Mix in just a bit of racial bias to make it easy to identify who "The Enemy" is and old fears and hatred come to the surface and people are dead for no logical reason.
The mentality of American leadership that we are "At War" while less than one-percent of the population actually goes into the military, seeps into the rest of our lives. We're surrounded with "Open Carry" citizens, Law Enforcement that sees everyone as a "Perp that hasn't been caught - yet" and "The Enemy."
Finally, civil forfeiture laws encourage police officers to aggravate simple situations in order to lay claim to personal property under the guise that the individual committed a serious crime and cars and houses are seized for non-criminal acts like - Driving While Black.
Our society as a whole has to look deeply into the mirror of our collective behavior and make substantial changes to our attitudes. "The Enemy" is fear, and fear kills our ability to think and that always leads to disaster.
FWIW: Ray Tensing's attorney is already pleading the "Fear for his life" defense. Forget probable cause, being "afraid" is justification for murder. That isn't the America I grew up in.
The mentality of American leadership that we are "At War" while less than one-percent of the population actually goes into the military, seeps into the rest of our lives. We're surrounded with "Open Carry" citizens, Law Enforcement that sees everyone as a "Perp that hasn't been caught - yet" and "The Enemy."
Finally, civil forfeiture laws encourage police officers to aggravate simple situations in order to lay claim to personal property under the guise that the individual committed a serious crime and cars and houses are seized for non-criminal acts like - Driving While Black.
Our society as a whole has to look deeply into the mirror of our collective behavior and make substantial changes to our attitudes. "The Enemy" is fear, and fear kills our ability to think and that always leads to disaster.
FWIW: Ray Tensing's attorney is already pleading the "Fear for his life" defense. Forget probable cause, being "afraid" is justification for murder. That isn't the America I grew up in.
4
Being afraid seems to be the new normal for many Americans.
Fear of a small country far away, fear of a bloody cult of religious fanatics, fear of people of color, fear of losing our "freedoms", fear, fear, fear.
This isn't the America I grew up in, either.
Fear of a small country far away, fear of a bloody cult of religious fanatics, fear of people of color, fear of losing our "freedoms", fear, fear, fear.
This isn't the America I grew up in, either.
2
From what I have read Black people in America have always had reasons to fear interacting with police. In the South, historically, cops took the roll of klansman or vigilante against people of color far too often. With horrific consequences. To fear that any interaction with a cop could lead to one's death must be a terrible weight to carry around all the time. And those who would disparage Charles for keeping this thread alive in his work should consider that fact.
We, as a Nation, must decide if we are to continue to attempt running a huge enterprise of a Country on the cheap. We need to collect the revenues we need through the tax system not the traffic ticket system. We need to pay our police and civic servants a very good wage, give them excellent training, and hire only those who pass a severe muster. These steps cannot be taken on the cheap.
We, as a Nation, must decide if we are to continue to attempt running a huge enterprise of a Country on the cheap. We need to collect the revenues we need through the tax system not the traffic ticket system. We need to pay our police and civic servants a very good wage, give them excellent training, and hire only those who pass a severe muster. These steps cannot be taken on the cheap.
8
I completed sheriff's academy. The problem is "us" vs. "them." Even black sheriff's academy graduates see the world in black and white. They cannot see any nuance whether black or white. This reflects the fact that many of my peers are not all that bright. Half of the US has an IQ under 100. We cannot use IQ tests or aptitude tests to screen applicants so we get what we get. Police, prison guard, military are about the only jobs left in the US. None of us are going to get to run a hedge fund.
5
Lack of compliance with police orders will likely result in trouble, for anyone of any color. Some people seem to think it is optional to do what the police ask, and that you can just drive away in the middle of a traffic stop.
3
And the punishment for that should be death?
Believe it or not, this is not supposed to be a police state. The constitution gives you rights against unreasonable police behavior. See:
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/01/02/here-are-all-the-rights-you-h...
Believe it or not, this is not supposed to be a police state. The constitution gives you rights against unreasonable police behavior. See:
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/01/02/here-are-all-the-rights-you-h...
1
Certainly it's not "optional", but the police officers in all these various incidents have to take their (large) share of responsibility for subsequent developments. They, firstly, must NOT escalate the tension, but DEescalate it -- even if they feel that they're being "dissed". If they can't manage that, they have no business remaining on the force. Period.
2
All of these reported shootings have been highlighted in the past few months.
A lot of the evidence is obtained because of witnesses with cell phone cameras or body cams that the police have.....My question is ....for all of us....how many of these shootings have been taking place in the last ...say 50 years that we never knew happened.. That , America, is truly scary.
A lot of the evidence is obtained because of witnesses with cell phone cameras or body cams that the police have.....My question is ....for all of us....how many of these shootings have been taking place in the last ...say 50 years that we never knew happened.. That , America, is truly scary.
6
We have become desensitized to violence. Domestic violence, sports violence, vicarious violence. Driven by fear our society is run increasingly as a "police state" where we, citizens, are suspects. We are the object of unconstitutional sytemic surveillance. We are traumatized by displays and abuses of militarized police power. We deride countries ruled by autocrats and tyrants who display their power in military parades. Yet we dramatize and glorify the daily carnage caused by an infinite flood of firearms. The gun is our national fetish, the NRA its perfidious Shaman. We take our children out for hotdogs and, instead of the ballpark, shooting practice. We made a mockery of the 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. And we acquiesce in the empoverishment, incarceration, and daily humilliation of our fellow citizens through policies of racial profiling, stop & frisk, and throw-away-the-key, a case of better them than us, until all of us become them.
4
In the past week, I can feel my eyes opening. Now I can begin to imagine how frightening it must be to drive while black. There might never be a feeling of relaxation, quiet thinking, listening to the radio.
Imagine driving and seeing a police car, or wondering if a police car will appear. How could a person of color not be on guard all the time, every moment? Not just dreading being stopped, but being killed. Who can live with being on guard every moment? No American should have to feel this way. This is wrong in a free country to feel that the police are dangerous to the citizens.
These police brutes have sensitized us to feel suspicious of all police. In the past week we have seen, with our own eyes, two people die for traffic violations.
Two pretty ordinary people. Almost all of us are pretty ordinary. That is not supposed to put us in fear for our lives if we have a turn signal light go out.
I draw some comfort from the elected officials of Cincinnati and the university president yesterday. At least they sounded like they had normal feelings.
Imagine driving and seeing a police car, or wondering if a police car will appear. How could a person of color not be on guard all the time, every moment? Not just dreading being stopped, but being killed. Who can live with being on guard every moment? No American should have to feel this way. This is wrong in a free country to feel that the police are dangerous to the citizens.
These police brutes have sensitized us to feel suspicious of all police. In the past week we have seen, with our own eyes, two people die for traffic violations.
Two pretty ordinary people. Almost all of us are pretty ordinary. That is not supposed to put us in fear for our lives if we have a turn signal light go out.
I draw some comfort from the elected officials of Cincinnati and the university president yesterday. At least they sounded like they had normal feelings.
7
America is a police state for at least 20% of its population and the proportion is growing. That shining light on the hill is what too many think they are seeing when it is really a rushing train of disrespect and fear rushing back toward all of us from within in our very dark, seemingly endless tunnel of our dark historic past.
5
Another overlooked angle is the pool from which police officers are hired. Besides creating ISIS, over a decade of (partially-avoidable) war against terror has resulted in police departments favoring former military veterans coming back from Iraq.
Or maybe it's just an Ohio thing. In Cleveland, a car backfiring results in over a hundred rounds through a windshield, while in Cincinnati a missing license plate gets a black man a bullet through the passenger window. What next: Columbus cops dropping a grenade into the sunroof for a burnt out taillight?
Time to demilitarize the police.
Or maybe it's just an Ohio thing. In Cleveland, a car backfiring results in over a hundred rounds through a windshield, while in Cincinnati a missing license plate gets a black man a bullet through the passenger window. What next: Columbus cops dropping a grenade into the sunroof for a burnt out taillight?
Time to demilitarize the police.
3
Beautifully written. As a brown colored man, I fear once in a while traffic cops stop me. Of course in California where I live I don't witness or hear these kinds of police actions. But, I agree that something must be done to abate the abuse.
This act shocks the conscience. The immediate lie - and back up of that lie by other officers - proves the problem runs so deep that we must move mountains to change this. But they must be moved. My deepest sympathies to the Dubose family and friends. What a senseless, brutal and stupid loss of life.
6
These incidents, one after another caught on video and audio, may have the effect of finally opening our eyes to abusive police practices, particularly and more frequently applied to black Americans, in this country - practices which did not start with the advent of cameras on police cruisers, police officers themselves and on members of the public with a cell phone.
Many police will now be feeling victimized under this enhanced scrutiny and some will react by not doing the job we pay them to do. Those officers should seriously consider another career path, as should any who believe that the officers in these cases did nothing wrong.
We need high quality police officers with the appropriate training. We deserve to be policed by people at least as competent as those who police other advanced societies where hundreds, thousands of citizens are not shot and killed every year, many of them unarmed and posing no or little threat as in this case.
We cannot start the process to bring this about soon enough.
Many police will now be feeling victimized under this enhanced scrutiny and some will react by not doing the job we pay them to do. Those officers should seriously consider another career path, as should any who believe that the officers in these cases did nothing wrong.
We need high quality police officers with the appropriate training. We deserve to be policed by people at least as competent as those who police other advanced societies where hundreds, thousands of citizens are not shot and killed every year, many of them unarmed and posing no or little threat as in this case.
We cannot start the process to bring this about soon enough.
3
So glad the officer had his body cam activated.
The local news ran the video this morning and I didn't see any "threat" to the officer, rather the officer is a treat to the community.
The local news ran the video this morning and I didn't see any "threat" to the officer, rather the officer is a treat to the community.
4
Once again, fleeing a minor infraction carries a death sentence. Living while Black. White America is beginning to understand how that must feel. I would imagine it can be a self-fulfilling prophesy, in some cases. Maybe you're "born guilty."
3
These recent spate of shootings are examples of the extreme gun culture in the United States. It is incumbent on our elected officials at all levels to do whatever is necessary to make the country safe for its citizens.
1
What about the Police Department Leaders who recruited, hired, trained, directed and supervised this officer? Are they not also responsible for putting a killer on the streets?
3
Yes. Bad apple cops send out vibes that instantly identify them.
1
The current reasoning for the Second Amendment is a lie. It is an amendment created to enforce a racist system, and Constitutional originalists should have the courage to admit it. http://www.vpc.org/fact_sht/hidhist.htm
2
Yes, lying about the meanings of words in constitutional amendments is a highly paid profession in the US.
For some perspective:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/national/police-shootings/?hpid=z1
summarizes 558 (and on-going) police shootings across the country so far this year, with links to the local news stories
http://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/national/police-shootings/?hpid=z1
summarizes 558 (and on-going) police shootings across the country so far this year, with links to the local news stories
3
1. Follow the officer's requests and instructions. 2. Don't talk back. 3. Don't run or drive away. 4. Don't resist arrest or assault the officer. 5. Don't drive drunk or under the influence of drugs. 6. If you think the ticket or arrest is bogus, fight it in court. 7. If you don't like the cop's attitude, file a civilian complaint.
Yes, there are under trained and overzealous cops out there. Following 1-7 above will almost certainly increase you chances of not getting hurt by 99%.
Yes, there are under trained and overzealous cops out there. Following 1-7 above will almost certainly increase you chances of not getting hurt by 99%.
2
Handling police stops should be a part of any driver ed course in the US.
1
Unless you are not white.
1
Yes, if you're white.
1
"...How often must we hear the lamentations for justice emanate from dark faces streaked with tears and burning with a righteous rage?"
The number of cases where unarmed African Americans have been killed during encounters with police has become symbolic not of injustice but of genocide in this discussion. Law enforcement officers, regardless of their own race, are executing people of color but the in the majority of cases the killers have been of European descent. The conclusion is that all of our local governments are hiring bigots who are also homicidal psychopaths who look for excuses to kill people.
Then we look at the facts of each case, and these raise a lot of questions about what actually happened, in every case. Self defense really becomes a consideration as facts are uncovered. The serious question arises as to whether deadly force is justified without the situation being that the killer was in fact being killed? Can an unarmed person kill another? More people die from bodily force than from knives or guns, so, yes. Why cannot someone shot to wound less vulnerable areas that where vital organs happen to be? Because it's hard to hit small rapidly moving limbs which can have big arteries in them which can lead to death, too. Shooting people is applying deadly force, so it can only be condoned to prevent death or maiming. Every situation deserves to be thoroughly examined and lessons learned applied.
The number of cases where unarmed African Americans have been killed during encounters with police has become symbolic not of injustice but of genocide in this discussion. Law enforcement officers, regardless of their own race, are executing people of color but the in the majority of cases the killers have been of European descent. The conclusion is that all of our local governments are hiring bigots who are also homicidal psychopaths who look for excuses to kill people.
Then we look at the facts of each case, and these raise a lot of questions about what actually happened, in every case. Self defense really becomes a consideration as facts are uncovered. The serious question arises as to whether deadly force is justified without the situation being that the killer was in fact being killed? Can an unarmed person kill another? More people die from bodily force than from knives or guns, so, yes. Why cannot someone shot to wound less vulnerable areas that where vital organs happen to be? Because it's hard to hit small rapidly moving limbs which can have big arteries in them which can lead to death, too. Shooting people is applying deadly force, so it can only be condoned to prevent death or maiming. Every situation deserves to be thoroughly examined and lessons learned applied.
Correction: "... After guns, more people die from bodily force than from other weapons, so, yes. Why cannot someone shoot to wound less vulnerable areas than where vital organs happen to be?"
I must conclude that this is the way it has always been. Only now, with cell phones, videos worn by the police...do we start to see the truth.
It is terrifying.
It is terrifying.
130
It is obvious there is a problem with policing in America, but I don’t think the answer lies with hating and vilifying cops. I am sure there are procedures in place for handling traffic stops without blowing people away.
We need to talk to cops. We will never find solutions in a confrontational atmosphere. I get the outrage and cries of racism, but they’re useless unless they get us somewhere where we can change how cops do their job. That answer lies with cops. We need to find out why so many cops are so trigger-happy and why their trigger-happy when confronting African Americans; it is hard to believe that there aren’t white people out there mouthing off to police. We are inflamed today because of a dozen or so horrific incidents but with so many jurisdictions and a Republican Congress unwilling to spend money it is doubtful the federal government will send out an army of psychologists and researchers to find out what is really going on with the police in this country. A federal task force charged with studying how the police do their job all across America, with the cooperation of the police and their unions, that would make recommendations for change would go a long way toward solving this problem.
In a land where no one thinks Government can solve problems there are no solutions, only outrage.
We need to talk to cops. We will never find solutions in a confrontational atmosphere. I get the outrage and cries of racism, but they’re useless unless they get us somewhere where we can change how cops do their job. That answer lies with cops. We need to find out why so many cops are so trigger-happy and why their trigger-happy when confronting African Americans; it is hard to believe that there aren’t white people out there mouthing off to police. We are inflamed today because of a dozen or so horrific incidents but with so many jurisdictions and a Republican Congress unwilling to spend money it is doubtful the federal government will send out an army of psychologists and researchers to find out what is really going on with the police in this country. A federal task force charged with studying how the police do their job all across America, with the cooperation of the police and their unions, that would make recommendations for change would go a long way toward solving this problem.
In a land where no one thinks Government can solve problems there are no solutions, only outrage.
1
There should be no tolerance for the use of lethal force against an unarmed person. There should be a national tracking program with goals and interventions to bring the number of lethal actions by the police against unarmed suspects to zero, nationwide. Police forces need to understand that the lives of guilty people, or people who are suspected of guilt, matter alongside those of innocent people. The fact that officers' perceptions of guilt and innocence are probably mixed in with racial preconceptions makes this even more important.
1
Dubose is not "unarmed". He assaults Tensing with his vehicle while operating under the influence. Dubose has been arrested 75 times, and should know better to drag Tensing and knock him to the ground. Blow has chosen to link to a video that is selectively edited. The full body cam video shows a drunk driver knock down a policeman who is making a legitimate stop, and a policeman over-react to the situation and shoot a driven instead of using backup to force the guy off the road.
maybe we need to take away their guns. why should campus cops have them- save for an elite force of special trained seasoned tested veterans.
London Bobbies don't carry guns. Hard to imagine why campus cops need them. We can take the guns off far easier than dismantling bad heads. And this IS out of hand.
London Bobbies don't carry guns. Hard to imagine why campus cops need them. We can take the guns off far easier than dismantling bad heads. And this IS out of hand.
2
In the movie "The Green Mile" there was the young, white prison guard who got his job due to family connections. He was reviled by the other guards and soon proved his worthlessness. He made it clear that he would leave when he finally
got to see someone die. This looks like the same story to me. This young, over-zealous man with a gun - America has SO MANY of these - murdered a man just to get it out of his system. I doubt he reckoned on getting caught.
got to see someone die. This looks like the same story to me. This young, over-zealous man with a gun - America has SO MANY of these - murdered a man just to get it out of his system. I doubt he reckoned on getting caught.
1
Excellent cry from the heart. These recorded incidents show us what the black community must have always known -- that racism is alive and kicking in America. Yes, things are better than they were when the civil rights movement exploded in our consciousness, but as we've seen in these videos and in the enormous number of black men in prison, Jim Crow still exists in the hearts, if not the laws, of many in this country.
4
The takeaway on all of these incidents is that if you are pulled over, plan on being "the adult". Answer "yes sir", "no sir". Keep your hand where the cop can see them. Do not give him/her an excuse to amp up the heat in the situation. The worst that happens is you are the recipient of a ticket and some insults, way better than being dead.
2
"Trust must be restored."
Restored? When was it present?
Restored? When was it present?
3
Now with the advent of video and audio, the public gets to see first hand the actions of the "bad apple' police officers. Not only are these officers awful and need to be removed from the police force, they lie right in the face of the video truth. Before video it was the cops word against the victims, and you know how that always end up.
There was a recent incident with an off duty police officer from Medford, MA. His actions were horrific (white male was stopped for traffic violation) and fortunately were captured by a dash-cam. Even after the white mail informed the officer he was being videod he stilled acted like a complete thug. How stupid can you be or are you that emboldened by wearing the blue that you believe you can act and shoot as you please? Have you forgotten who you work for in public service? I get it that police officers have very difficult jobs that most of could not handle; but that does not give them the right to kill people and act poorly at their personal discretion. No one should die for a traffic violation.
It is clear after the events of the last several months that police departments across America need some house cleaning of the bad apples. This can no longer continue.
There was a recent incident with an off duty police officer from Medford, MA. His actions were horrific (white male was stopped for traffic violation) and fortunately were captured by a dash-cam. Even after the white mail informed the officer he was being videod he stilled acted like a complete thug. How stupid can you be or are you that emboldened by wearing the blue that you believe you can act and shoot as you please? Have you forgotten who you work for in public service? I get it that police officers have very difficult jobs that most of could not handle; but that does not give them the right to kill people and act poorly at their personal discretion. No one should die for a traffic violation.
It is clear after the events of the last several months that police departments across America need some house cleaning of the bad apples. This can no longer continue.
1
Another week, another inexcusable murder by our men in blue. There has been a change in the way we police, but no one is stepping forward to say when and why this happened.
There was a time when a police uniform represented help in times of peril, now the person wearing that uniform is the peril we face.
Whether this is a them vs us situation, or a race situation, it no longer matters. Whatever the basis for these actions, they needs to stop.
There was a time when a police uniform represented help in times of peril, now the person wearing that uniform is the peril we face.
Whether this is a them vs us situation, or a race situation, it no longer matters. Whatever the basis for these actions, they needs to stop.
2
Don't understand the pictures here. First car is stopped on the street with officer at driver's door. Then car is on sidewalk apparently hitting a pole with officer shooting from driver side.
sure looks like driver tried to hit officer.
sure looks like driver tried to hit officer.
Car went out of control after the driver was shot in the head. Tends to happen.
7
The video is edited to remove the actual shooting of Samuel Dubose. What we see is before and after, but we are not seeing the crucial moment. I agree it is confusing, but I think there are good reasons not to release the graphic footage of someone being shot point blank in the face.
2
One thing I noticed in the video was how determined Mr. Dubose was to keep both of his hands on the steering wheel. Early on he did reach into the glove box once. After that it looked like he thought better of moving his hands again. Maybe I was mistaken, but I even wondered whether he actually had his driver's license with him but was afraid to reach into his pocket given Tensing's abusive attitude.
3
For this police man to lie about what happened, then have two of his colleagues lie as well while this whole thing is on camera, sound and all, demonstrates the absolute lack of intelligence of our police. And indeed the serious danger of having to interact with them, especially if you are a black man.
4
The police didn't lie about the stop. If you watch the full video, not the heavily edited video that Blow links to, you see the officer get dragged for five or six feet and knocked to the ground by Dubose's car. You also see Tensing calmly and professionally give Dubose multiple opportunities to do the right thing before this happens. Dubose has 75 arrests on his rap sheet, and is driving while intoxicated. He is a danger to the public behind the wheel. Tensing's response to the situation is a drastic over-reaction, and he should be held accountable, but the police told the truth about Dubose assaulting Tensing with his vehicle.
Lying under oath about what is recorded on cameras is prima facie evidence of perjury.
1
Although African Americans are [sadly] suffering the brunt of the police-precipitated violence these days, no racial group has been exempt from the out-of-control cops [of our Angry Era].
I am Caucasian. I was pulled over by a rogue cop who presumed that, because my old car has rust spots and a slightly crooked license plate, it must be stolen property. When, after showing the cop my license and insurance card, he persisted in accusing me of thievery, I swore at the Lunatic. In hindsight, it probably would not have been surprising if the cop had bashed me, or worse, gunned me down.
I am Caucasian. I was pulled over by a rogue cop who presumed that, because my old car has rust spots and a slightly crooked license plate, it must be stolen property. When, after showing the cop my license and insurance card, he persisted in accusing me of thievery, I swore at the Lunatic. In hindsight, it probably would not have been surprising if the cop had bashed me, or worse, gunned me down.
6
I think this spate of hatred leads all the way back to the insane members of the Republican party. they preach intolerance, greed and hatred of the poor and those unable to help themselves. Not all people are equally able to help themselves or make good decisions about say a voucher system instead of government run medicare .
When is this party going to get rid of these stupid uneducated people who have never read history and cannot learn from past mistakes.
The concept of hatred at the top filters all the way down through society.
When will the party get a leader strong enough to say STOP. This country was built by welcoming the poor immigrants and those needing help .
Perhaps are politicians should be paid less and not be elegible unless they have lived for 2 years on minimum wages.
When is this party going to get rid of these stupid uneducated people who have never read history and cannot learn from past mistakes.
The concept of hatred at the top filters all the way down through society.
When will the party get a leader strong enough to say STOP. This country was built by welcoming the poor immigrants and those needing help .
Perhaps are politicians should be paid less and not be elegible unless they have lived for 2 years on minimum wages.
4
The police department in my small town doesn't qualify as horribly corrupt and malevolent like so many that make the news. If anything, they are more akin to Keystone Cops than so many 'White Knights of the KKK' departments in the news. Still, ours are armed to the teeth with government-supplied military grade weaponry and vehicles, to be used for problems we do not have. As I see it, police departments nationwide need to get over their 'Fort Apache,' Us v Them mentality and take up community policing in a serious, forthright way.
5
What is going on in this country? I have never been the victim of violence, except once, years ago, when my ex-husband punched me.
But a couple of incidents, on the surface, much less consequential. One occurred when I was in the waiting room of the office of a plastic surgeon. Three men, two Jewish one not-Jewish (but wearing black socks, sandals, and madras shorts), were having a detailed, very embarrassing discussion about the virtues of sex with white women versus Asian women. When I asked them to take their discussion elsewhere, the three of them turned on me, outraged, saying, "It's a free country."
A similar discussion was taking place on the elevator in my building. In this case, it was two young African American men. I asked them to please hold it until one of us got out of the elevator and they also turned on me saying very loudly, "It's a free country. We weren't talking to you."
I was never in any physical danger, but the sense of entitlement was stunning to me.
A free country. Sure. But we are all in it together. A concept that seems to escape people of every race and gender, of every station, in any place.
Just shoot 'em. With your mouth. With your gun. With whatever you have on hand. There is a spectrum of callousness that ranges from self-involved careless remarks to unspeakable spontaneous violence.
Something raw, something primal is bubbling just beneath the surface of this free country. And it really, really scares me.
But a couple of incidents, on the surface, much less consequential. One occurred when I was in the waiting room of the office of a plastic surgeon. Three men, two Jewish one not-Jewish (but wearing black socks, sandals, and madras shorts), were having a detailed, very embarrassing discussion about the virtues of sex with white women versus Asian women. When I asked them to take their discussion elsewhere, the three of them turned on me, outraged, saying, "It's a free country."
A similar discussion was taking place on the elevator in my building. In this case, it was two young African American men. I asked them to please hold it until one of us got out of the elevator and they also turned on me saying very loudly, "It's a free country. We weren't talking to you."
I was never in any physical danger, but the sense of entitlement was stunning to me.
A free country. Sure. But we are all in it together. A concept that seems to escape people of every race and gender, of every station, in any place.
Just shoot 'em. With your mouth. With your gun. With whatever you have on hand. There is a spectrum of callousness that ranges from self-involved careless remarks to unspeakable spontaneous violence.
Something raw, something primal is bubbling just beneath the surface of this free country. And it really, really scares me.
9
Perhaps requiring a master's degree and a pay increase of 50% might attract more desirable individuals? Just wondering?!?! What do you think?
It is a non-starter und the dominant NRA firearms policy.
Or requiring officers to patrol with two officers in the car- a senior officer and a junior officer. The job is almost undoable at times. Sending young guys out to take one for the team isn't working for them or the people that they interact with.
Perhaps less money for nation-building abroad, and more for nation-building at home?
Perhaps less money for nation-building abroad, and more for nation-building at home?
Given the thousands of traffic stops that must take place everyday, these are still extremely isolated incidents. Get some perspective.
2
True, outright murder is generally a rare occurrence. On the other hand, if an officer who KNOWS he is being recorded would actually kill a citizen like that, what other, less obvious crimes might officers commit? After all, we (myself included) are inclined to believe what police officers say. If their report says the person was stealing, committing an assault, in possession of narcotics, driving erratically, "resisting arrest," it's going to be largely accepted as fact. Yet, seeing the videos out of NY, SC, and OH gives us pause. If officers are so confident in their authority that they are not scared to take life in that manner while on camera, what on earth makes me think they wouldn't falsify a report, illegally seize property, harass someone, or falsely imprison a citizen? It raises questions that, even as a black man, I've never really asked before. I've never had a bad interaction with a police officer and I was raised specifically to respect and TRUST them in my daily life. Maybe I've been living in a fool's paradise this whole time thinking they are any more trustworthy than the average person I meet? It's troubling.
University police should have no authority to be making any kind of policing actions outside of university property, unless they are brought in by the local community police for some reason. This case is disturbing on so many levels, I cannot even begin to count them. Giving university police the right to threaten citizens off campus is merely the beginning. I don't know about anyone else, but I view campus police as nothing more than a glorified security force. I don't know how these men have been trained, or what kinds of psychological testing they've undergone. They have no business whatsoever taking the place of local police.
This is a failure of the entire system, including the City of Cincinnati, for allowing armed storm troopers over whom they apparently have no control to roam Cincinnati's streets. The City Council of Cincinnati should be held at least accountable as an accessory to murder.
This is a failure of the entire system, including the City of Cincinnati, for allowing armed storm troopers over whom they apparently have no control to roam Cincinnati's streets. The City Council of Cincinnati should be held at least accountable as an accessory to murder.
1
Mall cops.
This body cam did not help prevent the tragic and unwarranted death of Samuel Dubose, but it did record it for all the world to see.
After this incident, that of Sandra Bland and of so many in recent memory, it is no wonder why black citizens flee in fear of the police?
5
Listen, folks! Stop struggling to create some proportionality between the victim's actions and the rent-a-cop's murderous act. Yes, some people behave rudely, or worse, at traffic stops. But come out of your fortifications and admit that there are too many killings by cops. Admit it so we can move on. Stubborn denial simply postpones the necessary changes in society to make us happier and more productive.
6
Let's talk about why police criminality is more of a problem than criminality within the black community. As Mr. Blow touched upon, it's about the social contract. As a member of the black community, I realize that the citizens around me are just people. I hope they don't do me harm, but I do not have a special relationship with them outside of a coincidence of color. Contrast that with what my relationship is with the police. My (and your) tax dollars fund them and my votes help (indirectly) grant them their authority. That authority includes the possible use of lethal force while enforcing the law in ONLY TWO SCENARIOS: (1) I become a real threat to the officer's life; or (2) I become a real threat to the lives of others. That's it, full stop. Any other use of lethal force is unauthorized and criminal. The only reason police officers are given the authority to kill is because the public trusts that it will truly be a last resort. A citizen violating a traffic rule who runs when a police officer tells them to stop cannot be legally killed on the simple grounds that they might get away. We can't hold police officers to the same behavioral standards as private citizens. Right now, at least the offenders within black communities know they must fear prosecution if anyone finds them. From this video (and others), some police officers kill with impunity and then tell whatever story they like.
12
If you watch the full video, not the heavily editing one Blow links to, you will see that Dubose has a bottle of gin, is slurring his words, and is unable or unwilling to produce his license and registration. He has 75 arrests on his rap sheet, many for moving violations, so yeah, I would say at some level he is a danger to the public when he is behind the wheel.
And the complete video shows that when Tensing tries to pull open the door, Dubose pulls it shut, starts his car and drives off, dragging Tensing for five or six feet, and knocking him to the ground.
Tensing over-reacts, and should be prosecuted. As you said, he had better options for dealing with this than to kill Dubose, but Dubose puts himself into a situation where he is closer to meeting your criteria for a police shooting than the video that Blow links to would lead one to believe.
We need better cops, but we also need people to avoid being arrested 75 times, driving without a license and a front plate, refusing to answer police questions or to follow police directions, and to avoid dragging officers and knocking them to the ground with their vehicles.
And the complete video shows that when Tensing tries to pull open the door, Dubose pulls it shut, starts his car and drives off, dragging Tensing for five or six feet, and knocking him to the ground.
Tensing over-reacts, and should be prosecuted. As you said, he had better options for dealing with this than to kill Dubose, but Dubose puts himself into a situation where he is closer to meeting your criteria for a police shooting than the video that Blow links to would lead one to believe.
We need better cops, but we also need people to avoid being arrested 75 times, driving without a license and a front plate, refusing to answer police questions or to follow police directions, and to avoid dragging officers and knocking them to the ground with their vehicles.
I'm not going to dispute any of your facts. I saw another video (not the one posted here) that shows the alcohol being handed over and all that. I didn't clear evidence of "dragging" and certainly nothing that justifies shots. Additionally, I doubt the prosecutor was given a heavily edited video and he seems to have come to the same conclusions I did. But even if everything you say is true, when was the last time someone was shot even for driving drunk? That's not the kind of danger we're talking about and I think you realize that. As for DuBose being a habitual violator, again, I don't feel a need to dispute that. He's a criminal. But police have to be held to the highest standards when it comes to lethal force. Some people have a lot of traffic violations, some people a career financial criminals, and some people commit insurance fraud. None of those are violent crimes and the law does not look upon the offenders as "armed and dangerous" to the point where an officer needs to use their weapon. For all of DuBose's faults, he never crossed the line that Tensing crossed that day. So when people put themselves in bad positions, it is within a police officer's job description to conduct themselves in a manner that is SUPERIOR to, not equivalent with, the person they are arresting.
Another one. How many more before we begin to address this sickness in our society? Are we really so paralyzed?
2
I was a police officer. What is now prevailing in our society is this unreasonable defiance, distrust and resistance of government and authority; much of it fostered by news media like Fox. One hundred percent of the police officer shootings and killings reported in this paper could be avoided by the person simply doing what the police officer says. He is the legal authority in these situations and has a duty to protect himself and the population when making these arrests. You don't send our troops into battle with namby-pamby restriction of defending themselves. It's become popular news stories, in order to attract viewers, to video high-speed car chases as thou it were some sort of harmless sport. Until the courts start imposing harsh sentences for resisting arrest; not following the instructing of the arresting officers; these killings and injuries will continue. Do what the nice police officer tells you. Defiance to his lawful orders can get you killed.
4
In other words, do what the policeman tells you to do or die. I am glad that Mr. Sturdivant is no longer a police officer as his letter shows that he is exactly what is wrong with law enforcement today.
1
You are a former cop and use the analogy of "send[ing] our troops into battle with namby-pamby restrictions of defending themselves." This association of cops as soldiers is deeply troubling.
The rest of your comment suggests a rigid, black/white philosophy that citizens must always submit and bow before their dominant police masters. If you do not, or do not act in exactly the manner specified by the officer, or the officer misinterprets your actions, the police officer is justified in killing you on the spot - so that submission is achieved. As you stated: "defiance to his lawful orders can get you killed."
Police officers are peace officers - not soldiers. Their job is to protect and serve their fellow citizens, not hunt them down to force submission.
Perhaps a career in the military would have been more suitable for you, along with other cops who view the public as an enemy to conquer.
The rest of your comment suggests a rigid, black/white philosophy that citizens must always submit and bow before their dominant police masters. If you do not, or do not act in exactly the manner specified by the officer, or the officer misinterprets your actions, the police officer is justified in killing you on the spot - so that submission is achieved. As you stated: "defiance to his lawful orders can get you killed."
Police officers are peace officers - not soldiers. Their job is to protect and serve their fellow citizens, not hunt them down to force submission.
Perhaps a career in the military would have been more suitable for you, along with other cops who view the public as an enemy to conquer.
2
Tensing should never have gone for his gun. He should be prosecuted for shooting Dubose. Tensing's judgement is poor.
The problem I have with Blow's article is that he links to a heavily edited, abbreviated version of the incident.
If you watch the complete video at:
http://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/hamilton-county/cincinnati/watch-bod...
you see Tensing pull over an obviously inebriated Dubose, then politely and calmly try to get Dubose to provide a license. Dubose doesn't follow Tensings directions, and does hand him a bottle of gin, which we don't see in the edited video.
Dubose also pulls the door shut when Tensing tries to open it, and drives off. He does drag Tensing for five or six feet, and knocks Tensing to the ground, which again, you don't see in the video Blow links to. You can see from the cracks on the ground how far Tensing has been dragged. Dubose, driving in his inebriated state, is not only a danger to everyone else on the streets, but also assaults Tensing with his vehicle. Dubose has 75 arrests on his rap sheet, many of them for disregarding the rules of the road.
So look at it another way, Dubose has no respect for the law, or for the safety of other motorists and pedestrians. He has been arrested 75 times. 75 out of 76 arrest attempts did not lead to him being shot by a police officer. Dubose repeatedly has put himself in a position to be in conflict with the police.
Blow's narrative is reductionistic and simplistic.
The problem I have with Blow's article is that he links to a heavily edited, abbreviated version of the incident.
If you watch the complete video at:
http://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/hamilton-county/cincinnati/watch-bod...
you see Tensing pull over an obviously inebriated Dubose, then politely and calmly try to get Dubose to provide a license. Dubose doesn't follow Tensings directions, and does hand him a bottle of gin, which we don't see in the edited video.
Dubose also pulls the door shut when Tensing tries to open it, and drives off. He does drag Tensing for five or six feet, and knocks Tensing to the ground, which again, you don't see in the video Blow links to. You can see from the cracks on the ground how far Tensing has been dragged. Dubose, driving in his inebriated state, is not only a danger to everyone else on the streets, but also assaults Tensing with his vehicle. Dubose has 75 arrests on his rap sheet, many of them for disregarding the rules of the road.
So look at it another way, Dubose has no respect for the law, or for the safety of other motorists and pedestrians. He has been arrested 75 times. 75 out of 76 arrest attempts did not lead to him being shot by a police officer. Dubose repeatedly has put himself in a position to be in conflict with the police.
Blow's narrative is reductionistic and simplistic.
5
The evidence suggests the officer's emotional mind operated on hair trigger status. His cognitive reasoning and judgement were incapable of managing the emotional mind when presented with a minimum of disobedience. His authority was challenged. Then he instantly flipped to kill mode and blew the guy's face off.
Wielding a firearm should be a privilage reserved for the most psychologically stabile Americans - cop and citizen alike. America's holds 4% of the world's population yet owns 40% of all the world's private guns. Our military-style police force views citizens as enemies to be taken out.
Forget about being viewed in a positive light if you are black, or brown. And if you're Muslim? Run child! It's a terrorist! White citizens get breaks galore, but even we fear the police. Who knows what kind of lunatic with a gun just pulled me over? So many cops are psychologically unstable. It's terrifying to submit to a man with a gun because if I make a mistake, in two minutes he might blow my face off.
Wielding a firearm should be a privilage reserved for the most psychologically stabile Americans - cop and citizen alike. America's holds 4% of the world's population yet owns 40% of all the world's private guns. Our military-style police force views citizens as enemies to be taken out.
Forget about being viewed in a positive light if you are black, or brown. And if you're Muslim? Run child! It's a terrorist! White citizens get breaks galore, but even we fear the police. Who knows what kind of lunatic with a gun just pulled me over? So many cops are psychologically unstable. It's terrifying to submit to a man with a gun because if I make a mistake, in two minutes he might blow my face off.
5
Mr. Blow stands tall in his column. He is measured and factual and eloquent. We have our own policing issues in Toronto - most notably the police practice of "carding" citizens not suspected of any crime - of course carding seems to target people of colour. Young black males in Toronto experience low grade systemic discrimination at the hands of the police. Fortunately our political establishment is now lining up to ban the practice. I wish all our American neighbour communities well as they grapple with these deeply troubling issues of rogue police behaviour.
2
I don't dispute that this is a murder of a black man. He is one of at least 400 people killed by police each year, according to various reports. These numbers are unverifiable because all departments don't make reports. However, the media report only when a black man is killed and by the numbers, only a selected few of those are reported. Is this a racial problem or are more white men killed but are not headlined? Who decides when a police killing is justified or should be touted as a racial murder.
Yes, the police officer lied in this case, but what reason did Mr. Dubse have to drive off during a legitimate traffic stop? This usually indicates guilt over some other crime which may have been uncovered. The officer certainly over-reacted but this still does not make it racially motivated. Michael Brown had just committed a crime which is on video and then brazenly walked down the middle of the street before he was confronted by the police.
Until the media reports all the police shootings we don't know if these few select cases are actually racially motivated or just some examples of over-zealous police officers wielding their guns in an illegal manner.
Yes, the police officer lied in this case, but what reason did Mr. Dubse have to drive off during a legitimate traffic stop? This usually indicates guilt over some other crime which may have been uncovered. The officer certainly over-reacted but this still does not make it racially motivated. Michael Brown had just committed a crime which is on video and then brazenly walked down the middle of the street before he was confronted by the police.
Until the media reports all the police shootings we don't know if these few select cases are actually racially motivated or just some examples of over-zealous police officers wielding their guns in an illegal manner.
4
Samuel Dubose was pulled over and did not have his license and had an open bottle. That happens often enough that I know white people who have put themselves in the same situation. In the name of justice, there should be a standard response. A + B = C. But Tensing, instead, started working himself up. He repeated with more and more faux outrage the question about the licence. I would have turned on the key and tried to drive away from a police officer who started huffing and puffing over something so minor and routine. Law and order is only just if everyone is treated the same. Too many police seem to be trained to believe they are lone rangers not peace officers.
1
My father grew up a migrant worker from Mexico in the US. When he and I ever spoke about the police he would shake his head. When I asked why. He would say that the worst kid of cop is a nervous cop as a jumpy cop can kill you. He would add that there are too many jumpy cops out there.
When I read these accounts of Trayvon, Brown and this mess in Cincinnatti I hear my father's words. You have people who are not equipped psychologically to feel confident in the role of peace officer that are all too easily rattled and pull their gun and fire. They go into poor neighborhoods, often minority, that may have higher crime issues due to poverty etc., but they patrol like they are in the dragon's lair. On edge. Anticipating the worst. Uncertain. The fear makes them imagine demons that aren't even there. Demons that are trying to go for their gun or run them over.
Like most of the infrastructure in this one per center universe we live in, there is not enough money and effort put into making sure that any peace officer who carries lethal force is the best of us, not a scared mall cop who needed a job.
When I read these accounts of Trayvon, Brown and this mess in Cincinnatti I hear my father's words. You have people who are not equipped psychologically to feel confident in the role of peace officer that are all too easily rattled and pull their gun and fire. They go into poor neighborhoods, often minority, that may have higher crime issues due to poverty etc., but they patrol like they are in the dragon's lair. On edge. Anticipating the worst. Uncertain. The fear makes them imagine demons that aren't even there. Demons that are trying to go for their gun or run them over.
Like most of the infrastructure in this one per center universe we live in, there is not enough money and effort put into making sure that any peace officer who carries lethal force is the best of us, not a scared mall cop who needed a job.
4
I attended a family dinner recently to which a sibling's friend was invited. A retired officer from a metropolitan police force, he was asked if he thought policing was a more difficult career today compared to when he got his badge. He commented that the job was "always" difficult and then proceeded to pick up his smart phone, point at it and say, "but THIS makes the job really hard." Yes, I imagine objective documentation of an incident might be a game changer...
2
Independent community police review boards in every city. It should be a national law.
1
There is a general unwillingness to submit to any authority these days - a boss, a manager, a security guard, a store clerk. You name it, there is a self-righteousness in the air on all sides. Everything becomes a fight. Me, I see a badge, a uniform, it could be a McDonald's clerk, and I listen to them.
This was a murder, and I'm glad this guy will be going to jail. And police departments must do a better job of weeding out horrible cops. But I think a culture of refusing to back down, of being offended to the point of rage when someone refuses to listen - as happened here - is also at the root of the problem. Yes, we are individuals with rights and opinions and freedoms, but we don't rule every minute. Individualism is out of control. We have to learn how to submit, understanding it in no way diminishes us.
This was a murder, and I'm glad this guy will be going to jail. And police departments must do a better job of weeding out horrible cops. But I think a culture of refusing to back down, of being offended to the point of rage when someone refuses to listen - as happened here - is also at the root of the problem. Yes, we are individuals with rights and opinions and freedoms, but we don't rule every minute. Individualism is out of control. We have to learn how to submit, understanding it in no way diminishes us.
3
Sandra Bland went to jail, and then to her death, because the cop decided she wasn't being sufficiently submissive. She asked why she couldn't smoke in her own car. That was not an unreasonable question. His response was to demand she get out of the car. How dare she question him?
If we are going to talk about someone being offended to the point of rage when someone else refuses to listen, we should be talking about the cop.
If we are going to talk about someone being offended to the point of rage when someone else refuses to listen, we should be talking about the cop.
1
According to the New York Times, "In an interview with an Ohio television station, a lawyer for Officer Tensing, Stew Mathews, disputed [the prosecutor's] comments and said that other video of the shooting would tell a different story." The video released by the prosecution does has a brief, unexplained moment in the chest-mounted body-cam seems to be pointed directly skyward. Videos played backward and forward in slow motion in court often produced surprising results. A jury acquitted the officers in the Rodney King beating because a close examination the infamous video of the beating video showed the officers never struck King in the head with their batons but struck him only on the legs and back as they were trained.
4
For sure, campus police officers and mall cops should not be carrying firearms. Give them some tasers, at most.
Some would argue that these people might be the first defense against terrorist shooters in public areas. But there are too many wannabe cops in quasi uniform who want to throw their weight around like this guy did. Let's leave real community law enforcement to the police who must be trained to use their weapons only under specific circumstances, and even then with restraint.
Some would argue that these people might be the first defense against terrorist shooters in public areas. But there are too many wannabe cops in quasi uniform who want to throw their weight around like this guy did. Let's leave real community law enforcement to the police who must be trained to use their weapons only under specific circumstances, and even then with restraint.
1
Too many police departments, and especially smaller ones, hire individuals who have little, if any, aptitude for the job. Immature, cowardly, overreactive, not too bright, and touchy - these cops are a disaster waiting to happen even before one throws the gasoline of racism into the mix. Better pay, better screening, better training, better leadership, more education required - these are some of the obvious steps that need to be taken to attract, retain, and manage a quality police force. But in a country that worships low taxes and denigrates the public sector, how in the world will this be effected? Grover Norquist has won and it ain't pretty.
7
"The Shooting of______"? Who is next? Who cares?
Tamir Rice was shot to death by a white Cleveland cop on November 22, 2014 while he was playing with a toy gun while being a 12 year old black boy. Cleveland has a black mayor and black police chief. Just like in Baltimore. Black lives do not matter to some black folks in positions of power.
Tamir Rice was shot to death by a white Cleveland cop on November 22, 2014 while he was playing with a toy gun while being a 12 year old black boy. Cleveland has a black mayor and black police chief. Just like in Baltimore. Black lives do not matter to some black folks in positions of power.
1
Respectfully suggest that being "in power" does not enable mayors and police chiefs to change deeply embedded police culture overnight or even during one or two terms in office. Especially if those "in power" are black and the cultural problem is one of not respecting black people. I'm not saying all of these four folks are doing a perfect job, only that they are facing great challenges.
3
As a professor who supervised student teachers in inner city schools, I saw how middle and high school students' needs were not met and how the harsh environments they lived in resulted in harshness in the classroom. Teaching in some of these neighborhoods was challenging and keeping one's cool was not easy in the face of student rebellion and disrespect. My student teachers worked hard to learn the self discipline required in handling students whose needs were not being addressed and whose lives were shaped by sadness and despair. As I see it, the teachers and the police are the responders but the situations they face have been shaped by a long history of depravation, discrimination, and wanton violence. In my view, it will take vast resources and limitless understanding to undue what this society has wrought with its racism, its violence, and its dog-eat-dog capitalism run amok.
As a white male in his seventh decade on this spinning blue marble, please, can we finally come to terms with the fact that we still harbor racial prejudices based on over two centuries of racial inequality in this nation, a nation born with the stain of original sin, slavery.
It is more important to admit to one's mistakes, own up to them, and do our best to rectify them instead of trying to obscure them, attempting to find excuses that are feeble at best, and obscured in revisionist history as justification for the blatantly racist acts we still commit to this day. There is nothing wrong admitting wrongs and righting them. It is the right thing to do.
America, show US your true colors.
Yes, no doubt we have come a very long way toward equality. Light years in fact from just the days of my childhood. But as MLK said, "We still have farther to go."
Let's begin that journey by taking that next step further on down the road to equality starting right now.
DD
Manhattan
It is more important to admit to one's mistakes, own up to them, and do our best to rectify them instead of trying to obscure them, attempting to find excuses that are feeble at best, and obscured in revisionist history as justification for the blatantly racist acts we still commit to this day. There is nothing wrong admitting wrongs and righting them. It is the right thing to do.
America, show US your true colors.
Yes, no doubt we have come a very long way toward equality. Light years in fact from just the days of my childhood. But as MLK said, "We still have farther to go."
Let's begin that journey by taking that next step further on down the road to equality starting right now.
DD
Manhattan
2
Dennis D, the language of truth is beautiful and rare. Based on our history it can only be as you said. Until we can face and admit the truth we will keep making the mistakes. Life size mistakes rob others of their lives.
1
We need to invent a gun that can read the situation better than the shooter, a gun that knows when people in a movie theater are defenseless or when a cop is about to commit murder. No matter whether black or while, male or female, these crimes against citizens come down to a gun culture, a state of mind that dictates that guns make me more powerful, give me freedom, make me more manly, give me status, honor, dignity, aggrandize my ego, give me altogether more value than I am really worth. The ease with which guns are deployed to resolve issues is insane. The fact that a cop uses a gun is no better than a private citizen using a gun to resolve issues. It is ultimately, black or white, about guns, guns, guns and the crazy behavior they bring about.
2
"Police and thieves in the streets
Frighten the nation with your
Guns and ammunition.....
All the peace makers
Turn the world opposite
Hear what I say"
-Junior Murvin from the 1976 Reggae hit "police and Thieves"
Frighten the nation with your
Guns and ammunition.....
All the peace makers
Turn the world opposite
Hear what I say"
-Junior Murvin from the 1976 Reggae hit "police and Thieves"
1
Took the words from me
A large part of the problems lie with economics. Does anyone know what officers receive performance evaluations on? I like what Brad another writer posted about taking down information and creating a new strategy for arrest or handling these complaints.
However, we must stop thinking about current incident against black people as isolated and new. There are 2.4 million persons in prison and the majority behind bars are black men.
Changing an longtime deeply embedded mindset will take time; however, with the presence of urgency and when officers are being charged the situation will start to render different results.
What I was amazed at Charles is you of all people know how the written and spoken word is manipulated to support whatever version a person is selling, except in this case it did not work. If Brian Williams did not get it, why would any white person accept responsibility for their behavior?
However, we must stop thinking about current incident against black people as isolated and new. There are 2.4 million persons in prison and the majority behind bars are black men.
Changing an longtime deeply embedded mindset will take time; however, with the presence of urgency and when officers are being charged the situation will start to render different results.
What I was amazed at Charles is you of all people know how the written and spoken word is manipulated to support whatever version a person is selling, except in this case it did not work. If Brian Williams did not get it, why would any white person accept responsibility for their behavior?
I hate to say it this way but this is what our nation is becoming when it comes to violence that takes lives: another day, another death. We seem unable to let go of the idea that the only way to control a situation is to escalate it to the point where violence is inevitable even when it's not warranted. What have we become?
1
This most recent incident definitely appears to be unjustified and unwarranted. I feel for the friends and family of Mr. Dubose. However, does anyone else wonder what would have happened in all of these sensationalized incidents if the person interacting with the police was respectful and just followed the simple requests of the police? I'm thinking that they would all still be alive today.
Eloquent column. No exaggeration. No slant. No ideology or jargon. Just straight out truth. This environment of mistrust is a threat to our society, to democracy itself.
I don't like to say "we must," but we MUST address our policing problem. We must build and cultivate trust.
I don't like to say "we must," but we MUST address our policing problem. We must build and cultivate trust.
1
It is bad enough that the bad apples shoot unarmed peeps with impunity. What is worse and an even greater unrecognized crime is the collusion that occurs between the officer in trouble and the rest of the force. So often they stick together, get the lie straight and continue telling that lie until the officer is cleared. That is what maintains the blanket permission that seems to exist that says it is ok to kill unarmed peeps who do NOT OBEY THE COMMAND no matter how ridiculous that command may be. It is slave - master all over again.
3
Anyone who has had to deal with police know that they are trained to humiliate and dominate people, all in the name of controlling situations. In other words, they are trained to bully people into submission.
What Mr. Blow seems to have ignored in this latest spectacle is that another officer stood by the offender's statements, although it was a plain lie. Police talking heads avoided answering direct questions from news anchors, suggesting that lying seems to be the norm in policing. Apparently, the real training police get, not the one senior officers say they get, is to protect each other from everyone who does not wear a uniform.
Happily, a RCMP sergeant recently has been sentenced to 4 years in jail for perjury. He didn't know that a person had recorded the incident, as it actually happened, that led to the death of a disoriented visitor from Poland.
"One lies, the others swear by it," can be considered as the basis for police impunity.
What Mr. Blow seems to have ignored in this latest spectacle is that another officer stood by the offender's statements, although it was a plain lie. Police talking heads avoided answering direct questions from news anchors, suggesting that lying seems to be the norm in policing. Apparently, the real training police get, not the one senior officers say they get, is to protect each other from everyone who does not wear a uniform.
Happily, a RCMP sergeant recently has been sentenced to 4 years in jail for perjury. He didn't know that a person had recorded the incident, as it actually happened, that led to the death of a disoriented visitor from Poland.
"One lies, the others swear by it," can be considered as the basis for police impunity.
4
Can anyone please tell me why a well-armed and supposedly trained police officer suddenly fears for his/her life in the presence of a black boy, girl, woman, or man? Why is there no personal setting between "hello" and reaching for a gun?
My mother taught me two things (among many others); the first is do not judge any individual you meet by any group that person is a part of, and second, don't judge a group by any one individual in that group. Do I think every white guy (I am white) with a shaved head and "ink" is a racist skinhead? Of course not. But I also don't think every young black guy I see in "hip-hop" dress is a thug.
My mother taught me two things (among many others); the first is do not judge any individual you meet by any group that person is a part of, and second, don't judge a group by any one individual in that group. Do I think every white guy (I am white) with a shaved head and "ink" is a racist skinhead? Of course not. But I also don't think every young black guy I see in "hip-hop" dress is a thug.
1
Allowing the NRA to drive an arms race between the people and the police has to be the dumbest public policy frozen in place anywhere on this planet.
1
There is no evidence of a death, no body, no autopsy to study, no physical evidence not for identity, not for a body and death and not any ballistics evidence or debris, there is nothing that a third party can analyze, absolutely nothing.
This traffic stop occurred outside of the campus of the University of Cinncinatti which means is should have been beyond the jurisdiction of this officer. The job of campus police is, or ought to be, to keep order within campus. Aside from the fact that the video recording presents an account that is radically different from that of the officer, it also clearly shows a policeman with a gun looking for a confrontation which should be a very frightening prospect for all of us.
2
Do professions in law enforcement attract individuals who are unstable? And who take out their frustrations on those they look down on?
1
While it is sad to see another persons life taken, I am trying to understand why this person was even behind the wheel of a car!!! No license,bottle of gin on the floor half done......What would this mans family have said if he had killed someone with his car? Don't get me wrong,in no way do I condone the amateur actions of the officer. There is a theme that has been linking some of these deaths across the country....stupidity and a sense that they are above the law as most of their records blatantly display.
1
I'm sorry, but for each of these recent tragedies--black people shot by the police for traffic stops, playing in parks, and the like, all I can think of is how James Holmes murdered almost 2 dozen people, shot scores more, and was allowed to surrender peacefully while wearing body armor and holding weapons. It is impossible to reconcile the two in my mind without factoring in his race.
221
Don't forget, either, that Dylann Roof was politely asked to step out of his car and calmly, gently, patted down, not violently, carefully handcuffed while standing. Everything calm, polite, for a nice blond kid who had just massacred 9 people. As the policeman approached the driver's side door, he actually put his gun back in the holster. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/arrest-of-charleston-shooting-suspect-dylann...
1
and apparently was treated to a burger king lunch before being taken to jail.
Why not call for a study of who is resisting police arrest and why? That promises to be more achievable than anything you are suggesting.
1
"in your name but against your body" is the most succinct, eloquent summary of the problem I've ever heard. Thank you Mr. Blow for channeling the outrage into such clear and powerful words.
1
I am white, middle age, middle class and I am scared to hear that the police "are afraid for their lives" every time they initiate an interaction with a citizen.
It's up to the police to do something to reduce their state of chronic fear: start demanding tough gun control laws, through your politically power unions, your well-connected top brass, your law-and-order fans. Support politicians who want to restore a modicum of sanity about gun registration, concealed and open carrying; caliber and type of ammo.
As long as the police MUST assume that every citizen is potentially armed, they will approach us with the dread of becoming victims of our demented gun laws.
If they want to live a life without fear, they must act now to make life safe for everyone.
Until then, I will turn off my sympathy receiver every time I hear of a cop who killed an unarmed civilian because they were afraid of his/her life.
It's up to the police to do something to reduce their state of chronic fear: start demanding tough gun control laws, through your politically power unions, your well-connected top brass, your law-and-order fans. Support politicians who want to restore a modicum of sanity about gun registration, concealed and open carrying; caliber and type of ammo.
As long as the police MUST assume that every citizen is potentially armed, they will approach us with the dread of becoming victims of our demented gun laws.
If they want to live a life without fear, they must act now to make life safe for everyone.
Until then, I will turn off my sympathy receiver every time I hear of a cop who killed an unarmed civilian because they were afraid of his/her life.
2
There is not a shred of evidence in any of these recent cases that the cop had any reason to be in fear of his life. Not a shred.
Stop making excuses for this incredibly bad behavior by yet another cop-who-never-should-have-been-issued-a-weapon.
Stop making excuses for this incredibly bad behavior by yet another cop-who-never-should-have-been-issued-a-weapon.
1
Why isn't the cop who corroborated Tensing's false police report being charged with falsifying a police report? This is a crime. We see this over and over again. In the Walter Scott case another officer agreed that he reached for the taser when the video clearly shows this is not the case. Cops are not above the law. They need to stop acting like any move to hold them accountable is a problem.
6
Unfortunate tragedy; as with Sandra Bland, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Walter Scott and Freddie Gray. There cases share common elements, police officers, mostly white on one end, Blacks on the other.
Charles would have us believe that these deaths resulted from racism. However, all the Blacks resisted arrest, ran or otherwise failed to comply with police orders. Charles begins his narrative but within a few days we find out the victim was no angel. Sandra Bland resisted arrest, was getting ready to have her license suspended again, had spent time in jail and was probably stoned when stopped. Michael Brown, we know about him, but Ferguson burned. Eric Garner resisted arrest, Walter Scott twice ran twice and tried to take the cop's taser. Freddie Gray ran.
In each of these cases CB has relentlessly written about, the "victim" misbehaved, assaulted a cop and/or tried to run. CB and many commenters seem to think this is ok or irrelevant.
But none of these situations would have ended with someone dead if the Black individual involved had simply complied. Where is it said that disobeying legitimate police orders is ok? Do we want to have two sets of rules -- one for whites (you have to obey), blacks, no you get a pass because you've been mistreated, so stop if you want, cooperate if you want, your call?
Sad these people died, but most traffic stops don't end with someone dead. Find one case where the individual complied but the cop shot him anyway.
Charles would have us believe that these deaths resulted from racism. However, all the Blacks resisted arrest, ran or otherwise failed to comply with police orders. Charles begins his narrative but within a few days we find out the victim was no angel. Sandra Bland resisted arrest, was getting ready to have her license suspended again, had spent time in jail and was probably stoned when stopped. Michael Brown, we know about him, but Ferguson burned. Eric Garner resisted arrest, Walter Scott twice ran twice and tried to take the cop's taser. Freddie Gray ran.
In each of these cases CB has relentlessly written about, the "victim" misbehaved, assaulted a cop and/or tried to run. CB and many commenters seem to think this is ok or irrelevant.
But none of these situations would have ended with someone dead if the Black individual involved had simply complied. Where is it said that disobeying legitimate police orders is ok? Do we want to have two sets of rules -- one for whites (you have to obey), blacks, no you get a pass because you've been mistreated, so stop if you want, cooperate if you want, your call?
Sad these people died, but most traffic stops don't end with someone dead. Find one case where the individual complied but the cop shot him anyway.
4
Tamir Rice and John Crawford did not fail to comply with police orders: They were not given enough time to do anything, so they couldn't get their hands up or drop the non-guns they were carrying.
Sandra Bland refused to comply with police orders because those police orders (the cops' insistence notwithstanding) were not orders the officer had a legal right to give. And there remains absolutely no evidence that she resisted her (unlawful) arrest.
Fleeing does not give the police the right to shoot, so that doesn't explain Freddie Gray or Walter Scott or possibly Michael Brown.
Watching Eric Garner's death, I must have missed the part where he threw a punch, tried to wrestle away from an officer, or anything remotely similar - the beginning of the physical portion of the encounter was a cop sneaking up behind him and putting him in an illegal chokehold.
It's not just black people: In Seattle a few years ago, Native American John T Williams was shot four times as he turned to respond to the officer shouting at him (he was partially deaf, and couldn't hear the order clearly).
Sandra Bland refused to comply with police orders because those police orders (the cops' insistence notwithstanding) were not orders the officer had a legal right to give. And there remains absolutely no evidence that she resisted her (unlawful) arrest.
Fleeing does not give the police the right to shoot, so that doesn't explain Freddie Gray or Walter Scott or possibly Michael Brown.
Watching Eric Garner's death, I must have missed the part where he threw a punch, tried to wrestle away from an officer, or anything remotely similar - the beginning of the physical portion of the encounter was a cop sneaking up behind him and putting him in an illegal chokehold.
It's not just black people: In Seattle a few years ago, Native American John T Williams was shot four times as he turned to respond to the officer shouting at him (he was partially deaf, and couldn't hear the order clearly).
2
"But none of these situations would have ended with someone dead if the Black individual involved had simply complied."
Do you know what? People like you disgust me. You have the nerve to call yourself an American?
Not complying with an officer's demand that you put out your cigarette should not result in your death. Period.
And, at a time when Blacks have more reason than ever to distrust cops, not complying or even attempting to flee from a minor traffic stop should not result in getting your face blown off or several bullets to your back. Your back! My God, what have we come to? How can you possibly defend such actions?
You sir should be ashamed of yourself. And I pray that one day your wife or child will not make the fatal error of talking back to a cop because, you know, this isn't only a Black problem; today's cops mistreat whites as well.
And, in case you are wondering, I am white, middle-class, and disgusted.
Do you know what? People like you disgust me. You have the nerve to call yourself an American?
Not complying with an officer's demand that you put out your cigarette should not result in your death. Period.
And, at a time when Blacks have more reason than ever to distrust cops, not complying or even attempting to flee from a minor traffic stop should not result in getting your face blown off or several bullets to your back. Your back! My God, what have we come to? How can you possibly defend such actions?
You sir should be ashamed of yourself. And I pray that one day your wife or child will not make the fatal error of talking back to a cop because, you know, this isn't only a Black problem; today's cops mistreat whites as well.
And, in case you are wondering, I am white, middle-class, and disgusted.
2
This is nonsense ... you don't think white offenders resist/run/mouth off/are drunk and so forth ? You have statistical evidence that says otherwise ? No you don't.
You just have a racist attitude that says, "black people don't know how to behave" and therefore they get into trouble, and it's their fault. That's sick.
The whole point is the trend points to undue force against people of color ...
You just have a racist attitude that says, "black people don't know how to behave" and therefore they get into trouble, and it's their fault. That's sick.
The whole point is the trend points to undue force against people of color ...
2
I still think it is going to be a heavy lift to get a murder conviction. Body cameras as a good thing. They may help weed out the relatively few bad seeds and may demonstrate the good work done by the majority of police officers to conduct millions proper interactions with people every day.
1
There's nothing we can do which is "restorative" for Samuel Dubose.
I'm faculty at a university, and I think people are missing the incongruity and disaster that Ray Tensing was a campus police officer of the University of Cincinnati, a public university of the state of Ohio.
Mr. Blow's column touches on it, but hardly brings it to force. The UC full-time faculty is 16% minority. The student body is about 11% minority. Nobody at any university wants out-of-control campus cops.
The question of how to prevent atrocities like this is the question of how to chose, train and supervise police. That's not an easy question. 'Justice' after the fact cannot restore the victim, and it seems to have very little preventive effect -- the kind of people who will kill somebody on impulse aren't easily deterred.
They are also missing the context of Cincinnati -- a subject Mr. Blow perhaps does not want to bring up. I wonder about that context, and Mr. Tensing. I do hope that Cincinnati is improving:
http://tinyurl.com/pdtjejj
I'm faculty at a university, and I think people are missing the incongruity and disaster that Ray Tensing was a campus police officer of the University of Cincinnati, a public university of the state of Ohio.
Mr. Blow's column touches on it, but hardly brings it to force. The UC full-time faculty is 16% minority. The student body is about 11% minority. Nobody at any university wants out-of-control campus cops.
The question of how to prevent atrocities like this is the question of how to chose, train and supervise police. That's not an easy question. 'Justice' after the fact cannot restore the victim, and it seems to have very little preventive effect -- the kind of people who will kill somebody on impulse aren't easily deterred.
They are also missing the context of Cincinnati -- a subject Mr. Blow perhaps does not want to bring up. I wonder about that context, and Mr. Tensing. I do hope that Cincinnati is improving:
http://tinyurl.com/pdtjejj
1
Of all places this is an University Campus..Tensing should not be even hired there in the first place. If one listen to the video it is very hard to understand what Tensing was saying..his speeches were slurred.
Looking at the heart braking video Mr. Dubose was not even raising his voice..he tried to drive one slowly..contrary to the report by the lawyer, away from Tensing not toward.
Yet..Tensing felt compelled to shoot Dubose aiming at his head.
This is a murder !
Looking at the heart braking video Mr. Dubose was not even raising his voice..he tried to drive one slowly..contrary to the report by the lawyer, away from Tensing not toward.
Yet..Tensing felt compelled to shoot Dubose aiming at his head.
This is a murder !
1
Maybe if all black boys were outfitted with body cams for all their lives, they would live out their full lifetimes.
2
Police violence and community violence are related phenomena.
The effect of unwarranted and often illegal police violence is that when marginalized people (black or Hispanic, poor, disabled, etc) are victims of or witnesses to crimes, they do not contact the police. That is because they have every reason to believe that the police will not respect them, not help them, potentially attack them, and definitely will not protect them from retaliation by whoever harmed them.
So without the viable option of making use of the criminal justice system, the only recourse that these folks have is "street justice", which is having a gang or a "crew" who will retaliate if they are harmed. Of course, "street justice", lacking trials and forensics and such, often picks the wrong target, and now the wrong target's crew is after the first victim's crew, in an ever-expanding web of violence and death.
The effect of unwarranted and often illegal police violence is that when marginalized people (black or Hispanic, poor, disabled, etc) are victims of or witnesses to crimes, they do not contact the police. That is because they have every reason to believe that the police will not respect them, not help them, potentially attack them, and definitely will not protect them from retaliation by whoever harmed them.
So without the viable option of making use of the criminal justice system, the only recourse that these folks have is "street justice", which is having a gang or a "crew" who will retaliate if they are harmed. Of course, "street justice", lacking trials and forensics and such, often picks the wrong target, and now the wrong target's crew is after the first victim's crew, in an ever-expanding web of violence and death.
3
African Americans and Hispanics make a disproportionate number of 911 calls. They are far more likely to call police than whites.
Where are Amnesty International and the United Nations condemnations against USA's government for these too frequent deaths of African-Americans at the hands of its law enforcements agents; or the flooding of USA's jails with African-Americans? These international agencies more often condemn such actions in 'poor' or 'developing countries'.
An African country's military with hands full in its war against Boko Haram, was recently cautioned by Amnesty International for brutality against the brutal Islamic terrorists in their country; http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-32991237 and http://nyti.ms/1Gl7iGr
Also, The UN law arm, ICC, relentlessly pursues African national leaders for crimes against humanity; http://gu.com/p/427kz/sbl
Do the frequent and routine loss of seeming innocent African-American lives at the hands of USA's Police; and the disproportionate social-wastage of their lives by USA's law-enforcement and Justice systems -which incarcerate too many of them and for too long periods- not qualify for investigation by these international bodies?
But they should, according to their statutes: for 'crimes against humanity' and USA's Courts and law-enforcement 'seeming unwillingness or inability to satisfactorily police itself against their own excesses' -in view of their loop-sided and pre-loaded traditions against African-Americans in the country.
An African country's military with hands full in its war against Boko Haram, was recently cautioned by Amnesty International for brutality against the brutal Islamic terrorists in their country; http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-32991237 and http://nyti.ms/1Gl7iGr
Also, The UN law arm, ICC, relentlessly pursues African national leaders for crimes against humanity; http://gu.com/p/427kz/sbl
Do the frequent and routine loss of seeming innocent African-American lives at the hands of USA's Police; and the disproportionate social-wastage of their lives by USA's law-enforcement and Justice systems -which incarcerate too many of them and for too long periods- not qualify for investigation by these international bodies?
But they should, according to their statutes: for 'crimes against humanity' and USA's Courts and law-enforcement 'seeming unwillingness or inability to satisfactorily police itself against their own excesses' -in view of their loop-sided and pre-loaded traditions against African-Americans in the country.
3
It's as though the police in America today are homegrown, radicalized terrorists in their own right, riding roughshod over large swaths of society. Is now America a Failed State because of this? (And as a white man I cannot begin to fathom how many African American men feel when even seeing a white police officer. And a a tax-paying, law-abiding citizen (who also happens to be a government employee) the few interactions I've had with police have been horrific (e.g., the time I accidentally dialed 911 instead of area code 910 while in Portsmouth RI. Two of Portsmouth's "finest" showed up and roughed me up and went on their merry way! I was horrified!))
4
Charles,
Rarely do I agree with your oft one-sided take on issues but here is an exception. When you posed the questions:
What kind of person takes another person’s life so cavalierly? How little must an officer think of the person at the other end of the barrel to shoot him in the head when, per the video, there appears to be no threat?
You acknowledged the community violence which speaks volumes. While, yes, NO LAW ABIDING CITIZEN should have reason to fear police. In the case of Mr DuBose, he certainly didn't deserve to be murdered for driving for a missing front license plate and then not having his driver's license.
His decision to suddenly drive off will remain a mystery; only conspiracy and conjecture will be heard.
Rarely do I agree with your oft one-sided take on issues but here is an exception. When you posed the questions:
What kind of person takes another person’s life so cavalierly? How little must an officer think of the person at the other end of the barrel to shoot him in the head when, per the video, there appears to be no threat?
You acknowledged the community violence which speaks volumes. While, yes, NO LAW ABIDING CITIZEN should have reason to fear police. In the case of Mr DuBose, he certainly didn't deserve to be murdered for driving for a missing front license plate and then not having his driver's license.
His decision to suddenly drive off will remain a mystery; only conspiracy and conjecture will be heard.
2
It isn't a mystery why he drove off. If you watch the complete video- not the edited version Blow links to, you see Dubose refuse to produce a license, hand Tensing a bottle of gin, refuse to answer questions, fail to produce a registration, pull the door shut when Tensing tries to open it, start the car and drive off. Dubose has been arrested 75 times, frequently for traffic violations. He appears to be inebriated while driving, and drives off because he is not interested in following the laws that protect all of us on the road.
And Dubose isn't murdered. In the full video, you see Tensing is dragged for five or six feet and knocked to the ground by Dubose's car. Tensing's decision to shoot Dubose is wrong and unnecessary, but it is not murder. The heavily edited video that Blow chooses to link to creates the impression that Tensing executes Dubose on a whim. This is a distortion of what happened. Tensing did the wrong thing here, but was in fact assaulted by a drunken driver with an extensive rap sheet.
And Dubose isn't murdered. In the full video, you see Tensing is dragged for five or six feet and knocked to the ground by Dubose's car. Tensing's decision to shoot Dubose is wrong and unnecessary, but it is not murder. The heavily edited video that Blow chooses to link to creates the impression that Tensing executes Dubose on a whim. This is a distortion of what happened. Tensing did the wrong thing here, but was in fact assaulted by a drunken driver with an extensive rap sheet.
Apparently this was an egregious crime much like the officer that shot the black man in the back. The common thread is that a lot of these stops are based upon what is called a pretext stop. Typically a pretext stop is a minor violation used by the police as a basis to conduct a search. What we have seen over the past 20 years as the US Supreme Court has eaten away at the Fourth Amendment by allowing pretext searches based on officer safety or inventory. When the subject fails to cooperate, the situation can rapidly escalate sometimes resulting in injury or death.
7
The police are simply out of control, all over the country. I no longer live in New York but I have heard disquieting stories about their behavior with older white people too. And what good are cameras when Erik Garner's murderer goes unpunished? The police are our servants. They must be forced, apparently, to realize that. Their behavior toward DeBlasio alone was unforgivable. They need discipline. If they don't like it, let them quit.
15
In the USA today, it is not unreasonable for an officer to recognize that a significant percentage of traffic stops will be of vehicles that contain a loaded weapon. This is a reality.
This is not to excuse officer Tensing, but a certain degree of paranoia in police officers is probably unavoidable in every such encounter thanks to the NRA. Another example of how our "gun culture" has made this country less safe.
This is not to excuse officer Tensing, but a certain degree of paranoia in police officers is probably unavoidable in every such encounter thanks to the NRA. Another example of how our "gun culture" has made this country less safe.
7
To state the obvious: police enjoy authority enforced with the threat and reality of violence. It's a job involving wearing a uniform, carrying a firearm, and being able to use that firearm to kill "bad guys," much like being in the army.
The only people we should want to be police are the people who don't want to be police, at least not it that way. We need people who don't like the authority of a uniform, resent carrying a gun, and believe strongly in nonviolence even when "bad guys" are encountered.
Black people are being murdered because racist police are misidentify who the "bad guys" are. That's only the final stage of the problem though. The root of it is that entirely too often we're giving entirely the wrong people a license to kill.
The only people we should want to be police are the people who don't want to be police, at least not it that way. We need people who don't like the authority of a uniform, resent carrying a gun, and believe strongly in nonviolence even when "bad guys" are encountered.
Black people are being murdered because racist police are misidentify who the "bad guys" are. That's only the final stage of the problem though. The root of it is that entirely too often we're giving entirely the wrong people a license to kill.
3
This was not a "good shooting" but the country's attitude about the victim is baffling. To portray the victim as innocent denies the following facts:
Rude Belligerent behavior is not "black culture".
Driving without a license is not black culture.
Everyone MUST respond to a police officer's request or question if it's not bizarre. Saying show me your license while you hand me the bottle of GIN is not bizarre police officer behavior.
Running from a police officer (driving away in this case) is not allowed.
However shooting is not an acceptable response.
Rude Belligerent behavior is not "black culture".
Driving without a license is not black culture.
Everyone MUST respond to a police officer's request or question if it's not bizarre. Saying show me your license while you hand me the bottle of GIN is not bizarre police officer behavior.
Running from a police officer (driving away in this case) is not allowed.
However shooting is not an acceptable response.
10
Old School: You struggle to create some sort of equivalence between the victims behavior and the rent-a-cop's murderous act. There is no equivalence.
Charles Blow states, correctly, that "Police violence may not be the greatest threat of violence to black lives — community violence, sadly, surpasses it..."
What he does not state, unfortunately, is that "community" violence surpasses police violence by hundreds of times. This is the elephant in the room that the Charles Blow's of the world refuse to acknowledge and address. Police violence can and should be vigorously addressed within the judicial system, and obvious bad apples must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Community violence needs to be addressed from within that community by courageous citizens who are not cowed by the "no snitching" mindset, and by the leadership community. state, and national public figures need to demonstrate that the rights of all citizens, and that all lives, matter.
What he does not state, unfortunately, is that "community" violence surpasses police violence by hundreds of times. This is the elephant in the room that the Charles Blow's of the world refuse to acknowledge and address. Police violence can and should be vigorously addressed within the judicial system, and obvious bad apples must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Community violence needs to be addressed from within that community by courageous citizens who are not cowed by the "no snitching" mindset, and by the leadership community. state, and national public figures need to demonstrate that the rights of all citizens, and that all lives, matter.
6
As deadly as American policing has been to people of color, and as fair as it may be to focus on the racial aspect of the police problem, I think we're making a big mistake if we fail to recognize that this is a national issue affecting all of us, of all races, colors and creeds. Police culture in America has, in far too many places, become a culture of bullying and adversarial relationships with the public. One very big part of the problem is the way police officers are recruited, with the most intelligent -- and therefore the most likely to handle stressful situations with restraint -- being intentionally weeded out. Another big part is the military grade equipment being handed out lavishly to police departments across the country. When you give such unnecessary equipment to people with questionable emotional intelligence and send them out into American neighborhoods as if they were patrolling Baghdad or Kabul, you get predictably bad results.
3
Now that nearly everybody has a cell phone that records video this criminal police behavior has come to light. Obviously these outrages have occurred throughout the country ever since the end of slavery, but now that we witness them, we have no excuse not to end them. In the little town my husband grew up in, guess who became cops? The bullies and thugs. Too many people are drawn to police work for the power it gives them, instead of any desire to "serve and protect." That this goes on is a deadly insult to the good cops out there.
7
The loss of voting rights and the high unemployment rate also show the disrespect that people of color are given in this country. Any white person (myself included) who claims that we all have the same rights is willfully ignorant.
5
"...was an unarmed black man......"
At what point is it determined that a suspect is unarmed? Almost invariably, it is after the incident is over. Up until then, to assume someone is unarmed is an invitation to have your name memorialized on a wall.
The traffic stop that Officer Tensing made was legitimate. Mr. Dubose failed to comply (repeatedly) with the request to produce his license, restarted his car, and attempted to drive away. Why did he do that? I suggest that Officer Tensing asked himself exactly that same question.
Of course, Mr. Blow and Prosecutor Deters have the clarity of 20/20 hindsight. Officer Tensing did not have that benefit.
At what point is it determined that a suspect is unarmed? Almost invariably, it is after the incident is over. Up until then, to assume someone is unarmed is an invitation to have your name memorialized on a wall.
The traffic stop that Officer Tensing made was legitimate. Mr. Dubose failed to comply (repeatedly) with the request to produce his license, restarted his car, and attempted to drive away. Why did he do that? I suggest that Officer Tensing asked himself exactly that same question.
Of course, Mr. Blow and Prosecutor Deters have the clarity of 20/20 hindsight. Officer Tensing did not have that benefit.
8
Am I mistaken, or are you are trying to justify murder?
By your reasoning the officer was justified. Black boy ain't in white supremacy compliance. No alternative but to kill him for insubordination, right? The predominant culture, whose history in this nation is steeped in red, warm blood, is not to be challenged. This is how I'm filtering your post. Please tell me I'm wrong. Do you think a simple "if I see you around here again without front tags..." would have sufficed?
lulu.com/michaelclayton
lulu
lulu.com/michaelclayton
lulu
If you watch the complete video, not the heavily edited version Blow links to, you see Dubose pull the door shut when Tensing tries to open it, start the car, and drag Tensing five or six feet, knocking Tensing to the ground. Tensing over-reacts and should be culpable for unnecessarily shooting Dubose, but Dubose does, in fact, assault Tensing with his vehicle. Dubose appears to be inebriated, and has 75 arrests on his rap sheet, so Blow's narrative about a motorist who is executed as a result of not displaying a front plate misses the point that Dubose has put himself in a position to be arrested for the 76th time, and is assaulting an officer who is making a legitimate traffic stop.
I live most of the time in Columbus. I have driven my 2003 thunderbird with the front license plate displayed on the dash. I would not have been surprised to be warned or ticketed before we permanently attached it. Some time in my life I probably changed lanes without signaling. I never would have expected to be slammed to the ground or shot. The victims in these latest cases were not unexpectedly rude. They had not committed a crime. I am increasingly aware that I am driving while white, and the rules and treatment for me are hugely different. My heart is breaking and I don't know what to say. Is it naive to expect fair courteous treatment and not a death sentence for a minor traffic violation
14
Have you ever turned on the ignition and tried to drive away when a police officer is questioning you about why your are driving drunk without a driver's license, as Samuel Dubos did? Have you ever refused a police officer's command to get out of your car, as Sandra Bland did? If not, your experience with police officers is in no way comparable to theirs.
Drumbeat of falling bodies indeed! I keep waiting for the someone to mention the January 2014 killing in Charlotte, NC. Here's a quote from a recent LA Times article:
"Ferrell, who starred in football at Florida A&M in 2009 and 2010, moved to Charlotte from Tallahassee, Fla., to be with his fiancee, his family has said. The night he died, he met friends for drinks at a bar, then drove home through the Brandfield Farms neighborhood. An autopsy showed Ferrell's blood-alcohol level was below the legal limit.
On his way out of the neighborhood, Ferrell wrecked his car and in the process lost his cellphone. He walked about a quarter of a mile and knocked on the door of one of the first houses he saw.
Kerrick was one of three officers who responded to the woman's 911 call. According to police, Ferrell approached the officers, ignoring their orders to stop. One officer fired a Taser but did not hit Ferrell.
Ferrell moved toward Kerrick, according to the police account, and the officer fired the fatal shots."
Sickening.
"Ferrell, who starred in football at Florida A&M in 2009 and 2010, moved to Charlotte from Tallahassee, Fla., to be with his fiancee, his family has said. The night he died, he met friends for drinks at a bar, then drove home through the Brandfield Farms neighborhood. An autopsy showed Ferrell's blood-alcohol level was below the legal limit.
On his way out of the neighborhood, Ferrell wrecked his car and in the process lost his cellphone. He walked about a quarter of a mile and knocked on the door of one of the first houses he saw.
Kerrick was one of three officers who responded to the woman's 911 call. According to police, Ferrell approached the officers, ignoring their orders to stop. One officer fired a Taser but did not hit Ferrell.
Ferrell moved toward Kerrick, according to the police account, and the officer fired the fatal shots."
Sickening.
5
For readers who don't think race plays an important part in this police shootings simply read the account in today's paper of two Arapaho Indians shoot while in a detox center in Wyoming, or watch the police execution of Ricardo Diaz-Zeferino, an unarmed Latino restaurant worker shot by police with his hands up.
http://www.democracynow.org/2015/7/17/newly_released_dashcam_video_shows...
There's no question that the political discourse of the last few decades on the heels of the GOP Souther strategy has contributed to the white perception of people of color as dangerous, threatening, different, suspicious and in need of strict control by police, courts and prisons.
Put these ideas consciously or unconsciously into the minds of armed police officers, along with the public policy to "get tough" to fight a "war on crime" and you see police acting like they are at war, not doing normal law enforcement. In a war you shoot first and ask questions later. This is the type of policing that has been unleashed on communities of color.
It's not enough to simply report these abuses. The white politicians who espouse this rhetoric and pass these laws have to be confronted for it is they who truly have blood on their hands. Policing is different today because these politicians have insisted that it be different. They have insisted that police act as an occupation force to control communities of color and this is what institutional racism looks like.
http://www.democracynow.org/2015/7/17/newly_released_dashcam_video_shows...
There's no question that the political discourse of the last few decades on the heels of the GOP Souther strategy has contributed to the white perception of people of color as dangerous, threatening, different, suspicious and in need of strict control by police, courts and prisons.
Put these ideas consciously or unconsciously into the minds of armed police officers, along with the public policy to "get tough" to fight a "war on crime" and you see police acting like they are at war, not doing normal law enforcement. In a war you shoot first and ask questions later. This is the type of policing that has been unleashed on communities of color.
It's not enough to simply report these abuses. The white politicians who espouse this rhetoric and pass these laws have to be confronted for it is they who truly have blood on their hands. Policing is different today because these politicians have insisted that it be different. They have insisted that police act as an occupation force to control communities of color and this is what institutional racism looks like.
7
After serving in stupid wars, soldiers are discharged into police forces in the US.
I am white. I am Jewish. I have always thought that an assault against anyone was an assault against everyone. I have experienced the sting of prejudice, but cannot know the fear of being black in a America; I can only know that being discriminated against carries it's own scars. With the constant revelations of the subjugation that minorities suffer, mostly those who are obvious targets because of color, I find myself in a newly peculiar position. I still worry about anti-semitism for myself and other Jews. I am now more concerned however, about the simple random acts of brutality that could befall anyone. I worry about routine traffic stops. I worry about discrimination against anyone because of the increasing likelihood that I will be victimized. At the same time, I feel an undue privilege simply because of the color of my skin. I have no easy solution, nor have I encountered any. My offer is more education and dialgoue, even as those who oppress seek to remove such options through privatizing and dominating education (see Scott Walker's diminution of Wisonsin's higher ed budget, etc.). My hope is more training, for police and citizens, even as local education is subsumed under fictional history lessons (see Texas) and private/religious charter schools. This violence, Jim Crow remnants, has been learned. We need to unlearn it.
4
First of all we need to change the way we hire police officers. Number one, each applicant must pass a complete psych evaluation by a psychiatric professional. Second, each excepted applicant must undergo rigorous conflict resolution instruction on an on going basis. Third, each police officer must receive therapy twice a month by a psychiatric professional for the life of his or her career. If the therapist deems an officer is at risk to commit a crime or unfit to deal with the public, the therapist can make recommendations to remove or suspend this individuals duties until deemed capable. Make all AI reports available to the general public.
3
One has to be nuts to become a police officer in the NRA's arms race with the people.
How about we run classes in Black communities to teach citizens that they should respect police officers, teachers, authority figures generally -- and that compliance with a police officers orders isn't at your discretion. Think that might help?
Really? How about a once per year evaluation? No department could afford to take a cop off patrol twice a month or pay the shrink's fees . You clearly have no experience in policing or a grasp of its practical issues. Educate yourself!
DuBose handed the police officer a bottle of liquor in lieu of his license. Was he drunk? If so, that would have been reason for an arrest and perhaps saved someone from being killed by a drunk driver.
2
The officer saw the bottle on the floor and asked about. He handed it over.
So you are justifying summary execution?
1
This editorial reveals the following:
1. Innocent until proven guilty does not apply to this case.
2. Guilty until proven innocent does not apply to this case.
3. He's guilty not matter what the court decides does apply.
Only in America.
1. Innocent until proven guilty does not apply to this case.
2. Guilty until proven innocent does not apply to this case.
3. He's guilty not matter what the court decides does apply.
Only in America.
3
Charles Blow’s usual references to slavery and past racial atrocities is missing from this piece, but
Ohio and Cincinnati have an odious history of racial bigotry and hatred. Ohio abolished slavery in 1802, but the state drove free blacks from the state and barred other free blacks from entering the state. When John Randolph of Virginia freed 518 slaves, an Ohio congressman declared “the banks of the Ohio would be lined with men with muskets on their shoulders to keep off the emancipated slaves." In 1807, Ohio enacted Black Laws that required any black entering the state to post a prohibitive $500 bond guaranteeing good behavior. Cincinnati authorities gave its black resident 30 days to comply or leave the city. Residents of the city’s “Little Africa” neighborhood asked for more time, but white lynch mobs prowled the neighborhood killing and beating blacks and burning their homes. About 2,200 of the city’s blacks fled to Canada. Ohio citizens objected to educating blacks from public funds, fearing it would cause black to settle in the state, so blacks were forced to attend private schools established by charitable organizations for black children, but school segregation wasn’t enough to stop the racial violence. White mobs attacked and destroyed black schools in Zanesville in 1837 and Troy in 1840. Today, most Ohioans think Jim Crow was only a Southern thing.
Ohio and Cincinnati have an odious history of racial bigotry and hatred. Ohio abolished slavery in 1802, but the state drove free blacks from the state and barred other free blacks from entering the state. When John Randolph of Virginia freed 518 slaves, an Ohio congressman declared “the banks of the Ohio would be lined with men with muskets on their shoulders to keep off the emancipated slaves." In 1807, Ohio enacted Black Laws that required any black entering the state to post a prohibitive $500 bond guaranteeing good behavior. Cincinnati authorities gave its black resident 30 days to comply or leave the city. Residents of the city’s “Little Africa” neighborhood asked for more time, but white lynch mobs prowled the neighborhood killing and beating blacks and burning their homes. About 2,200 of the city’s blacks fled to Canada. Ohio citizens objected to educating blacks from public funds, fearing it would cause black to settle in the state, so blacks were forced to attend private schools established by charitable organizations for black children, but school segregation wasn’t enough to stop the racial violence. White mobs attacked and destroyed black schools in Zanesville in 1837 and Troy in 1840. Today, most Ohioans think Jim Crow was only a Southern thing.
2
Policing seems to be confused with "ruling" or "judging". Judging by the conversation on the video, if the officer really wanted to be a hard-nose he could have given the man a ticket for failure to display the license plate, failure to produce driving license, and whatever else he deemed necessary. When do these officers start to think the traffic rule offender has become a danger to him or to the people around them with no indication of such? Why are they so quick to escalate the conversation to "a point of no return" for themselves where they cannot resist the siren calls of the weapon neatly tucked on their side? More importantly, why did his superiors tolerate his similar behavior in the past? At what point does humanity stop and barbaric behavior emerge? This is insane!
1
“It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can keep him from lynching me, and I think that’s pretty important.”
My God, this powerful and equally horrendous statement by Dr. King is as relevant today as it was over 50 years ago. This statement of truth makes me swallow just a little harder as I try and hold back the tears.
Thank God for body and dash cameras and thank God for the indictment.
2
The laws are there to organize society. If society moves just along fine, there is no need to enforce laws. But to use law enforcement to press money out of the population to fill the coffers of the administration is truly immoral and leaves a very bad taste for law enforcement. 900 years after the abuses of the sheriff of Nottingham do we still harbor favor for the terrorist Robin Hood.
This is a war against the underclass. Just because blacks are the permanent underclass are they disproportionately represented in the carnage. But of the people the police kills each year, how many are upper class?
This is a war against the underclass. Just because blacks are the permanent underclass are they disproportionately represented in the carnage. But of the people the police kills each year, how many are upper class?
We have the lowest standards to become a police, high school grad with no criminal record; couldn't get any lower. Only 8 weeks training, in Europe it's 2-3 years! What do you expect to happen? Police unions are too strong also and will fight any changes. All these terrible things have been happening forever, it's only recently with phone cameras that some things are brought to light. Still, most police are let off the hook unless it's so egresious that's there's no choice.
3
There is a reason Black citizens do not want to get out of their car when they have done nothing to warrant such an order by a provocative police officer. It is fear of being set up to be killed. When confronted by an officer whom they believe to be itching to exert their superiority and power over them, they believe it is safer to stay put. Unarmed and in the car, it is much harder for such a police officer to justify using deadly force using what has been until recently, an unchallenged excuse of self defense.
6
The media, Hamilton County prosecutor and others have Tensing convicted before he's even had a trial. Said trial is an American right. I'm not condoning what the officer did and the grief imposed on the DeBose family, I'm just concerned about the officer's right to a fair trial.
2
What about Samuel Debose's right to his life?
3
Perhaps he should have thought of that before he handed the officer an open bottle of gin in lieu of his driver's license and attempted to flee.
I am in no way discounting the racial dynamic in these murders by police, but all this also raises questions about just what sort of trigger-happy psychos municipal police forces around the country are hiring? Almost weekly there's another story about the cavalier and disproportionate dispatch of force by an officer for running one's mouth, or running away, or not being deferential enough.
Yes, I understand that running from the police is a violation of the law, but one that is met by deadly force? Do police forces, or the state, care so little about human life? Does running one's mouth at an officer warrant being slammed on the ground? These are "jackbooted thug" tactics - and it seems that the kind of psycho that would engage in such cavalier displays of violence is the sort of person municipal police forces give badges to as a matter of course! (and ironically, these officers are among the most easily frightened people among us, since they constantly excuse their deadly violence against unarmed individuals because they were "in fear of their lives").
The cop who killed 12 year-old Tamir Rice in Cleveland shot the kid no more than two seconds after exiting his vehicle. Two seconds! It's absurd. It's time to bring some hiring standards to police work. Less psychos, please!
Yes, I understand that running from the police is a violation of the law, but one that is met by deadly force? Do police forces, or the state, care so little about human life? Does running one's mouth at an officer warrant being slammed on the ground? These are "jackbooted thug" tactics - and it seems that the kind of psycho that would engage in such cavalier displays of violence is the sort of person municipal police forces give badges to as a matter of course! (and ironically, these officers are among the most easily frightened people among us, since they constantly excuse their deadly violence against unarmed individuals because they were "in fear of their lives").
The cop who killed 12 year-old Tamir Rice in Cleveland shot the kid no more than two seconds after exiting his vehicle. Two seconds! It's absurd. It's time to bring some hiring standards to police work. Less psychos, please!
4
I thought police we're supposed to help and protect all of us, not just some of us.
5
One disturbing issue related to the tragic deaths of Samuel Dubose and Sandra Blande is the frivolous traffic infractions they were both stopped for. Across the country, police seem to be issuing unwarranted tickets for minor violations...and they are doing so aggressively and violently.
173
"Across the country, police seem to be issuing unwarranted tickets for minor violations"
The reason for this is that many municipalities believe that arbitrary and unwarranted tickets are a better way of increasing funding of their government than raising taxes.
You can probably add Michael Brown to that list: The crime that he was killed over was jaywalking (not shoplifting: The police didn't know that video even existed until after Brown was dead, and the store owner testified that that wasn't Michael Brown).
The reason for this is that many municipalities believe that arbitrary and unwarranted tickets are a better way of increasing funding of their government than raising taxes.
You can probably add Michael Brown to that list: The crime that he was killed over was jaywalking (not shoplifting: The police didn't know that video even existed until after Brown was dead, and the store owner testified that that wasn't Michael Brown).
1
Good call, Steve.
What you call minor traffic violations kill thousands of Americans. For example, a recent study conducted by the Society of Automotive Engineers showed not using turn signals causes two millions crashes per year, twice as many as are caused by texting or distracted driving. This is why police departments periodically crackdown on “minor” traffic violations like following to close or failing to signal when turning or changing lanes. The purpose is to change driving habits. Police often have radio and television stations announce that they will be cracking down on specific violations during the upcoming week, but the campaigns have only temporary effects.
The Ferguson, Missouri, police officer slowed down and shouted at Michael Brown and his friend to get out of the street, but then realized they were the suspects in the convenience story robbery, He was tey8ng to arrest them for the robbery, not jaywalking. Except in towns that have only one or two patrolmen, police departments lose money. Ferguson doesn't make a profit off its police department and municipal court. In 2013, total fines and forfeitures totaled $2.2 million while police and municipal court expenditures total $5.3 million. The city would save millions if it made no attempt to enforce traffic laws.
The Ferguson, Missouri, police officer slowed down and shouted at Michael Brown and his friend to get out of the street, but then realized they were the suspects in the convenience story robbery, He was tey8ng to arrest them for the robbery, not jaywalking. Except in towns that have only one or two patrolmen, police departments lose money. Ferguson doesn't make a profit off its police department and municipal court. In 2013, total fines and forfeitures totaled $2.2 million while police and municipal court expenditures total $5.3 million. The city would save millions if it made no attempt to enforce traffic laws.
Brad from Altanta said, " It is time that the US learns from other nations' approach to community policing."
It's time that the U.S. learn from other nations' about universal health care for all too.
Why are we still considered the greatest nation on earth when we are so far behind in our social skills and practices towards our own citizens!?
Maybe it because today's Republican Party does their utmost to turn back and unravel the 1965 voting rights act and suppress so many from registering to vote to express their choices, so those who could make a difference in changing these laws never run nor win elected office to do so.
It's time that the U.S. learn from other nations' about universal health care for all too.
Why are we still considered the greatest nation on earth when we are so far behind in our social skills and practices towards our own citizens!?
Maybe it because today's Republican Party does their utmost to turn back and unravel the 1965 voting rights act and suppress so many from registering to vote to express their choices, so those who could make a difference in changing these laws never run nor win elected office to do so.
5
Your statements against police are provocative as ever. Yes this indictment was justified; but your comments against white police officers as all being a threat is just as racist as a white person saying all blacks are a threat. Neither is true; there are many excellent police offers, there are many law abiding black people.
There is no restoring of trust when you tar every officer with the same brush.
There is no restoring of trust when you tar every officer with the same brush.
2
How are we to know which officer is going to turn violent and which is not? The police themselves need to take a long look in the mirror. If they can't fix their own problem, we will have to fix it for them. The system in which decent police remain silent when their colleagues commit crimes has to change. How can that happen? They have tarred themselves with the brush of the lowest common denominator. They choose this situation for themselves. Obviously, they fear retribution from within. Why would anyone trust people involved in such a culture, a culture based in fear?
At least I. This case public officals acted swiftly and admitted the police officer was wrong. Yes this death should never have happened, but the best outcome was to admit error and charge the policeman now police across our nation must review their work and consider communiy policing, get out of their vars and meet with people in the community.
Unable to sleep last night, I checked my phone to see a Times collection of dash-cam videos. There, on my little device, scrolled 8-10 videos of the litany of wayward police encounters with black men and women. In some cases, there was a striking similarity between them, as conversations were professional before turning extremely ugly. The clash between black fear and white "irritation" resulted in tragedies that by now seem to be occurring on an almost daily basis.
I keep asking myself, has this been the case for a long time but just hasn't risen to the level of national reporting? Because, since Ferguson, out of the blue you can't turn on your TV without hearing of yet another episode.
I don't know what police precincts can do to control their cops, because without a barrage of new training, we're going to destroy the ability of police to do their jobs. There are lots of genuine criminals out there, folks (black and white) that deserve solid policing to protect the public. But now the public furor of these minor traffic stops that end in senseless deaths are getting all mixed up with genuine crimes.
Good cops, bad cops; genuine crime, no-crime; justified self-defense, blatant aggression. These dichotomies are getting so blurred that the public, numb from incidents, can't seem to react appropriately to each case.
Nor, apparently, can the police, which is tearing our society apart.
I keep asking myself, has this been the case for a long time but just hasn't risen to the level of national reporting? Because, since Ferguson, out of the blue you can't turn on your TV without hearing of yet another episode.
I don't know what police precincts can do to control their cops, because without a barrage of new training, we're going to destroy the ability of police to do their jobs. There are lots of genuine criminals out there, folks (black and white) that deserve solid policing to protect the public. But now the public furor of these minor traffic stops that end in senseless deaths are getting all mixed up with genuine crimes.
Good cops, bad cops; genuine crime, no-crime; justified self-defense, blatant aggression. These dichotomies are getting so blurred that the public, numb from incidents, can't seem to react appropriately to each case.
Nor, apparently, can the police, which is tearing our society apart.
3
I have a hunch our society has been like this for far longer than we know (regarding police brutality and lethal violence), and that it is only since the Trayvon Martin killing that the media have begun to put this on the front pages. If you look at photographys of lynchings from the early part of the 20th century, you find that some were in broad daylight, attended by whole communities of white people, sometimes white people with children picnicking and sometimes the photographs of the slaughtered bodies (dismembered, burned, hanged) were made into postcards.
I read yesterday about a child's birthday party occuring outside on the family's lawn disrupted by Confederate flag-flying men in pickup trucks who drove all over the property and ruined the party with racist epithets and threats. The police found no law had been broken. Of course the family was black and the men in trucks white.
Our sickness is deep, our blindness vast. Lynching has moved from the hooded community to the police. It is time to definitively stand against this, in communities, city councils, police departments, state legistlatures, Congress. In schools, daycare centers, grocery stores, banks, real estate offices, universities, businesses.
I read yesterday about a child's birthday party occuring outside on the family's lawn disrupted by Confederate flag-flying men in pickup trucks who drove all over the property and ruined the party with racist epithets and threats. The police found no law had been broken. Of course the family was black and the men in trucks white.
Our sickness is deep, our blindness vast. Lynching has moved from the hooded community to the police. It is time to definitively stand against this, in communities, city councils, police departments, state legistlatures, Congress. In schools, daycare centers, grocery stores, banks, real estate offices, universities, businesses.
In the Tennessee v. Garner ruling in 1985, the Supreme Court said that "deadly force...may not be used unless the officer has probable cause to believe that the suspect poses a significant threat of death or serious bodily harm to the officer or others."
This Supreme Court case 30 years ago abolished the "fleeing felon" rule where a fleeing felon who posed no immediate threat to society (e.g., a burglar) could be shot if he refused to halt.
University of Cincinnati police officer Ray Tensing had no grounds for shooting someone whose car had no front license plate. This should be treated as a hate crime, and abuse of authority should be an aggravating factor in the eventual sentencing of Tensing.
This Supreme Court case 30 years ago abolished the "fleeing felon" rule where a fleeing felon who posed no immediate threat to society (e.g., a burglar) could be shot if he refused to halt.
University of Cincinnati police officer Ray Tensing had no grounds for shooting someone whose car had no front license plate. This should be treated as a hate crime, and abuse of authority should be an aggravating factor in the eventual sentencing of Tensing.
3
If we put aside everything but simple facts, there is only one conclusion: Who in their right mind, especially a trained peace officer, would grab onto a moving car?
It might be appropriate if the driver was intent on careering through a packed school yard, but to detain a suspected unlicensed driver? With a gun drawn?
It seems there are too many little boys with deadly toys on both sides of the law these days.
It might be appropriate if the driver was intent on careering through a packed school yard, but to detain a suspected unlicensed driver? With a gun drawn?
It seems there are too many little boys with deadly toys on both sides of the law these days.
2
As Mr Blow says, body cameras will only do so much to deter crimes by the police. There is a 2 part solution: 1) Make the police administration responsible for the actions of its troops, and 2) Require stringent pre-hire testing to rule out the racists, misogynists, and psychopaths. These crimes have been happening forever. The world is finally being made aware. It's time to stop.
88
Isn't it likely that police who arrive at the academy are not yet "racists, misogynists, and psychopaths," but that their training conditions them to embrace these traits? And their training teaches them to back up their fellow officers out of loyalty (the "Blue Wall of Silence") even if they deplore behavior that have witnessed and lied about?
1
I would add one additional point Fern, police forces that have union representation also have to bear a part of any financial judgements handed down by the courts.
The only way to dismantle the blue wall of silence is to make the entire force financially burdened by the actions of their miscreant brothers and sisters in arms. For all the supposed fidelity to law and order professed by police officers, when it comes to their own, the knee jerk circling of the wagons reaction is universal. Somehow honesty, legitimacy, decency go out the window for our sworn protectors for themselves. When their union has to cough up dollars to satisfy judgements maybe then the vast plurality of decent cops will say no more to covering up for the losers who somehow escaped detection in the hiring process.
The only way to dismantle the blue wall of silence is to make the entire force financially burdened by the actions of their miscreant brothers and sisters in arms. For all the supposed fidelity to law and order professed by police officers, when it comes to their own, the knee jerk circling of the wagons reaction is universal. Somehow honesty, legitimacy, decency go out the window for our sworn protectors for themselves. When their union has to cough up dollars to satisfy judgements maybe then the vast plurality of decent cops will say no more to covering up for the losers who somehow escaped detection in the hiring process.
1
I watched the video, several times. Tensing was in no trouble. He fired his weapon before he could process his next thought. This was an instantaneous, but preconceived reaction.
Preconceived? Deep in the recesses of Tensing's psyche was a conditioned response towards black men. No other explanation makes sense.
Preconceived? Deep in the recesses of Tensing's psyche was a conditioned response towards black men. No other explanation makes sense.
6
fRiff
do you play a psychologist on TV or just when you make a comment? Pure hokum.
do you play a psychologist on TV or just when you make a comment? Pure hokum.
Sometime after my own experiences in combat, in the course of reflecting about it, I concluded that one of the things that we all came to accept was that being legitimate targets of violence was a part of the job. It was ok for people to be trying to kill us, in a way that it was not ok for someone to kill a civilian, for example. i.e. our lives were in some sense less important. That would have been highlighted had we been in a position of defending a civilian populace (as some soldiers have in other wars), but I think it's true of the vast majority of combat soldiers across history. Putting your life on the (front) line is part of the deal.
When I came back I extended that concept to what I came to call 'the guys with the guns,' meaning anyone to whom a government issues a firearm as part of their job. My perception is that they should adopt that same basic rule - their lives are the least important. I'm sure that's true of many if not most of our police force, but what particularly bothers me is that some seem to believe that their lives are MORE important than anyone else's, and that protecting themselves is their primary focus. This seems to lead to some concluding that they have a right to shoot someone if they think the other person just might, possibly be reaching for a weapon, for example.
It's not just wrong - it's deeply shameful and an embarrassment to all the 'guys with guns' who do operate on the opposite principle. Some people have no business being cops.
When I came back I extended that concept to what I came to call 'the guys with the guns,' meaning anyone to whom a government issues a firearm as part of their job. My perception is that they should adopt that same basic rule - their lives are the least important. I'm sure that's true of many if not most of our police force, but what particularly bothers me is that some seem to believe that their lives are MORE important than anyone else's, and that protecting themselves is their primary focus. This seems to lead to some concluding that they have a right to shoot someone if they think the other person just might, possibly be reaching for a weapon, for example.
It's not just wrong - it's deeply shameful and an embarrassment to all the 'guys with guns' who do operate on the opposite principle. Some people have no business being cops.
2
The whole NRA gun marketing schtick revolves around the buyer's immortal soul being the most important thing in the whole universe.
Mr. Blow has written an eloquent column that again underscores the absolute need for reforms and an acknowledgement of the role race plays in our culture.
Last year Mr. Blow wrote a compelling and powerful column about the terrifying experience of having his son, a student at Yale, stopped on campus by a campus cop who put a gun in his face. Some commenters at the time suggested that Mr. Blow over-reacted to a case of mistaken identity (i.e. being on Yale's campus while black); to the contrary, today Mr. Blow would again be justified at feeling ill, being reminded by the tragedy in Cincinnati, as to how close his son may have come to being a statistic.
Last year Mr. Blow wrote a compelling and powerful column about the terrifying experience of having his son, a student at Yale, stopped on campus by a campus cop who put a gun in his face. Some commenters at the time suggested that Mr. Blow over-reacted to a case of mistaken identity (i.e. being on Yale's campus while black); to the contrary, today Mr. Blow would again be justified at feeling ill, being reminded by the tragedy in Cincinnati, as to how close his son may have come to being a statistic.
33
There seem to be two very serious problems that we as a nation need to confront.
The first is to admit that racism is alive and well in the present day. Maybe some things are better, but we really need to recommit to the ideals of civil rights for all and get to work to make it happen. Let's start by admitting that the language we use to describe each other plays a role in segregating our society. Let's try to look at each other as human beings first and then worry about what race or sexual orientation after. Let's enshrine the right to vote in our Constitution. (Hey, a guy can dream, can't he?)
The second thing we need to confront is to acknowledge that we need better tools to stop violence than a gun. It's harder to try to reason and argue. It's far to easy to pull a trigger. We need to admit that guns don't solve problems, they bury them. And we all know what happens when you bury rather than solve a problem. It festers and haunts forever.
The first is to admit that racism is alive and well in the present day. Maybe some things are better, but we really need to recommit to the ideals of civil rights for all and get to work to make it happen. Let's start by admitting that the language we use to describe each other plays a role in segregating our society. Let's try to look at each other as human beings first and then worry about what race or sexual orientation after. Let's enshrine the right to vote in our Constitution. (Hey, a guy can dream, can't he?)
The second thing we need to confront is to acknowledge that we need better tools to stop violence than a gun. It's harder to try to reason and argue. It's far to easy to pull a trigger. We need to admit that guns don't solve problems, they bury them. And we all know what happens when you bury rather than solve a problem. It festers and haunts forever.
12
The video is very important. The most sympathetic viewing of the video--among many other interpretations less sympathetic--is that the officer was grossly untrained and unprepared for an encounter that should have been an expected part of his job. There is a lot of blame to go around. I expect resistance from the police unions to massive retraining will lessen with every new video. Rest in peace, Mr. Dubose, this should never never have happened.
7
Charles A. Blow writes, "community violence, sadly, surpasses it..."
Charles, the community is not responsible for violence.
Individuals are responsible for violence. Individuals who were raised and conditioned to accept The Street Culture that is mostly fueled by immature, irresponsible maternal individuals in communities populated mostly by peaceful people who have to deal with depressed young and older individuals scarred by years of early childhood abuse and neglect at the hands of their single caretakers.
Everyday peaceful working people in struggling communities have to deal with the stresses and challenges of protecting their children from abused, depressed, frustrated, angry children raised and nurtured in The Street culture.
Ask the Baltimore Mom of the Year what influences The Street Culture had on her son Michael. Ask her about her struggles to keep him from being emotionally or physically harmed by children raised and conditioned in The Street Culture.
Communities aren't violent, though individual victims of early childhood abuse and neglect often are.
Charles, the community is not responsible for violence.
Individuals are responsible for violence. Individuals who were raised and conditioned to accept The Street Culture that is mostly fueled by immature, irresponsible maternal individuals in communities populated mostly by peaceful people who have to deal with depressed young and older individuals scarred by years of early childhood abuse and neglect at the hands of their single caretakers.
Everyday peaceful working people in struggling communities have to deal with the stresses and challenges of protecting their children from abused, depressed, frustrated, angry children raised and nurtured in The Street culture.
Ask the Baltimore Mom of the Year what influences The Street Culture had on her son Michael. Ask her about her struggles to keep him from being emotionally or physically harmed by children raised and conditioned in The Street Culture.
Communities aren't violent, though individual victims of early childhood abuse and neglect often are.
7
The problem isn't racism? Isn't a society that has clung to Jim Crow? The problem is single mothers? Have you looked at the statitics for white criminals and white single mothers? Blame the women. It's so handy. And it's been handy for thousands of years.
Thank you for your powerful and passionate column.
2
It is sickening to think that had it not been for the body cam video or that of a bystander, this crime would have been erased by the word of this campus cop. I'm not sure if it's been verified yet, but it was reported that after this murder, a campus cop who arrived after the shooting provided a false report to bolster the story of Tensing. Hopefully, this person will also be charged with providing a false statement. When a society places its trust in law enforcement officers sworn to tell the truth, it only takes one lying officer to destroy that trust. And getting that trust back is a monumental task. Thank God prosecutor Deters is taking a huge step in restoring that trust.
17
I was blind but now I see.
I have lived my entire life within the comfortable racial cocoon of whiteness in this country and only recently have I come to understand what a hell the US is for many people of color. I don't understand how anyone can be taught to view people as animals or less than human simply based on the color of their skin. I understand even less how these monsters can be given guns and turned loose on our streets.
In grade school I was taught that slavery ended in 1863 and now I finally see that it continues to this very day. I am disgusted and at a total loss as to how we can ever fix this heinous problem.
I have lived my entire life within the comfortable racial cocoon of whiteness in this country and only recently have I come to understand what a hell the US is for many people of color. I don't understand how anyone can be taught to view people as animals or less than human simply based on the color of their skin. I understand even less how these monsters can be given guns and turned loose on our streets.
In grade school I was taught that slavery ended in 1863 and now I finally see that it continues to this very day. I am disgusted and at a total loss as to how we can ever fix this heinous problem.
270
Thank you so much for writing this here. God bless. You are so needed and I hope in many communities across the country there are more of you.
The first step is for decent honest citizens like you to say "Enough!" and commit to a different reality. We Canadians have our own police issues re. race, the practice of "carding" visible minorities, and police respect for civil rights.
Slavery depended on the structural unequal protection of law that persists to this day in the US.
This one is easy. Dentist Walter J Palmer uses his wealth, pays 50000 dollars to lure a lion off his preserve, shoots him with a crossbow and then for the next 40 hours "hunt" this lion and brutally kills him. For this there is almost universal outrage. This police officer used the privilege afforded him by the state issued gun and badge, stopped a black man for dubious reason and then uses the opportunity afforded him by the man's attempt to flee to "hunt" and then brutally kill this man. Of course he attempts to cover up his crime the same way we expect Palmer to cover up his crime. There is every reason to expect that as with the indictment of most police officers these days that the officer thrill killer will be exonerated.
8
The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. said: " It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can keep him from lynching me, and I think that's pretty important."
Yet, almost half a century after those words, it it 'the law' that does the lynchings far too often.
Yet, almost half a century after those words, it it 'the law' that does the lynchings far too often.
126
Obviously psychological screening is needed in the hiring of law enforcement. That and keeping statistics on deaths of any kind in custody or encounters with law enforcement. As cities pay out wrongful death damages, it will become clearer, if decency and justice are not strong enough drivers, that failing to do so will be too costly. Incidents like this erode respect for law enforcement and probably increase the likelihood that some who are stopped will shoot first. The exceptional US is very uncivilized when compared to other 1st world countries in so many ways.
5
Another act of police murder, official lies and shameless collusion. Thank goodness for Joe Deters.
Mr. Blow is right about the threat this horror poses to the whole of the United States--to us all, to our society, our democracy.
I'm reading Christopher Dickey's brilliant antebellum history Our Man In Charleston, which spells out the violent, supremacist fantasies that swept up white Southerners in a kind of mass psychosis in the years leading up to nullification, secession, and civil war.
Something not unlike that is happening now, certainly in the old Confederacy, but also in the worn-out industrial states, the "Rust Belt Confederacy."
Every truculent apologist who drums out the same old mantras we've heard ever since a self-appointed "cop" gunned down Trayvon Martin--demands for "obedience," ugly smears of the dead and their families, vicious racial lies to justify the slaughter of the innocent--every one of them is weakening our democracy, slashing away at the frail bonds that make us, for better or worse, a nation.
For some--the Birchite oligarchy that owns the Republican Party--this is by design. These men fancy themselves "revolutionaries," and believe it's time for a more authoritarian order in America. They're a clear and present danger.
For others, it's spontaneous--mob hysteria energized yet shielded by social media: The internet becomes the white sheet that protects the mob from exposure.
And the body count rises. We must stop this while we still can.
Mr. Blow is right about the threat this horror poses to the whole of the United States--to us all, to our society, our democracy.
I'm reading Christopher Dickey's brilliant antebellum history Our Man In Charleston, which spells out the violent, supremacist fantasies that swept up white Southerners in a kind of mass psychosis in the years leading up to nullification, secession, and civil war.
Something not unlike that is happening now, certainly in the old Confederacy, but also in the worn-out industrial states, the "Rust Belt Confederacy."
Every truculent apologist who drums out the same old mantras we've heard ever since a self-appointed "cop" gunned down Trayvon Martin--demands for "obedience," ugly smears of the dead and their families, vicious racial lies to justify the slaughter of the innocent--every one of them is weakening our democracy, slashing away at the frail bonds that make us, for better or worse, a nation.
For some--the Birchite oligarchy that owns the Republican Party--this is by design. These men fancy themselves "revolutionaries," and believe it's time for a more authoritarian order in America. They're a clear and present danger.
For others, it's spontaneous--mob hysteria energized yet shielded by social media: The internet becomes the white sheet that protects the mob from exposure.
And the body count rises. We must stop this while we still can.
13
In the initial part of the video the interchange seems ordinary and respectful, and impossible to believe that we are watching the last 90 seconds of Mr. Dubose's life. The speed with which this situation turned from relative calm into chaos was startling. Seemingly in just an eye blink, conversation becomes deadly confrontation. My point is, Tensing must have had his gun drawn before Dubose tried to flee. Could this have been the reason he hit the gas? Out of fear for his life.
13
"Tensing must have had his gun drawn before Dubose tried to flee. Could this have been the reason he hit the gas? Out of fear for his life."
I think you've put your finger on it - and on what white America doesn't understand about how blacks respond to the police. Where we see them being seemingly belligerent or uncooperative or evasive or resistant, what is often going on is FEAR - justified fear. So Sandra Bland refuses to get out of the car, and readers condemn her for "resisting arrest," saying if she'd just gone along and appeased the cop she'd have lived to tell about it! But Sandra Bland almost certainly understood that the risk to her person and her life would increase exponentially if she got out of that car! So, too, Samuel Dubose may have seen flooring it as his best chance to get away from this innocent-looking white kid with a gun, whom he probably intuitively understood was far more dangerous than he looked.
I think you've put your finger on it - and on what white America doesn't understand about how blacks respond to the police. Where we see them being seemingly belligerent or uncooperative or evasive or resistant, what is often going on is FEAR - justified fear. So Sandra Bland refuses to get out of the car, and readers condemn her for "resisting arrest," saying if she'd just gone along and appeased the cop she'd have lived to tell about it! But Sandra Bland almost certainly understood that the risk to her person and her life would increase exponentially if she got out of that car! So, too, Samuel Dubose may have seen flooring it as his best chance to get away from this innocent-looking white kid with a gun, whom he probably intuitively understood was far more dangerous than he looked.
1
As we go through life we interact with police: Fender-benders, traffic stops, check points, etc, and almost all of the officers have been polite and respectful. Is it because I'm a white man, now middle-aged? Or are they just decent? I hope it's the latter but suspect not.
Yet every now and then you meet one with an attitude problem. One officer in my town made so many "chicken c***" stops at one corner they changed the signage so he wouldn't have that excuse after judges kept asking "Is there a sign there?" (no, there wasn't). When I fell off a motorcycle over a decade ago, the first officer on scene was what you'd expect--calling an ambulance, kind and soft-spoken to an accident victim. But it wasn't her jurisdiction and her replacement immediately started hectoring me as the EMTs were loading me up. He insisted I was going North when I repeatedly said I was going South, not listening, and in the ER, the doctor had to throw him out of the treatment room!
I shudder to think how THAT officer would react to a Mr. DuBose!
Yet every now and then you meet one with an attitude problem. One officer in my town made so many "chicken c***" stops at one corner they changed the signage so he wouldn't have that excuse after judges kept asking "Is there a sign there?" (no, there wasn't). When I fell off a motorcycle over a decade ago, the first officer on scene was what you'd expect--calling an ambulance, kind and soft-spoken to an accident victim. But it wasn't her jurisdiction and her replacement immediately started hectoring me as the EMTs were loading me up. He insisted I was going North when I repeatedly said I was going South, not listening, and in the ER, the doctor had to throw him out of the treatment room!
I shudder to think how THAT officer would react to a Mr. DuBose!
5
The local Cincinnati paper had the whole video on its website Cincinnati.com. To watch it is to see nothing less than an officer deciding that the penalty for failing to have a front license plate is summary execution. Police are far too often judge, jury and executioner. The shooting happens around 3 minutes into a 27 minute video. At the risk of someone invoking Godwin's Law on me, even people in Roland Friesler's notorious Nazi court got more than a 3 minute trial.
The aftermath is even more disgusting. There was no attempt to render aid to Mr. Dubose. Rather, it is a bunch of police officers getting their stories straight. There is no expression of remorse, no compassion and no human feeling. It is chilling, to say the least.
But lying by police officers is nothing new. Ask any lawyer who deals with criminal law. Prosecutors knowingly work with them to "hone" their testimony; defense lawyers know that there is often a wide gulf between what they say and what the truth actually is.
Police and criminal justice reform is long past due.
I have a suggestion for another memorial on the Mall in DC: a memorial to those killed unjustifiably by police officers and those imprisoned or otherwise deprived of liberty or property due to police misconduct. How many thousands of victims are there?
#BlackLivesMatter because, to paraphrase the late Pastor Niemoller, first they came for the blacks and I did not speak up because I was not black...
The aftermath is even more disgusting. There was no attempt to render aid to Mr. Dubose. Rather, it is a bunch of police officers getting their stories straight. There is no expression of remorse, no compassion and no human feeling. It is chilling, to say the least.
But lying by police officers is nothing new. Ask any lawyer who deals with criminal law. Prosecutors knowingly work with them to "hone" their testimony; defense lawyers know that there is often a wide gulf between what they say and what the truth actually is.
Police and criminal justice reform is long past due.
I have a suggestion for another memorial on the Mall in DC: a memorial to those killed unjustifiably by police officers and those imprisoned or otherwise deprived of liberty or property due to police misconduct. How many thousands of victims are there?
#BlackLivesMatter because, to paraphrase the late Pastor Niemoller, first they came for the blacks and I did not speak up because I was not black...
14
No, he did not shoot him because of the license plate. The officer took action after the man tried flee in his car in a chaotic, sudden, and intense moment. Big difference. The officer was very reasonable and respectful. Mr. D gave him every reason to be suspicious and fearful. Why does everyone completely ignore the part played by the civilian? Did the officer handle the situation well? No.
It's as if the public lynching of blacks in America - once an acceptable public practice after the Civil War and in the South up through the 1920's - has been quietly subcontracted to the nation's law enforcement complex.
President Teddy Roosevelt - a major anti-lynching proponent of his time wrote this in 1903 to Indiana Governor Winfield Durbin:
"All thoughtful men...must feel the gravest alarm over the growth of lynching in this country, and especially over the peculiarly hideous forms so often taken by mob violence when colored men are the victims – on which occasions the mob seems to lay more weight, not on the crime but on the color of the criminal...There are certain hideous sights which when once seen can never be wholly erased from the mental retina. The mere fact of having seen them implies degradation."
Who exactly are America's bad apple police 'protecting and serving' by slaughtering minorities for real and imagined misdemeanors ?
President Teddy Roosevelt - a major anti-lynching proponent of his time wrote this in 1903 to Indiana Governor Winfield Durbin:
"All thoughtful men...must feel the gravest alarm over the growth of lynching in this country, and especially over the peculiarly hideous forms so often taken by mob violence when colored men are the victims – on which occasions the mob seems to lay more weight, not on the crime but on the color of the criminal...There are certain hideous sights which when once seen can never be wholly erased from the mental retina. The mere fact of having seen them implies degradation."
Who exactly are America's bad apple police 'protecting and serving' by slaughtering minorities for real and imagined misdemeanors ?
259
Do we have a group of sociopathic or simply totally alienated from society people who are in the business of 'law enforcement?' Have they not been watching the news, especially since the death of Trayvon Martin and the absolutely clear revealing of no serious 'crime' or 'danger to life' posed in the cases that keep piling up since that time (and certainly, well before). Do they not understand that body, dashboard and smartphone cams have been running for months now telling the necessary facts that have, in fact, led to indictments of fellow 'law enforcers'? What are, in fact, the social awareness criteria used by policing departments when they choose their candidates? Why is a person who was seen to have social interaction weakness with the public allowed to be in this position? How is it that the 'desk' job or 'administrative duty' can only be invoked after the fact?
4
George Zimmerman getting off for killing Trayvon Martin was a turning point, I think - a tragic one. It's as if the police unconsciously collectively decided, "Okay, so we can kill blacks if they are giving us any trouble. If a civilian can get away with it, just because he didn't like the looks of some kid or thought he was in the "wrong" neighborhood, or he ran when I chased him - heaven forfend - then surely we big dudes, already authorized to carry guns and shoot citizens who step out of line - can do so, too."
Fortunately now, investigators, as in this case, are beginning to move judiciously and critically. What's equally horrifying is the culture of policing in which officers clearly are complicit. People are in traumatizing situations but you don't defend your co-worker by deliberately lying on the police report. Crimes against humanity. . .when will we ever learn?
What these videos show are the intersections; where the paternalism, disdain, dismissiveness, contempt and fear with which sadly many in our general population view black people intersects with a gun and the institutional protection of a uniform. No one can legislate or enforce away those feelings. They come from a rich, long-running and largely self-unexamined American history and pathology. But, what can be legislated in is a much, much higher level of training, professionalism and operational process when it comes to the conduct of those who carry a gun and wear a uniform. And very heavy consequences in these instances not just for the "bad apple" but the tree also.
I appreciate the candor of the department. But that even with wearing a body cam Tensing and his colleagues who initially backed him up on his dragging fable could attempt this suggests to me that they thought it could be fixed.
Ps: NYT, is Mr. Blow THE go to guy on this topic? Love Mr. Blow but just asking.
I appreciate the candor of the department. But that even with wearing a body cam Tensing and his colleagues who initially backed him up on his dragging fable could attempt this suggests to me that they thought it could be fixed.
Ps: NYT, is Mr. Blow THE go to guy on this topic? Love Mr. Blow but just asking.
3
Can all the stories we read lately about black lives being snuffed out by utterly evil racists, really true? Or is there an agenda now for pushing this narrative?
Don't they know it could make things worse instead of better? Yes, we need to know the truth.
But so many people didn't care to know the truth about how wars started back after September 11, 2001, when the World Trade Center, and Pentagon, were hit ... by purported terrorists. The people pushing those wars, like from Project for New American Century, made up their stories.
People were naive enough to believe those stories.
The fact is that hundreds of thousands died already as a result. The United States, and thanks to the utter naivety of its citizenry, in believing what they read in the newspapers, and receive on their radios and TVs, led to this extreme disaster upon entire nations, and to the current dire problems, like rise of the Islamic State.
And its an absolute fact, glossed over by journalists, about this needless murder of so many, this rampant continuing destruction over there.
Since no black, white, red, yellow lives are affected right here in the U.S., it's not supposed to matter. And especially so long as they can simply blame it on those 'evil' dictators. Enough!
Now even if there isn't real proof of killings by 'evil' men right here in the U.S., its 'big news'. People care when it's 'close to home'
Easier to 'believe' then! Shame on human error, triple shame on a complicit media.
Don't they know it could make things worse instead of better? Yes, we need to know the truth.
But so many people didn't care to know the truth about how wars started back after September 11, 2001, when the World Trade Center, and Pentagon, were hit ... by purported terrorists. The people pushing those wars, like from Project for New American Century, made up their stories.
People were naive enough to believe those stories.
The fact is that hundreds of thousands died already as a result. The United States, and thanks to the utter naivety of its citizenry, in believing what they read in the newspapers, and receive on their radios and TVs, led to this extreme disaster upon entire nations, and to the current dire problems, like rise of the Islamic State.
And its an absolute fact, glossed over by journalists, about this needless murder of so many, this rampant continuing destruction over there.
Since no black, white, red, yellow lives are affected right here in the U.S., it's not supposed to matter. And especially so long as they can simply blame it on those 'evil' dictators. Enough!
Now even if there isn't real proof of killings by 'evil' men right here in the U.S., its 'big news'. People care when it's 'close to home'
Easier to 'believe' then! Shame on human error, triple shame on a complicit media.
2
"This environment of death and distrust is a threat to the fabric of society and to democracy itself."
American society is already torn asunder, and has been for some deacades.
A nation ruled by people that believed they had the absolute right to enslave others, and still enslaves them through the historic economic inequality that is evident in every area of America, is a very sick nation
The racism that is now somewhat exposed, has been hiding like a virulent cancer barely under the surface of this American society.
It is evident across the land, in schools, in the workplace, in the all white neighborhoods, in local, state and federal agencies, and in all areas of government, and in the media.
The murders of innocent black children, black women, and black men, continues unabated, with prosecutions, and convictions, a rarity.
All of us, every etnicity, every creed, need to to come together, and make it known that we will not stand for this, one moment longer.
We want visible, concrete action, be done with the platitudes, and the self-serving lip service.
If we do not get a grip, the division that has gone before, will resurrect with a vengeance.
American society is already torn asunder, and has been for some deacades.
A nation ruled by people that believed they had the absolute right to enslave others, and still enslaves them through the historic economic inequality that is evident in every area of America, is a very sick nation
The racism that is now somewhat exposed, has been hiding like a virulent cancer barely under the surface of this American society.
It is evident across the land, in schools, in the workplace, in the all white neighborhoods, in local, state and federal agencies, and in all areas of government, and in the media.
The murders of innocent black children, black women, and black men, continues unabated, with prosecutions, and convictions, a rarity.
All of us, every etnicity, every creed, need to to come together, and make it known that we will not stand for this, one moment longer.
We want visible, concrete action, be done with the platitudes, and the self-serving lip service.
If we do not get a grip, the division that has gone before, will resurrect with a vengeance.
77
For every Samuel Debose, Sandra Bland, Walter Scott, Eric Garner and Tamir Rice who ends up dead after an encounter with a cop there is a legion of blacks who were and are regularly profiled and stopped by cops. Only to live with the emotional, mental and physical trauma.
1
Statistically, we have a small amount of mentally unstable teachers, doctors, carpenters, auto mechanics, and yes, police officers. Emotionally tragic. Statistically unavoidable.
1
This is not a problem of statistics. It is both a screening of employee problem and a problem of white supremacy. Any effort to simply chalk a pattern of murder by law enforcement to statistics is a failure to do the work a civil society should do.
1
Thank you for writing this column.
3
Do we have a group of sociopathic or simply totally alienated from society people who are in the business of 'law enforcement?' Have they not been watching the news, especially since the death of Trayvon Martin and the absolutely clear revealing of no serious 'crime' or 'danger to life' posed in the cases that keep piling up since that time (and certainly, well before). Do they not understand that body, dashboard and smartphone cams have been running for months now telling the necessary facts that have, in fact, led to indictments of fellow 'law enforcers'? What are, in fact, the social awareness criteria used by policing departments when they choose their cameras? Why is a person who was seen to have social interaction weakness with the public allowed to be in this position? How is it that the 'desk' job or 'administrative duty' can only be invoked after the fact?
"This environment of death and distrust is a threat to the fabric of society and to democracy itself."
This is so chillingly true.
I fear this truth.
I also wonder/ask what psychology is at play when having a gun in hand. A rigorous, in depth study needs to be published then popularized to expose the underlying and cowardly fear that permeates most gun carriers.
This is so chillingly true.
I fear this truth.
I also wonder/ask what psychology is at play when having a gun in hand. A rigorous, in depth study needs to be published then popularized to expose the underlying and cowardly fear that permeates most gun carriers.
3
One sees more and more from these body cams the inadequacy of police training and screening. Police officers must be formally trained in skills such as the toleration of insults and insolence, so long as it it within legal first amendment limits. Overly aggressive officers, such as Mr. Tensing, should be immediately eliminated from the force (his aggressiveness was evidently previously noted).
I well remember once, in Milwaukee, circa 1974, being pulled over by two police officers for nothing more than riding, properly, an old "cruiser" bike (this was before they were in style, and well before biking was seen as a sign of gentrification) which had an "inappropriate" bike license (the license was current, but from a Milwaukee suburb). They obviously wanted to start something--so I kept my cool. At the time I remember wondering what I would have had to do to really set them off. It wouldn't have been much. Just having the wrong skin color might have been enough...
I well remember once, in Milwaukee, circa 1974, being pulled over by two police officers for nothing more than riding, properly, an old "cruiser" bike (this was before they were in style, and well before biking was seen as a sign of gentrification) which had an "inappropriate" bike license (the license was current, but from a Milwaukee suburb). They obviously wanted to start something--so I kept my cool. At the time I remember wondering what I would have had to do to really set them off. It wouldn't have been much. Just having the wrong skin color might have been enough...
2
"This environment of death and distrust is a threat to the fabric of society and to democracy itself."
True. And more than ever before, The Whole World is Watching.
When those who lament the loss of respect for America worldwide - while pointing to 'libruls' as the cause - they're missing the mark. Far more damaging to our 'exceptionalism' are these incidences of renegade cops and rampant buffoonery in the halls of Congress.
True. And more than ever before, The Whole World is Watching.
When those who lament the loss of respect for America worldwide - while pointing to 'libruls' as the cause - they're missing the mark. Far more damaging to our 'exceptionalism' are these incidences of renegade cops and rampant buffoonery in the halls of Congress.
5
It is clearly and tragically true that young black men and women are being treated differently than typical white people, resulting in senseless arrests and killings. My questions is whether this is confined to the black community, or if it also happens to other ethnic minorities in certain neighborhoods. My instincts are yes, and general abuse of police power is a far greater problem than even these tragic events demonstrate.
3
In some respects, the "police brutality committed against black men" story is our canary in the coal mine for an out of control police culture.
Perhaps it is the widening use of body cams and dash cams that is unmasking the behavior of too many really power mad bullying cops.
Perhaps it is the fact that some of these cops are biased and some are just plain ... bullies with a badge.
But it is clear that if you value your right as a citizen to be innocent until proven guilty, you better video and audio record any encounter with any cop ... especially since they will lie to shield each other from accountability for, at best, their profane bullying and at worst, their assaults and murders of American citizens.
I never in my wildest cynicism would have believed that so many of our cops have degraded into nazi behavior simply because they have the badge to shield their behavior.
Perhaps it is the widening use of body cams and dash cams that is unmasking the behavior of too many really power mad bullying cops.
Perhaps it is the fact that some of these cops are biased and some are just plain ... bullies with a badge.
But it is clear that if you value your right as a citizen to be innocent until proven guilty, you better video and audio record any encounter with any cop ... especially since they will lie to shield each other from accountability for, at best, their profane bullying and at worst, their assaults and murders of American citizens.
I never in my wildest cynicism would have believed that so many of our cops have degraded into nazi behavior simply because they have the badge to shield their behavior.
5
The remarks by the prosecutor were uncalled for and can only create prejudice toward the officer. It will be hard to call a jury that hasn't heard those remarks by the time of a trial.
4
What will be hard, probably impossible, is to get 12 people together who have not seen the video, which is all the evidence most of us need to find Mr. Tensing guilty.
Any remarks by the prosecutor are beside the point. Another whacko with a gun and a badge loses control of himself and kills an innocent person. This one wasn't even smart enough to realize that his own body-cam was going to convict him.
Any remarks by the prosecutor are beside the point. Another whacko with a gun and a badge loses control of himself and kills an innocent person. This one wasn't even smart enough to realize that his own body-cam was going to convict him.
I guess it is hard for some to hear anyone in law enforcement speak the unvarnished truth when it comes to police officers killing unarmed Black People.
1
"What we are living through cannot continue. People cannot long shoulder this weight — nor should they be required to."
It is bad enough that scores of African Americans have recently been murdered by so-called public servants. The worst part is that this slow-motion massacre has been going on for hundreds years, and that during that time, black people were blamed for the senseless deaths, and written off as paranoid, to boot. I hope that we can take a moment to acknowledge this sad truth, and to ponder its implications for "post-racial" America. And to consider what we should make of similar allegations about the way blacks are treated in the housing market, the workplace, in schools, retail stores, restaurants, non-lethal traffic stops, etc., when there are no bodycams.
It is bad enough that scores of African Americans have recently been murdered by so-called public servants. The worst part is that this slow-motion massacre has been going on for hundreds years, and that during that time, black people were blamed for the senseless deaths, and written off as paranoid, to boot. I hope that we can take a moment to acknowledge this sad truth, and to ponder its implications for "post-racial" America. And to consider what we should make of similar allegations about the way blacks are treated in the housing market, the workplace, in schools, retail stores, restaurants, non-lethal traffic stops, etc., when there are no bodycams.
5
I bristle when I read stories like this that refer to Campus "police" as police. What kind of training do these people have? What kind of psychological testing do they need to pass before they are given a gun? The biggest question begs an answer. What was Tensing's jurisdiction OFF campus to conduct a traffic stop? If he wasn't in pursuit of someone who committed a crime on campus, why was he trolling around looking for someone to stop?
5
I question if any of these younger police officers involved in these shootings were recruited after returning from Iraq or Afghanistan where death is commonplace.
1
Of course I have a problem with authority. It is only right that I do. We arm some civil servant, without detailed psychological screening, with minimal qualifications and miserable pay and see time and again this horrid result.
We do not value human life. We have crazy schemes pumped into our heads about the soul and afterlife and ghosts and zombies and demons and view, as entertainment, one of us repeatedly, comically, blowing away another of us day in and day out without rest, without hope. We have twisted our perception of being alive into a 5cent commodity. We lethally inject, behead and gas, blast them with drones and bury them in mass graves. We are crazy to do these things and expect some different outcome.
When you die it's over. By denying the finality of death we depreciate the beauty and unique value of living. Death has no real meaning, other than a stupid anatomical end. Life is the only thing of meaning in this world and yet we always fail to unite and defend it.
We do not value human life. We have crazy schemes pumped into our heads about the soul and afterlife and ghosts and zombies and demons and view, as entertainment, one of us repeatedly, comically, blowing away another of us day in and day out without rest, without hope. We have twisted our perception of being alive into a 5cent commodity. We lethally inject, behead and gas, blast them with drones and bury them in mass graves. We are crazy to do these things and expect some different outcome.
When you die it's over. By denying the finality of death we depreciate the beauty and unique value of living. Death has no real meaning, other than a stupid anatomical end. Life is the only thing of meaning in this world and yet we always fail to unite and defend it.
7
Part of the problem is our national obsession with guns. Concealed carry sounds great until you are always wondering if person next to you is going to pull out a gun and shoot.
I am not defending this officer's action in any way. Murder charges are appropriate. A police officer is not judge, jury and executioner. Policing is not war and citizens are not to be assumed to be criminals and treated as enemies.
But the "us" vs "them" attitude is fed by trend of anyone can have a gun, anytime, anywhere.
I am not defending this officer's action in any way. Murder charges are appropriate. A police officer is not judge, jury and executioner. Policing is not war and citizens are not to be assumed to be criminals and treated as enemies.
But the "us" vs "them" attitude is fed by trend of anyone can have a gun, anytime, anywhere.
5
This is the last straw regarding trigger happy traffic police. The aim of enforcing traffic laws is public safety. Mr. Dubose posed no threat to the officer or the general public. In fact, he was highly cooperative in his tone and behavior. The officer, on the other hand, was rude and discourteous in the beginning, and then, sadly, a bloody murder when Dubose reacted to his opening the car door. What the US needs at this critical juncture, in order to qualm the general public's uneasiness that they may be the next innocent victim of police brutality, is for all men on the force to pass a sensitivity training which lasts one year minimum. In the meantime, all who don't pass will be replaced with a Florence Nightingale brigade of primarily female officers who have the human skills to recognize that a human life is more important than obeying orders. Just as Nightingale is remembered as the "Lady of the Lamp" so will this new cadre of police force. I would also recommend renaming the profession into a new type of civil service as the term "police" is so repulsive in some communities due to its connotation with bigotry and violence. Nightingale was a social reformer who fought for healthcare, hunger relief, abolishing prostitution laws that were overly harsh as well as fighting to expand women's roles in the workforce. Now is the time for a majority national female law enforcement to take place since men have proved to be incompetent & failed to ensure the public trust.
3
Thank you again for the vital work you do.
1
The answer may be, just about anyone. You center on the police but murders happen all the time: on the streets with a drunken driver, drive by shootings, domestic rage, child punishment, revenge, home invasions like in Connecticut, motorcycle gangs like in Waco, drug driven,military murders like the soldier who left his post to murder innocent people near by. The victim doesn't even have to be hated. This police officer should be prosecuted. I hate to see a policeman on trial. We give them a gun ant put our safety in their hands. But we have to remember, its the person who killed this victim. He should be on trial for murder. What we should look at is if anything about him could have been a red flag so that we would not have given him a gun and badge.
2
restore trust....? pardon my french but quis ca say?
I wonder if these body cameras which were supposed to prove police are in the right, have turned out to be their nemesis. That and the advent of cell phone cameras have certainly proved that the police force in this country has not been trained properly and are overzealous to say the least. More training is obviously the answer.
7
There are 16,000 police departments in the U.S. There is no core doctrine of policing. Each department invents its "policing". There is no national data on police stops, interrogations, searches, use of force, shots fired and the outcomes of those police "actions". There is a train of bruised, battered and maimed victims.
We know very little about what the police do. There is no transparency and accountability.
It is more dangerous to be a garbage collector or roofer than a police officer. Yet "officer safety" allows force to be used and shots fired at the least provocation. Without these "body cams" we would have only the officer's "version" of what happened and then a dismissal of the charges. At best there is a civil settlement.
Who polices the "police". This is regime policing worth of a police state.
We know very little about what the police do. There is no transparency and accountability.
It is more dangerous to be a garbage collector or roofer than a police officer. Yet "officer safety" allows force to be used and shots fired at the least provocation. Without these "body cams" we would have only the officer's "version" of what happened and then a dismissal of the charges. At best there is a civil settlement.
Who polices the "police". This is regime policing worth of a police state.
6
Isn't it a pity that body cams will be required police garb simply because we can no longer trust to word of a police officer. One cannot help but wonder how many 'events' (tragic and otherwise) in the past were in fact supported by lies.
As an aside, I recently had jury duty, and a question on the juror form was - Do you believe a police officer always tells the truth? Yes or No. I answered No.
As an aside, I recently had jury duty, and a question on the juror form was - Do you believe a police officer always tells the truth? Yes or No. I answered No.
194
I have worked as a criminal lawyer. Police lie under oath all the time. They practice lying among themselves. They lie to protect a fellow officer. They lie to get indictments based on judgements they have made policing. However they are incapable of solving the numerous robberies in my neighborhood. Fairly effective at writing traffic tickets however.
3
So, tell us - were you chosen for jury duty?
I answered the same way and was excused from jury duty by the prosecutor.
Is this really murder? I don't think so. Despite our fixation on "justice" and "institutionalized racism" this is actually far worse than either. How does a society invade a country on false pretenses resulting in the deaths of as many as 200,000 civilians then spend years desiring more of the same? How does democracies world "liberator" and bastion of "American Exceptionalism" defend the world's worst incarceration rate and foreign allies contempt over wire tapping democratically elected leaders?
Simple: male entitlement fused with male aggression. Whether it's business, sports, politics, law enforcement, military foreign excursions, the police/prison state, or sexual abuse - aggressive, entitled authoritarian males are mostly behind this. Black and Hispanic Americans are easy targets due to endemic racism, but the real problem lies in a male centric culture that believes their authority supersedes every encounter, every issue, every life. Whether its in the courtroom, on the campaign trail, in the Middle East or in Cincinnati, Ohio during a traffic stop, millions upon millions of American males believe they are invincible - even ordained. The play cop didn't murder anyone - our American fixation with "law and order", sanctioned by the American public and legislatures - did.
If you want to end this - you better take on the elephant in the room.
Men.
Simple: male entitlement fused with male aggression. Whether it's business, sports, politics, law enforcement, military foreign excursions, the police/prison state, or sexual abuse - aggressive, entitled authoritarian males are mostly behind this. Black and Hispanic Americans are easy targets due to endemic racism, but the real problem lies in a male centric culture that believes their authority supersedes every encounter, every issue, every life. Whether its in the courtroom, on the campaign trail, in the Middle East or in Cincinnati, Ohio during a traffic stop, millions upon millions of American males believe they are invincible - even ordained. The play cop didn't murder anyone - our American fixation with "law and order", sanctioned by the American public and legislatures - did.
If you want to end this - you better take on the elephant in the room.
Men.
6
The last thirty years of cops-and-robbers television shows has created law enforcement largely peopled by individuals with a thing for guns and a need for personal empowerment. How about this: traffic cops don't need guns?
6
I have a similar thought about cops, that most of their jobs don't require a gun. When a street is being repaired and the cop sits in his car all day and occasionally gets out, why does he need a weapon? Many other situations applicable to this
Some police are criminals. The vast majority are not. Some police are racist criminals. The vast majority are not. Some police enable criminals. The vast majority do not. Some police enable racist criminals. The vast majority do not.
But one bad apple spoils the bunch. Just one here, and one there, and another somewhere else in a nation of 319 million.
1/319,000,000th; 2/319,000,000th; 999/319,000,000.
No matter how much training, psychological testing, and field experience; no matter how much science is brought to bear on the public commons, humankind has never been able to legislatively, or culturally, eliminate evil from the world.
Should we disarm the police? Even the police in Britain have access to firearms. And they have the kind of restrictive gun laws in the UK that US gun prohibitionists only dream of. There is no US Bill of Rights for British citizens.
And British police still need guns available to them.
And speaking of rights, the UK also has immigration law enforcement against non EU, non Commonwealth migrants we do not even pretend to have. There are no sanctuary cities in the UK. So a career criminal of a killer like San Francisco's Juan Francisco Lopez Sanchez would be unimaginable to them.
But one bad apple spoils the bunch. Just one here, and one there, and another somewhere else in a nation of 319 million.
1/319,000,000th; 2/319,000,000th; 999/319,000,000.
No matter how much training, psychological testing, and field experience; no matter how much science is brought to bear on the public commons, humankind has never been able to legislatively, or culturally, eliminate evil from the world.
Should we disarm the police? Even the police in Britain have access to firearms. And they have the kind of restrictive gun laws in the UK that US gun prohibitionists only dream of. There is no US Bill of Rights for British citizens.
And British police still need guns available to them.
And speaking of rights, the UK also has immigration law enforcement against non EU, non Commonwealth migrants we do not even pretend to have. There are no sanctuary cities in the UK. So a career criminal of a killer like San Francisco's Juan Francisco Lopez Sanchez would be unimaginable to them.
There's hardly any training in this country, about 8 weeks, in Europe 2-3 years. Only takes someone to graduate high school to become a cop. Not enough for someone who probably has little interaction with the real world especially people who might not be from their little world.
The one undeniable fact of these recent police atrocities involving African Americans,is the 'moral intensity of the retaliation,if the 'roles,were reversed.If African American policeman were killing White Americans with the regularity of these tragedies,the national fervor for revenge,would be almost boundless.How do I Know this to be true?It is because I've seen,encountered,been exposed,to these circumstances before.A recent damning confirmation comes in the evil premeditated 'verdict,in the Central Park Jogger debacle.Remember?The outrage was murderously themed.The fact that this outrage was erroneously directed at those kids,does not diminish the precedent.We've seen African Americans in recent controversial deaths that deserve public protest(some exceeding that),at the injustice of it all.'Justice is the Only Thing,that will be respected now.It is required and Demanded.
6
The dragging of officer Tensing has become part of White folklore, aided by Fox repeats. That story is on a par with much else from that source, but it speaks to the fearful and vindictive souls of too many white Americans. Just read the comments below and on the Home Page news article.
19
He wasn't dragged. It's on his body cam.
1
Many people want to place gang violence and the shootings in African American communities as being worse than the police killings, but they don't see the big difference. Gangs are NOT hired by the tax payers to "serve and protect' us.
43
When I worked at an employment insurance call centre, I looked around during training at the people already on the phones, and they were yelling at their clients, patronizing them, threatening them, being sarcastic and rude, and I was horrified that an EI claimant would be subjected to that kind of treatment. "I will never talk to my clients that way", I said. "Just wait", my trainers said.
Sure enough, as time wore on, I would yell at the occasional client, then more frequently, until finally I was just like everyone else. I justified it because they were interrupting me, or they were rude to me first. I'd sometimes look around and ask, "who is this person I'm becoming?" But I never got in trouble for snapping at clients; my supervisors often took my side over the clients'. Instead of peering over their cubicle wall after a particularly nasty call and say, "What's your problem today?", co-workers said things like, "Another idiot, eh?" I started praying in between calls to calm myself down. I tried focusing on my breathing, and ultimately began meditating.
What I've learned is that emotional intelligence begins with a mindfulness practice, helping us to see beyond the mind's limiting dualistic thinking. Officers need mindfulness training to deal with the crushing stress of their job. It keeps the mind clear and sharp, improves judgement, and develops empathy and groundedness. Nothing short of deep self-awareness will bring about the revolution you're seeking.
Sure enough, as time wore on, I would yell at the occasional client, then more frequently, until finally I was just like everyone else. I justified it because they were interrupting me, or they were rude to me first. I'd sometimes look around and ask, "who is this person I'm becoming?" But I never got in trouble for snapping at clients; my supervisors often took my side over the clients'. Instead of peering over their cubicle wall after a particularly nasty call and say, "What's your problem today?", co-workers said things like, "Another idiot, eh?" I started praying in between calls to calm myself down. I tried focusing on my breathing, and ultimately began meditating.
What I've learned is that emotional intelligence begins with a mindfulness practice, helping us to see beyond the mind's limiting dualistic thinking. Officers need mindfulness training to deal with the crushing stress of their job. It keeps the mind clear and sharp, improves judgement, and develops empathy and groundedness. Nothing short of deep self-awareness will bring about the revolution you're seeking.
13
It's pretty simple, Mr. Blow. White people are scared of black people. All the time. Everywhere. Black people aren't seen as individuals with families, children, and dreams. Only as potential troublemakers and criminals. To white people, black people only exist to keep them on edge and afraid. Black women and men are being executed as a result.
29
Right. Notice how the university officer asks Debose where he "stays" rather than "lives." "STAY" as if he possibly couldn't own his own home or rent his own apartment like a white person would.
3
Why are so many white people so scared of Black people?
Superficially it might seem like the predictable consequence of the constant and disproportionate message that Black folks are criminals that they see on the news or in movies.
I think it goes deeper. It is a reflection of their own bad consciences. In the back of their minds they think that if they were treated the way that Black people are treated that they would be so full of rage that they would be in constant danger of exploding.
Superficially it might seem like the predictable consequence of the constant and disproportionate message that Black folks are criminals that they see on the news or in movies.
I think it goes deeper. It is a reflection of their own bad consciences. In the back of their minds they think that if they were treated the way that Black people are treated that they would be so full of rage that they would be in constant danger of exploding.
3
Just a few observations:
A “University of Cincinnati police officer”. Why in the world does a university employ its own police force, with officers carrying firearms? Ridiculous!
A University of Cincinnati police officer is going after a car, driving outside the university campus and follows that car for a few blocks. Even more ridiculous! Why does he do that? What has the university to do with that? That can never be his responsibility, even if we would accept the strange situation of the university employing its own police force.
And this ends in the most horrible outcome: a man is killed for no reason.
Only in America! I assure you this can and will never happen in any other country.
A “University of Cincinnati police officer”. Why in the world does a university employ its own police force, with officers carrying firearms? Ridiculous!
A University of Cincinnati police officer is going after a car, driving outside the university campus and follows that car for a few blocks. Even more ridiculous! Why does he do that? What has the university to do with that? That can never be his responsibility, even if we would accept the strange situation of the university employing its own police force.
And this ends in the most horrible outcome: a man is killed for no reason.
Only in America! I assure you this can and will never happen in any other country.
15
I don't know about where you live, but out here in the middle, fly over territory, even the high schools have their own police cops. Not the unarmed security guard that patrolled the parking lot at mine some 40 years ago, either. We are talking actual cops.
And then there are the 'reserve officers, the volunteer cops who pay for the privilege to be on the city police force, are armed and turned loose on the citizenry with little training. We've all read by now what can happen in that situation.
And then there are the 'reserve officers, the volunteer cops who pay for the privilege to be on the city police force, are armed and turned loose on the citizenry with little training. We've all read by now what can happen in that situation.
Are there any reliable statistics on police killings of unarmed citizens since, say, the 1980s? We are trying to figure whether such killings have spiked recently, or whether it's a matter of the media finally focusing attention on something that's been going on at this level for years or decades (I want to stress "at this level" since it's obvious that shootings of unarmed civilians didn't begin in the last couple of years).
This latest insanity is truly baffling. What went through the mind of this cop? What went through the mind of the cop who shot the unarmed, fleeing man in the back earlier this year? Is it simply racism? We don't hear about it much, but police do kill unarmed white people, too.
Policing is such tough work, and there are many fine cops out there. But clearly there are people serving as police who should never have gone into that line of work. How do we solve that problem?
This latest insanity is truly baffling. What went through the mind of this cop? What went through the mind of the cop who shot the unarmed, fleeing man in the back earlier this year? Is it simply racism? We don't hear about it much, but police do kill unarmed white people, too.
Policing is such tough work, and there are many fine cops out there. But clearly there are people serving as police who should never have gone into that line of work. How do we solve that problem?
6
All across our nation right wing Republicans/Tea Partiers have attacked public sector unions, including the police unions. In the comments section of newspaper after newspaper I find conservatives screaming about the unfair wages and retirements police officers get. They point out that hundreds of men apply each time police jobs are posted. What they don't know is that in my town that pool of 200 produces about 4-5 people who seem to have all of the necessary qualifications. Finding intelligent, physically fit, well-adjusted people who can go from giving your daughter a sticker one minute to fighting for their life with a violent criminal the next is exceedingly difficult.
In California, the result of the antiunion campaign is that police retirement in most departments went from 50 years of age to 57 years. We can't have it both ways folks. The job of Police Officer requires people who are essentially perfect, and the compensation package needs to be such that it attracts the best and brightest. As long as it's just another blue collar job with pretty good blue collar pay, we will continue to get what we pay for.
By the way. The California POST standards for police officer training need to be adopted nationwide. Most cops in California who see the tactics of Midwest, Southern, and at times East Coast officers, shake their heads and wonder what the hell is going on with the training in those locations.
In California, the result of the antiunion campaign is that police retirement in most departments went from 50 years of age to 57 years. We can't have it both ways folks. The job of Police Officer requires people who are essentially perfect, and the compensation package needs to be such that it attracts the best and brightest. As long as it's just another blue collar job with pretty good blue collar pay, we will continue to get what we pay for.
By the way. The California POST standards for police officer training need to be adopted nationwide. Most cops in California who see the tactics of Midwest, Southern, and at times East Coast officers, shake their heads and wonder what the hell is going on with the training in those locations.
4
The question is, would they do the same to a white man in the same situation? I don't think so. Perhaps some mal-adjusted men join the police force precisely because they think they can get away with this kind of casual murder. They have so many times before, why should things change now?
8
Most readers don't seem to understand the law of traffic stops. For what it's worth, let me explain. Traffic stops are governed by the Fourth Amendment, and work much the same as stop and frisk actions on the street. In order to stop a car, the police must have reasonable suspicion. Stops for speeding are the most common and satisfy the reasonable suspicion requirement. If you are stopped for speeding, the officer will probably cite you and let you go. Ticky tacky issues -- like not signaling or not having a front license plate -- are somewhat different. They violate the traffic laws and therefore constitute reasonable suspicion, justifying a stop. But in these cases, officers usually let the violators go unless they suspect other wrongdoing. That is allowed under the Fourth Amendment, just like a stop and frisk. Given, discretion, there is no doubt that traffic cops tend to stop blacks more often, just as occurs in stop and frisks. This bias gives rise to the term:"driving while black". It is perfectly legal to make the stop, however, unless it can be proven that the police systematically use racial profiling in making these stops. Improper profiling was proven for stops and frisks in New York City. but I don't know whether it has ever been proven for traffic stops anywhere. Hope that helps.
5
That description is a recipe for any kind of stop any police officer wishes to make, and seems to justify any stop.
I know some decent police officers, and some truly nasty evil ones, and the evil ones can and get away with all manner of fabrications.
It is beyond all reason now; a public servant carrying a gun as part of his or her job, has a very clear responsibility, which simply stated, is to protect and serve, and the protect part means that the gun is only in the hand of the officer, when genuine danger to the life and limb of others, is clearly evident.
We need to get rid of the evil in all police departments across the nation, and start over, and stop the rampant militarization we see everywhere.
Nothing else will work.
I know some decent police officers, and some truly nasty evil ones, and the evil ones can and get away with all manner of fabrications.
It is beyond all reason now; a public servant carrying a gun as part of his or her job, has a very clear responsibility, which simply stated, is to protect and serve, and the protect part means that the gun is only in the hand of the officer, when genuine danger to the life and limb of others, is clearly evident.
We need to get rid of the evil in all police departments across the nation, and start over, and stop the rampant militarization we see everywhere.
Nothing else will work.
The issue is not whether the stop was legal, but whether murdering an unarmed citizen was justified after that stop.
I wonder how people will make excuses for the officer this time. God knows they've done it repeatedly this year.
19
Mr. Blow is a careful and equitable columnist. When he gets mad, as he obviously did here, it pays us to listen.
The curse of racism still haunts us. We see yet another example in the last months' exposure of police abuses directed against African-Americans.
This is a tragedy. Crime and violence are far higher in black neighborhoods, so the police there are on edge and they fear for their lives. Yet their failure to give the benefit of the doubt in relatively routine encounters is leading to unnecessary deaths in the population they seek to serve and protect.
We need the police to protect us and our civilization. Theirs is an honorable profession. But it also is endowed with the power to use deadly force against the rest of us. So it must be accountable, and thank goodness for the most recent exposes...and yes, indictments.
There is a pattern to these cases. Black suspects, even for petty traffic stops, "mouthed off" at policemen because they were sick and tired of being "dissed" all their lives, and the cops in turn over-reacted because they spend day in and day out dealing with low lifes and thus have little patience.
One answer is better training for our policemen on anger management and the handling of confrontational situations. Yes, it places a greater burden on them to be patient. But when the alternative is putting a bullet through the head of a fellow citizen, I don't think that is too much a burden to ask.
The curse of racism still haunts us. We see yet another example in the last months' exposure of police abuses directed against African-Americans.
This is a tragedy. Crime and violence are far higher in black neighborhoods, so the police there are on edge and they fear for their lives. Yet their failure to give the benefit of the doubt in relatively routine encounters is leading to unnecessary deaths in the population they seek to serve and protect.
We need the police to protect us and our civilization. Theirs is an honorable profession. But it also is endowed with the power to use deadly force against the rest of us. So it must be accountable, and thank goodness for the most recent exposes...and yes, indictments.
There is a pattern to these cases. Black suspects, even for petty traffic stops, "mouthed off" at policemen because they were sick and tired of being "dissed" all their lives, and the cops in turn over-reacted because they spend day in and day out dealing with low lifes and thus have little patience.
One answer is better training for our policemen on anger management and the handling of confrontational situations. Yes, it places a greater burden on them to be patient. But when the alternative is putting a bullet through the head of a fellow citizen, I don't think that is too much a burden to ask.
5
I agree with you and would like to add that a study I read had shown that the more educated a police officer is, the more tolerant and less prejudiced he/she is as well as better in making decisions and not making them hastily. But how to get more college educated people to become an officer or have them continue on with their education will be/is hard.
This is a most provocative account of what could have been murder by a police officer. It says: "Authorities also released Tensing’s disturbing bodycam video of the stop and shooting.
In an exchange with the dispatcher just after the shooting, Tensing said: “I’m not injured. I almost got ran over by the car. He took off on me. I discharged one round, struck the man in the head.”
We need to know who has looked at the video. At what point did the video start? Was the purported car the policeman said had been coming at him, visible in the video at all? If not, then where was it, and where was it going? It is not made clear how the video alone could disprove all the things the officer said about what happened, just because the camera could not be taking piuctures in all directions. Also how do we know if there weren't any gaps? And was the driver found dead in the car? If so that would prove he was driving it? How did the car stop, and what proves it hadn't been moving when the shot(s) were fired? If the officer was entangled with the car, doesn't anything show where he was when he fired any shots? What proves he wasn't moving along with the car? And if he was being dragged along, then doesn't that show the driver was guilty for not having brought that car to a stop? Aren't there any other witnesses?
All the evidence needs to be taken into consideration.
In an exchange with the dispatcher just after the shooting, Tensing said: “I’m not injured. I almost got ran over by the car. He took off on me. I discharged one round, struck the man in the head.”
We need to know who has looked at the video. At what point did the video start? Was the purported car the policeman said had been coming at him, visible in the video at all? If not, then where was it, and where was it going? It is not made clear how the video alone could disprove all the things the officer said about what happened, just because the camera could not be taking piuctures in all directions. Also how do we know if there weren't any gaps? And was the driver found dead in the car? If so that would prove he was driving it? How did the car stop, and what proves it hadn't been moving when the shot(s) were fired? If the officer was entangled with the car, doesn't anything show where he was when he fired any shots? What proves he wasn't moving along with the car? And if he was being dragged along, then doesn't that show the driver was guilty for not having brought that car to a stop? Aren't there any other witnesses?
All the evidence needs to be taken into consideration.
The video is online. It answers all of your questions.
Why haven't they arrested the officers who corroborated Tensing's story? The penalties should be doubled or tripled for cops who kill and for their co-conspirators. To me, the cop who said he saw Tensing being dragged by Dubose's car is the worst criminal of all.
49
Systemic racial inequality and the violence that goes with it sits right up there with the struggles in the Middle East. I've been hearing about both for almost all of my 67 years. The difference now is, how could all those decades with plenty of smart, caring people have passed without a fix for either. My conclusion is, there are an awful lot of powerful people who don't want either problem solved, and the drumbeat of sorrow goes on. It's sickening that we haven't done better and more generations have been born into unfair conditions not of their making.
11
I have taken several firearms training courses: to become a special deputy sheriff, to qualify to carry a concealed weapon, an for other reasons. During each of these courses, by listening to my classmates, I invariably identified one or two participants who appeared to be there to learn when they could shoot someone.
These are people who should never be allowed to come near a gun. They are dangerous. To give them the authority of a police officer turns them into a walking, dangerous weapon. I'm sure that some people like this somehow slip through the psychological screening to join a police force, and the result is the one in Mr. Blow's column.
These are people who should never be allowed to come near a gun. They are dangerous. To give them the authority of a police officer turns them into a walking, dangerous weapon. I'm sure that some people like this somehow slip through the psychological screening to join a police force, and the result is the one in Mr. Blow's column.
59
Why should mandatory body-cams even be controversial? They protect not only the public, but also protect law enforcement from false accusations. The truth wins.
17
This cop seems like George Zimmerman in a uniform.
35
It all comes down to a horrible concept, a gross violation of the concepts of humanity and civilization, the construction that one individual human being can be entitled to supremacy over another individual human being or a group of human beings. That it is lawful to assume and enforce supremacy by one human being over other human beings because one is entitled to do so.
This idea is still present with us, being expressed in various ways.
One way is the relationship between people of white colour versus people of black colour as embodied in the killings of black people by white police officers on duty.
Another way the idea of supremacy is expressed, is in the idea of American exceptional-ism, as in because USA and therefore Americans, are exceptional (assumed that the term implies that Americans are exceptional better than others) they are not bound by the same rules as others and can hence assume supremacy over others.
The solution to this is not only to charge at the structural issue of the police forces in the USA. It must be de constructed as a structural issue of American culture, the whole idea of some human beings being entitled to supremacy over other human beings, by virtue of colour, birth, nationality, religion or otherwise.
This idea is still present with us, being expressed in various ways.
One way is the relationship between people of white colour versus people of black colour as embodied in the killings of black people by white police officers on duty.
Another way the idea of supremacy is expressed, is in the idea of American exceptional-ism, as in because USA and therefore Americans, are exceptional (assumed that the term implies that Americans are exceptional better than others) they are not bound by the same rules as others and can hence assume supremacy over others.
The solution to this is not only to charge at the structural issue of the police forces in the USA. It must be de constructed as a structural issue of American culture, the whole idea of some human beings being entitled to supremacy over other human beings, by virtue of colour, birth, nationality, religion or otherwise.
4
Count on Mr. Blow to begin stirring the pot even before the officer has been tried. Whatever happened to the "presumption of jnnocence?"It seems like outright murder of a black citizen by an overzealous and undertrained campus security officer, but, nonetheless, we do not know all the facts. To prejudge Tensing within several days of the shooting is contrary to our system of justice. However difficult, one must withhold judgment until the trial is held,But CB appears to have only one arrow in his quiver: America is a bad place, the roots of racism run deep, and those of color cannot get a fair trial in court. I am sure the p.o. is reliving the incident every moment of every day in his jail cell, and would give his right arm to have that moment when he over reacted and shot Mr. Dubose without reason. I think that one answer to the police brutality of suspects is more emphasis on training p.o's to avoid using their guns except as a last resort, and, like the majority of British p.o.'s, to use the principles of self defense against suspects. Having been in jail several times on 2 different continents--once in Jiddah,SA for "drunk driving" while on my motorcycle, and once in France at the end of the ALGERIAN war for an infraction, my heart goes out to anybody incarcerated for any reason. Tensing, having ruined his life at 25, facing a lifetime in "stoney lonesome,"must also be unconsolable. My heart goes out to both families, the victim's and the police officer's.
1
The police officer shot a citizen through the head without fearing for his life. There is no excuse for it. Feeling sympathetic toward the officer is your right. The judge presiding over a hearing of an avowed racist who massacred Black citizens who welcomed him into their prayer meeting, also called for sympathy for the murderer's family, as if having a live and well murderer in the family was equal to the profound loss suffered by the families of those killed.
My sympathies , however, are for the children, and other family members who have suffered an irreversible and grievous loss not toward a person who brought his troubles on himself which is clearly shown in the body cam. Calling for sympathy for the perpetrator of the senseless murder of their loved one, I imagine, only adds to the De Bose family's heavy hearts.
My sympathies , however, are for the children, and other family members who have suffered an irreversible and grievous loss not toward a person who brought his troubles on himself which is clearly shown in the body cam. Calling for sympathy for the perpetrator of the senseless murder of their loved one, I imagine, only adds to the De Bose family's heavy hearts.
C. Blow,
If you could clarify :
"What is happening between police officers and people of color in this country is a structural issue and must be deconstructed as such. Cameras won’t change basic character."
"Structural issue" are you referring to institutional racism? By deconstructing this issue(s) are you speaking of the purpose of law enforcement?
Prior to hiring, this officer was vetted and his recent review was satisfactory. What do you mean by "basic character?"
If you could clarify :
"What is happening between police officers and people of color in this country is a structural issue and must be deconstructed as such. Cameras won’t change basic character."
"Structural issue" are you referring to institutional racism? By deconstructing this issue(s) are you speaking of the purpose of law enforcement?
Prior to hiring, this officer was vetted and his recent review was satisfactory. What do you mean by "basic character?"
Come on! Tensing is/was a campus excuse for security.
Some of our police forces are like an occupying army. Even in a country with the Bill of Rights, and civil rights laws, they treat people of color and the poor as colonial subjects in their own country. Or even worse, like in a police state, existing within the USA.
They are trying to show who is boss. Anything other than total submission enrages them.
Possibly some cops are now getting even more aggressive and paranoid, after they see all the national criticism of them, the outrage at the continual examples of murder by cop, the nation wide protests and DOJ investigations.
It’s becoming too sickening to watch the videos on TV anymore. I reached my limit with Eric Garner in NY. I listen to commentary and turn away.
This case seems to be the 1st indictment for a cop killing a civilian. Will it have an effect, and will there be a conviction, finally? Some of these cops and their lying colleagues are so used to lying they do it even when the camera exposes their lies.
The cops who lie to protect should be prosecuted and jailed also. The more these cops walk free, the more these murders will occur.
They are trying to show who is boss. Anything other than total submission enrages them.
Possibly some cops are now getting even more aggressive and paranoid, after they see all the national criticism of them, the outrage at the continual examples of murder by cop, the nation wide protests and DOJ investigations.
It’s becoming too sickening to watch the videos on TV anymore. I reached my limit with Eric Garner in NY. I listen to commentary and turn away.
This case seems to be the 1st indictment for a cop killing a civilian. Will it have an effect, and will there be a conviction, finally? Some of these cops and their lying colleagues are so used to lying they do it even when the camera exposes their lies.
The cops who lie to protect should be prosecuted and jailed also. The more these cops walk free, the more these murders will occur.
31
Over and over we are told the remedy to the killing of unarmed Black men is more training. If only we could teach our protectors, the cops, to deescalate and victims to be subservient when stopped we could resolve this problem. We must teach the victims when stopped they no longer have a right to be a man. They must obey all of the orders of the policeman in a certain manor or they are liable to end up dead. Policemen are told that all decent black folks have had the conversations with their male children that they are to be subservient to all of his commands. Even the ones that violate their rights. Watching the shooting of Mister Dubose I saw none of the angry Black man that would warrant the actions of the officer. The video should let the well-meaning black mothers telling their sons to behave in a certain manor as a guarantee of their living through a police encounter that this advice is false. Mister Dubose was not belligerent or erratic. Nor did he raise his voice or pose a threat to the officer. Following the officer’s instruction stilled caused him to be executed on the spot. Let’s finally get real with all of this. The training should not be only done at the police academy it should be done at the breakfast table. We are told if these were city cops instead of campus cops the outcome would have been different. More than five hundred people have been killed by cops so far this year. All of those killings were not done by campus cops. Tensing fellow officers????
6
Who are we selecting to be police officers in this country and how are they being trained? It does seem like police these days shoot to kill at the slightest hint of danger and assume danger when they are dealing with people of color, but maybe it was always like this and we just didn't see it before cell phones and video cams.
6
"...maybe it was always like this"? This is a joke, right? Or not? And if not, are you representative of most white folks, and are most white folks this ignorant to the history of violence against black bodies in this country? It's taking cameras for you to believe that this wasn't really in our heads? And even so, some people are *still* trying to defend the police.
1
I watched this video several times. This officer is fairly 'standard issue' and 'par for the course' in that he and all others who are white, have no education or in depth understanding of the social or historical trauma of African Americans and thus their behavior in many situations. Worse, despite anything and everything, this was all avoidable! When former officer Tensing started to "pull his drivers side car open" it totally changed the dynamic of the entire encounter. Now it's was something else, master over slave issues here. The rest was just standard issue police lying, corruption and criminality that needs to stop cold in this new age and day. That will take yet another generation of deeply trained and highly socialised new peace officers. This was not one of them.
11
I will quote Times Pick Brad, who sums it up.
“Police in other nations like the UK, Israel, the Netherlands, Germany, Japan and others have protocols that are equally effective in addressing traffic violations and anti-social behaviors without the use of lethal force. It is time that the US learns from other nations' approach to community policing.”
It’s past time for other countries’ police policies to get exposure and discussion on our media. Is this verboten for some reason? Show the much lower statistics of police killing members of their public and analyze what they do. Get interviews with police and public. With large foreign staffs, major media can ask questions. Why is this kept dark. Embarrassing comparisons?
“Police in other nations like the UK, Israel, the Netherlands, Germany, Japan and others have protocols that are equally effective in addressing traffic violations and anti-social behaviors without the use of lethal force. It is time that the US learns from other nations' approach to community policing.”
It’s past time for other countries’ police policies to get exposure and discussion on our media. Is this verboten for some reason? Show the much lower statistics of police killing members of their public and analyze what they do. Get interviews with police and public. With large foreign staffs, major media can ask questions. Why is this kept dark. Embarrassing comparisons?
8
I have family in Ireland. They perceive their police to be passive and essentially useless when called. They wish they had American style policing there. Asked and answered.
In the police series Hill Street Blues roll call always ended with "let's do it to them, before they do it to us". That seems to be the pervasive attitude in the US. Where in civilized countries police procedures aim for de-escalation, in the US the answer to violence is always more violence. The NRA advertises that you are safe as long as your gun is bigger and has more rounds of ammunition. In Western Europe the idea is that you are safer if nobody has a gun to begin with. Statistics would show the latter approach to be more effective. Without a change of attitude the lamentations will continue.
9
Too many cop shows glorifying power and violence.
1
My recollection is "Be careful out there". Anyone?
1
Now that we are in the era of cell phone cameras and body cams, the public can see for themselves the danger of "driving while black." I am appalled by the needless murder of of Mr. Dubose, and Eric Garner, and serveral other recent incidents of police brutality. I now understand this type of police violence toward blacks is not a new phenomenon. I am certain it has existed for decades. The difference is that now that we are able to bear witness to this violence, thanks to the ability of the average person to post their videos on the internet. It is only right that Officer Tenseng has been indicted for murder. He could have simply issued a ticket to Mr. Dubose for driving without a license, and left the scene. There was no cause to shoot Mr. Dubose in the head at close range. I hope that as more of these incidents of police violence come to light, the public will demand accountability and justice from their local police forces.
4
This policeman is a criminal murderer; he shot an unarmed Back man just because that Black man -- who had a bottle of gin, had no license, and then refused to loosen his seat belt and then started to drive away -- just was showing the wrong attitude to a policeman.
Black parents need to teach their children to be Humble with policemen or anybody who carries weapons and have life and death control over you. Or their children can die Just like if you're in the jungle, and a lion approaches... DON'T throw rocks at the lion, or it might kill you.
Displaying "attitude" to policemen will get you in trouble more often than not, especially if you're Black. Sad, but that's a fact. Why is it that so many Black folk just don't understand this?
Black parents need to teach their children to be Humble with policemen or anybody who carries weapons and have life and death control over you. Or their children can die Just like if you're in the jungle, and a lion approaches... DON'T throw rocks at the lion, or it might kill you.
Displaying "attitude" to policemen will get you in trouble more often than not, especially if you're Black. Sad, but that's a fact. Why is it that so many Black folk just don't understand this?
1
There was no attitude here. Dubose willingly handed over the bottle of gin. He opened his glove compartment to show the license plate. He was being respectful to this kid, who looked like he wasn't long out of middle school. Yes, Dubose did ask why he was being stopped. The officer said the license plate. Dubose had already showed the license plate. This should have been the end of the story.
And Dubose wasn't a child; he was in his 40s.
And Dubose wasn't a child; he was in his 40s.
Yes. Agreed. And, why is Charles Blow (whom I believe is the only African American columnist at the New York Times) the only columnist addressing this concern? As a black man, is it his sole responsibility to address issues of racism in columns at the Times? Are the white columnists not interested? (Other pressing topics addressed today include "The Dangers of Partying in a Stretch Limo" and "Today's Exhausted Superkids") Or do the editors at the Times consider Mr. Blow the only person qualified to talk about issues race? Police will continue to kill black people in this country so long as structural racism continues to demean their existence. The pages of the
Times currently exemplify that racism. I see a need for many more black writers at the Times as well as many more white people speaking up about injustices perpetrated against black Americans.
Times currently exemplify that racism. I see a need for many more black writers at the Times as well as many more white people speaking up about injustices perpetrated against black Americans.
6
Long ago, three of us, twenty something college students left Berkeley and headed for Montgomery in a venerable Carmen Ghia convertible. We had stripped it of all bumper stickers, purchased new tires, checked the registration. We had tied up long hair, traded our casual clothing for slacks and shirts and received instructions on passive responses to what most likely would be hostile interactions. Sit on the ground, fold your hands, and thank an officer who lifts and moves you. Never let what others do redefine who you are.
All went well heading south, until we reached the eastern half of Texas. It is a huge and open place. One morning we attracted the attention of a county sheriff. He pulled us over and then off the road for a 'safety check'. Had us exit the car and checked out the interior and trunk, tried the signals, brake lights and kicked the tires. We thanked him and ten minutes later we were on our way. A half hour later he pulled us over again. We repeated the process. 'Thank you, Sir.' An hour later....again. This time he asked why the car had a black top and a white bottom. We drove on.
We found a gas station and went in for a long lunch, hoping he would get bored and move on. No such luck. In all he pulled us over nine times, each time further off the hi way. We were mad, frightened, and anxious. We were also flawlessly polite.
We are also old, alive, and have no arrest records. We were successful, because we defined ourselves.
All went well heading south, until we reached the eastern half of Texas. It is a huge and open place. One morning we attracted the attention of a county sheriff. He pulled us over and then off the road for a 'safety check'. Had us exit the car and checked out the interior and trunk, tried the signals, brake lights and kicked the tires. We thanked him and ten minutes later we were on our way. A half hour later he pulled us over again. We repeated the process. 'Thank you, Sir.' An hour later....again. This time he asked why the car had a black top and a white bottom. We drove on.
We found a gas station and went in for a long lunch, hoping he would get bored and move on. No such luck. In all he pulled us over nine times, each time further off the hi way. We were mad, frightened, and anxious. We were also flawlessly polite.
We are also old, alive, and have no arrest records. We were successful, because we defined ourselves.
7
That sort of behavior should be unnecessary!
Both driver and policeman were reading the inevitable script. So you get pulled over by a cop who wasn't able to get what he wanted, to intimidate a black person over not having a license plate on the front end of the car. The driver evasively goes through histrionics about his (driver's license), and expresses annoyance over the commotion. By now if you are driving without a license and a cop stops you, you are getting what you asked for, a tcket. Just shut up and "thank" the "officer" for the ticket. He then leaves you alone. He filled a quota and got his sense of power back. This has happened to me. I read the ticket and in the racial category, I get "ethnic" since people have a problem getting my look to match anything they're familiar with. The less you say the better. Just think about getting yourself out of the situation ASAP.
I believe that the officer was irresponsible and acted out of stupidity and anger. The driver fulfilled his death wish by attempting to drive off. The curtain drops.
I believe that the officer was irresponsible and acted out of stupidity and anger. The driver fulfilled his death wish by attempting to drive off. The curtain drops.
2
Much has been written about the “them” versus “us” attitude of policemen, regardless of race, towards members of the public, regardless of race. The shooting in Cincinnati, however, reminds us that many white cops seem to have a special animus toward black Americans engrafted upon their general disdain for all “civilians.”
Besides wondering if serving as a police officer shapes someone to resort too quickly to violence, we need to take a serious look at whether or not the desire to boss people around and inflict pain on them and even to kill them is what draws certain individuals to police work. Does a homicidal man join the police force because it makes it easier to find and kill victims?
Does the killer then select a black American as his victim because that makes it even more likely the killer will get away with the crime he has always wanted to commit? Black folks are less valued by large segments of the white population, and black men are considered dangerous and dishonest. No one would believe the word of a black man against that of a white cop. Right?
It’s hard to decide what is worse. A white cop who kills blacks because he hates blacks? Or, a white cop who kills blacks because that is the safest way to satisfy his murderous needs? To a dead victim and his family the motive may not matter. What should matter to everyone is how the Cincinnati murder shows, once again, that our nation’s police departments need a good cleaning.
Besides wondering if serving as a police officer shapes someone to resort too quickly to violence, we need to take a serious look at whether or not the desire to boss people around and inflict pain on them and even to kill them is what draws certain individuals to police work. Does a homicidal man join the police force because it makes it easier to find and kill victims?
Does the killer then select a black American as his victim because that makes it even more likely the killer will get away with the crime he has always wanted to commit? Black folks are less valued by large segments of the white population, and black men are considered dangerous and dishonest. No one would believe the word of a black man against that of a white cop. Right?
It’s hard to decide what is worse. A white cop who kills blacks because he hates blacks? Or, a white cop who kills blacks because that is the safest way to satisfy his murderous needs? To a dead victim and his family the motive may not matter. What should matter to everyone is how the Cincinnati murder shows, once again, that our nation’s police departments need a good cleaning.
21
He was murdered because he was a Black male. plain and simple
4
Police work is a dangerous, often thankless job. Traffic stops are dangerous and a frequent jumping off point for physical altercations, vehicle pursuits and officer-involved shootings.
The conversation between Officer Tensing and Mr. Dubose would cause most police officers to believe that Mr. Dubose was not being truthful about his license. He also produced a bottle of alcohol. When Officer Tensing tried to get him out of the car by opening the door, Mr. Dubose reached over and closed it again. The totality of the circumstances at this point would indicate to any experienced officer that an escalation of resistance was very likely.
Officer Tensing knew this and was ready with his sidearm. Mr. Dubose decided he was probably headed to jail and decided to drive away from the dismounted officer and avoid arrest. In that moment, a scared cop reacted to the actions of a scared motorist and a life was taken.
Cops make mistakes every day. Tensing made several serious ones on this stop and shooting Mr. Dubose cannot be justified. Until the day the streets are patrolled by robots, mistakes and poor shooting will continue to occur. Be outraged by this shooting, dear reader, but remember those wearing the badge are human, can get scared and will use deadly force to defend themselves.
The conversation between Officer Tensing and Mr. Dubose would cause most police officers to believe that Mr. Dubose was not being truthful about his license. He also produced a bottle of alcohol. When Officer Tensing tried to get him out of the car by opening the door, Mr. Dubose reached over and closed it again. The totality of the circumstances at this point would indicate to any experienced officer that an escalation of resistance was very likely.
Officer Tensing knew this and was ready with his sidearm. Mr. Dubose decided he was probably headed to jail and decided to drive away from the dismounted officer and avoid arrest. In that moment, a scared cop reacted to the actions of a scared motorist and a life was taken.
Cops make mistakes every day. Tensing made several serious ones on this stop and shooting Mr. Dubose cannot be justified. Until the day the streets are patrolled by robots, mistakes and poor shooting will continue to occur. Be outraged by this shooting, dear reader, but remember those wearing the badge are human, can get scared and will use deadly force to defend themselves.
9
"Cops make mistakes every day".
They sure seem to make many such "mistakes" in the cases of black and brown people. Believe it or not, but there are other ways to deal with situations than pulling your gun and discharging it in the face of another human being. Sadly it seems too many American police officers (and campus officers) are lacking in both training, competence and basic human decency. Their willingness to kill is all too prevalent.
They sure seem to make many such "mistakes" in the cases of black and brown people. Believe it or not, but there are other ways to deal with situations than pulling your gun and discharging it in the face of another human being. Sadly it seems too many American police officers (and campus officers) are lacking in both training, competence and basic human decency. Their willingness to kill is all too prevalent.
1
"...are human, can get scared and will use deadly force to defend themselves." Just like a civilian. Except he is not a civilian. He is a human who has supposedly been trained to handle this situation *differently* than a civilian would. And is getting paid by the public to do so. He should never have been a cop to begin with. And now, he needs to be in prison.
Traffic stops should not result in death. Traffic stops/tickets should not be a revenue stream. Police departments need to vet their candidates very carefully because putting a gun in someone's hand does not mean the gun should be used to threaten, as in the teenage pool party in Dallas, or shoot someone with less than a 2 second assessment. The ease with which this cop lied is chilling.
11
As someone who has been injured and had his car destroyed by a reckless, unlicensed driver, I have very little sympathy for people who get behind the wheel loaded and don't follow traffic laws.
The video that Blow's article links to shows a heavily edited video, without the bottle of gin and the dragging of Officer Tensing. The full video at http://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/hamilton-county/cincinnati/watch-bod...
shows Tensing get dragged briefly and knocked down Debase's car. That is an assault by Dubose on Tensing.
Shooting Dubose still seems unnecessary. Tensing is dragged inadvertently and then falls free. It isn't as if Dubose has him by the arm and drags him down the street. Dubose appears to be hammered and has 75 offenses on his record, so he is a threat to pedestrians and other motorists. But surely the police are trained to deal with these situations without the use of deadly force.
The video that Blow's article links to shows a heavily edited video, without the bottle of gin and the dragging of Officer Tensing. The full video at http://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/hamilton-county/cincinnati/watch-bod...
shows Tensing get dragged briefly and knocked down Debase's car. That is an assault by Dubose on Tensing.
Shooting Dubose still seems unnecessary. Tensing is dragged inadvertently and then falls free. It isn't as if Dubose has him by the arm and drags him down the street. Dubose appears to be hammered and has 75 offenses on his record, so he is a threat to pedestrians and other motorists. But surely the police are trained to deal with these situations without the use of deadly force.
6
If all police officers had to wear a camera and record every stop or interaction with the citizenry I suspect there would be a flowering of respect and civility which would bear justice as the fruit.
2
We must make it urgently clear to elected officials and police supervisors that we expect better from the police. The professionals must figure out how to do a better job of selecting people who will become police officers, training the police so that they behave professionally in even the most difficult situations, and weeding out those who, even after the selection process and training, do not belong on the force. And if the key to attracting people qualified by intelligence, temperament and character, means paying our police more money, we must be prepared to pay the taxes needed to pay the officers.
1
The basic approach of many, but not all, American police officers is this: YOU WILL NOT DISOBEY ME. They have been taught excessively that their lives are in constant danger and that they must use immediate force to bring a situation under control. On top of that, there is push back developed over decades against the fundamental rights of American citizens under the Constitution: many police officers disrespect these rights and believe that too many criminals go free. So, when presented with an apparent opportunity, they carry out instant justice, as they see it.
In times past, police officers have long abused their powers and it was generally accepted. Suspects were routinely beaten and denied their rights and few people protested or much cared, as long as it didn't happen to them. Then, from the 1960s onward, the courts forced police to act more responsibly and the rise of gangs, drug wars and more powerful weapons in the hands of criminals enhanced the idea that it is "us against the world".
Strangely perhaps, another contributing factor comes from unions and professionalism which engrains in officers the idea that they are constantly in danger. So, when the chance arises, they strike out. Pure boredom might also be a factor: the job, day by day, is not very interesting. A lot of waiting around and filling out paper work.
Something is terribly, terribly wrong. Too many rogue officers, not enough training and screening and not enough earlier dismissals from the forces.
In times past, police officers have long abused their powers and it was generally accepted. Suspects were routinely beaten and denied their rights and few people protested or much cared, as long as it didn't happen to them. Then, from the 1960s onward, the courts forced police to act more responsibly and the rise of gangs, drug wars and more powerful weapons in the hands of criminals enhanced the idea that it is "us against the world".
Strangely perhaps, another contributing factor comes from unions and professionalism which engrains in officers the idea that they are constantly in danger. So, when the chance arises, they strike out. Pure boredom might also be a factor: the job, day by day, is not very interesting. A lot of waiting around and filling out paper work.
Something is terribly, terribly wrong. Too many rogue officers, not enough training and screening and not enough earlier dismissals from the forces.
7
Unfortunately, there may be an unidentified disease rampant in America. I believe it may be caused by 'the stupid male virus.' This really should be monitored and police screened well for it before they are hired. There seem to be so many cases of this lethal disorder. Of course it is not limited to America. It can be found in just about all other areas.
1
As horrific as Tensing's actions were, I think the prosecutor is unprofessional. A "chicken crap stop?" The problem was not with the stop; it was with the shooting. Calling the shooting "the most asinine act I’ve ever seen a police officer make?" If its murder, its more than asinine. It sounds like the prosecutor will be running for office.
2
Tensing is unfit to be a police officer, and needs to be prosecuted to the fullest extent possible. It is inconceivable that his response to this situation is to shoot someone. Has he had any training at all?
On the other hand, like in so many of these cases, Dubose is not going to win any awards for his judgement either. No front plate, no license, he pulls the door shut when Tensing tries to open it, and tries to drive off while Tensing is standing there, trying to open the door, which is dangerous. Not dangerous enough to warrant Tensing's response, but still a terrible decision.
According to Heavy.com, Dubose had
"more than 75 offenses charged to him over his lifetime.",
including "driving without a license more than 13 times between 1995 and 2009", "driving while suspended eight times from 2005 and 2011" and "failure to display a proper a proper license plate on his vehicle four times between 1995 and 2009."
Dubose did not deserve to be shot down in the street, obviously, but if he followed the laws that apply to all of us, he would be alive. Again we see someone essentially disregarding the law, and resisting arrest, and a cop going completely mental. You would think the presence of body cams would decrease the likelihood of this sort of thing happening.
On the other hand, like in so many of these cases, Dubose is not going to win any awards for his judgement either. No front plate, no license, he pulls the door shut when Tensing tries to open it, and tries to drive off while Tensing is standing there, trying to open the door, which is dangerous. Not dangerous enough to warrant Tensing's response, but still a terrible decision.
According to Heavy.com, Dubose had
"more than 75 offenses charged to him over his lifetime.",
including "driving without a license more than 13 times between 1995 and 2009", "driving while suspended eight times from 2005 and 2011" and "failure to display a proper a proper license plate on his vehicle four times between 1995 and 2009."
Dubose did not deserve to be shot down in the street, obviously, but if he followed the laws that apply to all of us, he would be alive. Again we see someone essentially disregarding the law, and resisting arrest, and a cop going completely mental. You would think the presence of body cams would decrease the likelihood of this sort of thing happening.
2
Someone should track the rate of unarmed blacks killed in, say, traffic stops, by law enforcement, in the seven years prior to Obama's election vis a vis theseven years after it.
4
The incidence of Police killing of Black people continues in America, with alarming frequency. One is forced to ask: is this deliberate? Are all these merely isolated but unfortunate incidents, or is there something more insidious going on - perhaps an extrajudicial cleansing of presumed undesirables within the Black community?
There will be those, like former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who will justify these acts of police brutality, and in fact claim that they pale in comparison to Black on Black violence. But while the Police are busy mowing down Black bodies for minor suspected offenses, how many of the violent criminals in Black communities are they catching?
As things stand, it just seems that Black communities are getting it from both the Police and the criminals. I am reminded here of the 1976 song by Junior Marvin, about the twin scourge of gang war and police brutality in another society. This could well be America today:
Police and thieves in the street, ooh yeah
Fighting the nation with their guns and ammunition
Police and thieves in the streets, ooh yeah
Scaring the nation with their guns and ammunition...
All the crimes committed day by day
No one try to stop it, in anyway
All the peacemakers turn war officers
Hear what I say
Police and thieves in the street, ooh yeah...
There will be those, like former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who will justify these acts of police brutality, and in fact claim that they pale in comparison to Black on Black violence. But while the Police are busy mowing down Black bodies for minor suspected offenses, how many of the violent criminals in Black communities are they catching?
As things stand, it just seems that Black communities are getting it from both the Police and the criminals. I am reminded here of the 1976 song by Junior Marvin, about the twin scourge of gang war and police brutality in another society. This could well be America today:
Police and thieves in the street, ooh yeah
Fighting the nation with their guns and ammunition
Police and thieves in the streets, ooh yeah
Scaring the nation with their guns and ammunition...
All the crimes committed day by day
No one try to stop it, in anyway
All the peacemakers turn war officers
Hear what I say
Police and thieves in the street, ooh yeah...
1
Freddie Gray, Victor White, and Sandra Bland died violent deaths while in police custody. Samuel Dubose and Walter Scott were executed attempting to flee. Run or don't, there is no guarantee you will make it out of your next police encounter alive. This is terrifying.
11
Dubose did not attempt to flee--until he was dead.
Somewhere, somehow too many white police officers seem to have developed a perception of African American males as the dangerous “other.” How otherwise do we explain to our black male children these ugly lethal confrontations and teach them the proper interactions (obsequiousness?) with police officers to survive such?
As this tragic “beats goes on” where white policemen kill unarmed black males and the huge wall of distrust seems to thicken between African American males and white police officers, how do we dismiss the Southern black maxim?
“The white man does not trust the black man because he DOESN’T know him,
And the black man does not trust the white man because he DOES know him!”
Although the above saying might seem cynical, the reactions to these deadly confrontations suggest that the police officers represents the “white man” and the family, friends and supporters of the deceased, represent the distrusting “black man.”
As this tragic “beats goes on” where white policemen kill unarmed black males and the huge wall of distrust seems to thicken between African American males and white police officers, how do we dismiss the Southern black maxim?
“The white man does not trust the black man because he DOESN’T know him,
And the black man does not trust the white man because he DOES know him!”
Although the above saying might seem cynical, the reactions to these deadly confrontations suggest that the police officers represents the “white man” and the family, friends and supporters of the deceased, represent the distrusting “black man.”
5
This statement by Mr. Blow cannot be ignored: "It adds to distrust about officers’ accounts of what leads to these deaths. It adds to a corrosion of trust in the entire criminal justice system." We MUST have body cams and vehicle cams that arbitrate the facts of matters such as this execution by police officer.
3
The top comment in Readers' Picks makes exactly the same points I have made in two comments on Sandra Bland articles. Brad (180 recommends) writes: "Police in other nations like the UK...have protocols that are equally effective in addressing traffic violations and anti-social behaviors without the use of lethal force."
Here rephrased is my version of that thought: "In this era of dashboard and body cameras a national effort must be started to formalize procedures for interactions such as the one shown in recent videos. We learn from these videos that police officers have no basic protocol or, if they do, have not been sufficiently well trained to follow protocol."
Brad and I are trying to tell the New York Times and the American public that for every video showing the incoherent approaches of these American "officers" - in quotes because the most recent "officer" is a campus police - we need a video showing how, for example, how protocols are followed in European countries where incidents like those reported daily from my USA are unthinkable in Europe.
Educate the American public, then educate law enforcement agencies.
I write as American citizen.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Here rephrased is my version of that thought: "In this era of dashboard and body cameras a national effort must be started to formalize procedures for interactions such as the one shown in recent videos. We learn from these videos that police officers have no basic protocol or, if they do, have not been sufficiently well trained to follow protocol."
Brad and I are trying to tell the New York Times and the American public that for every video showing the incoherent approaches of these American "officers" - in quotes because the most recent "officer" is a campus police - we need a video showing how, for example, how protocols are followed in European countries where incidents like those reported daily from my USA are unthinkable in Europe.
Educate the American public, then educate law enforcement agencies.
I write as American citizen.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
3
Larry, you continue to write with feeling but as you say, as an American citizen. I too write as a US citizen, but as one who has witnessed and experienced discrimination elsewhere before coming here.
Protocols and training are certainly needed to improve the trigger-culture of American cops, but what you miss is that cops are of the community, and many of them imbibe their prejudices with their mothers' milk. UK cops, Dutch cops, Wallender-style cops behave better because they are not born into stew-pots of bigotry. For a different example, track back to the record of the RUC.
Protocols and training are certainly needed to improve the trigger-culture of American cops, but what you miss is that cops are of the community, and many of them imbibe their prejudices with their mothers' milk. UK cops, Dutch cops, Wallender-style cops behave better because they are not born into stew-pots of bigotry. For a different example, track back to the record of the RUC.
@ Des - Des as I tell my Verified friends for me one helpful reply is worth countless reader recommends. Imagine if The Stone or other OpEd series instead of having endless (12 or 13 so far) interviews said to be about "race" could provide careful discussions about the subject(s) before us here at Charles Blow. You raise an excellent question for consideration here in Sweden. The SD party (party with Nazi roots) now has at least 13% support among the Swedish public, which presumably means that perhaps a significant percentage of Swedish police recruits may have SD leanings. If I can find someone who might be studying this, I will pose the question.
A footnote: Right now thanks to SVT (Swedish Public Television) PlayTV we have watch-when-you-can access to the British series A Case for Vera (the best police ever) and previous Wallander series and others. Perhaps all these series give a few clues to differences between countries.
Thanks, Larry
A footnote: Right now thanks to SVT (Swedish Public Television) PlayTV we have watch-when-you-can access to the British series A Case for Vera (the best police ever) and previous Wallander series and others. Perhaps all these series give a few clues to differences between countries.
Thanks, Larry
This has been happening since the founding of this country. The only thing that's changed is that the mainstream is finally starting to believe it. With the rise of widespread public documentation it's becoming impossible for the privledged to believe in the alternate fantasy. The outright and routine murder of citizens by police officers, on account of the victims heritage, is finally beginning to not be okay. We've got a long way to go but, at 46 years old, I'm so happy to see this tide begin to turn. I hope the momentum continues.
4
Why would the police even stop someone for a missing front license plate? Even if Mr. Dubose were a notorious front license plate scofflaw with a long history of not having a front license plate, and was totally unapologetic about not having a front license plate, what does society gain by stopping him? Even before we get to the question of race, I am highly dubious about the amount of time the police devote--and the amount of money we pay them--to people driving around in private vehicles that they own and which are taxed on public roads that they pay for with taxes. If you are not recklessly endangering another person's life with your car, you should be left alone. Period.
2
Adam, the missing tags are the taxes that you refer to. I'm as outraged as the next person about this murder, but the solution isn't to stop enforcing laws.
Things have got to change. Back in the 60's and 70's some considered the cops as enemies....of anti war demonstrators, civil rights advocates, people of color. gays, etc. That was a radical viewpoint. Well, it's now mainstream
2
"...Police violence may not be the greatest threat of violence to black lives — community violence, sadly, surpasses it — but the disproportionate use of force by some officers against black and brown people does appear to be a specific — and very real — threat that must be addressed..."
Isn't it likely that that specific and very real threat is part of the reason community violence is high? Why call the cops if the cops themselves are a danger to you?
I remember living on the Lower East Side of Manhattan before it was gentrified. The neighborhood had a very diverse population, with most people lower middle class or poor. Everyone distrusted the police. If you called them, they'd take notes and maybe make a report, but otherwise brush you off. Most of them did identify with neighbor residents, most of them did not care. Crime in the neighborhood was through the roof at the time. If the police had been using community policing, walking the streets, connecting with residents, observing behavior, and through their presence sending signals of mutual trust and lawful, orderly living, I think things would have been much different.
Isn't it likely that that specific and very real threat is part of the reason community violence is high? Why call the cops if the cops themselves are a danger to you?
I remember living on the Lower East Side of Manhattan before it was gentrified. The neighborhood had a very diverse population, with most people lower middle class or poor. Everyone distrusted the police. If you called them, they'd take notes and maybe make a report, but otherwise brush you off. Most of them did identify with neighbor residents, most of them did not care. Crime in the neighborhood was through the roof at the time. If the police had been using community policing, walking the streets, connecting with residents, observing behavior, and through their presence sending signals of mutual trust and lawful, orderly living, I think things would have been much different.
3
There simply has to be a different path for bringing charges against the police, the typical DA is int he entirely wrong position, institutionally, to bring charges against the police.
And police training MUST move away from using deadly force as a response to civilians. 'Self defense' is too low a bar for legitimizing the pulling of a deadly weapon, police officers must have a higher standard, such as preventing the likely death of a nearby civilian. The balance must move from current, actual harm to civilians to potential future harm to police. Don't like the added risk of not being able to pop off a few shots when you feel threatened? Then don't be a cop. Unless a civilian is imminently threatened with death, no right to fire a gun. Raise the bar. This might also attract people who have an attitude of service and sacrifice, rather than aggression.
And police training MUST move away from using deadly force as a response to civilians. 'Self defense' is too low a bar for legitimizing the pulling of a deadly weapon, police officers must have a higher standard, such as preventing the likely death of a nearby civilian. The balance must move from current, actual harm to civilians to potential future harm to police. Don't like the added risk of not being able to pop off a few shots when you feel threatened? Then don't be a cop. Unless a civilian is imminently threatened with death, no right to fire a gun. Raise the bar. This might also attract people who have an attitude of service and sacrifice, rather than aggression.
It disturbs me that calling for body cams (and getting them) is seen as a panacea against police misconduct. Here in South Carolina we got them within months after the cell phone vid was released that proved the officer who shot Walter Scott was a murderer.
We got them faster than the domestic violence legislation that took years ( "cause women are a lesser cut of meat" SC GOP Rep. Tom Corbin) for like so many other states the fix was in, body cam footage here is exempt from the FOIA.
The LAPD got over a million dollars in donations for body cams, then the other shoe dropped, all footage is exempt from the FOIA.
So if Joe the Plumber is shot by the police, deemed a criminal and nobody hires a lawyer, goes to court etc.. to figure out why, the footage will never be seen and maybe not even then.
We've seen the amateur splicing done in TX from Sarah Bland's traffic stop.
It is scary how a badge, a gun and an over inflated ego has caused the deaths of Americans, deaths that even the FBI cannot count.
We got them faster than the domestic violence legislation that took years ( "cause women are a lesser cut of meat" SC GOP Rep. Tom Corbin) for like so many other states the fix was in, body cam footage here is exempt from the FOIA.
The LAPD got over a million dollars in donations for body cams, then the other shoe dropped, all footage is exempt from the FOIA.
So if Joe the Plumber is shot by the police, deemed a criminal and nobody hires a lawyer, goes to court etc.. to figure out why, the footage will never be seen and maybe not even then.
We've seen the amateur splicing done in TX from Sarah Bland's traffic stop.
It is scary how a badge, a gun and an over inflated ego has caused the deaths of Americans, deaths that even the FBI cannot count.
8
"What is happening between police officers and people of color in this country is a structural issue and must be deconstructed as such".
Yes, I watched the Walter Scott, Sandra Bland and the Samuel Dubose videos. In all three cases I saw police officers that conducted a ligament traffic stop, acted with reasonable professional presence as the person they stopped ignored the legal power of the police to detain a person, and became uncooperative and combative, escalating the situation.
I am not suggesting that police should get away with murder, or work harder to de-escalate the situation, but there is a shared responsibility for these shootings.
I watched the video three times. I saw 3 minutes of officer Ray Tensing professionally and legally asking a driver that just handed him a bottle of Gin for his drivers license and be given the run-around followed by 3 seconds of shaky video that shows the officer overreact as Mr. Dubose tries to drive off with the officer handing out of his window. This isn't just a police problem. The police need to earn the respect of the community, but the community must respect the authority of the law.
I for one want to see the physical evidence - does the officer's uniform show drag marks? I watched the same videos. There is still room for reasonable doubt in my mind.
Yes, I watched the Walter Scott, Sandra Bland and the Samuel Dubose videos. In all three cases I saw police officers that conducted a ligament traffic stop, acted with reasonable professional presence as the person they stopped ignored the legal power of the police to detain a person, and became uncooperative and combative, escalating the situation.
I am not suggesting that police should get away with murder, or work harder to de-escalate the situation, but there is a shared responsibility for these shootings.
I watched the video three times. I saw 3 minutes of officer Ray Tensing professionally and legally asking a driver that just handed him a bottle of Gin for his drivers license and be given the run-around followed by 3 seconds of shaky video that shows the officer overreact as Mr. Dubose tries to drive off with the officer handing out of his window. This isn't just a police problem. The police need to earn the respect of the community, but the community must respect the authority of the law.
I for one want to see the physical evidence - does the officer's uniform show drag marks? I watched the same videos. There is still room for reasonable doubt in my mind.
5
Your quote from Martin Luther King, Jr., that the law prevents someone from lynching you is nonsense. If it were true, King would not have had to challenge the South's state governments.Mississppi, for instance, or Alabama. Neither state enforced anti-lynching laws during the Civil Rights era of the 1950s-60s. President Andrew Jackson understood that laws unenforced are no law. As he said in response to Justice John Marshall's decision that Native tribes are nations, subject only to federal not state law: John Marshall has made his decision; now let him enforce it." We need enforceable laws over local police. But that will not happen until local police generally come out of the local class of people in the community they serve. Until then, local African American communities will suffer white police like Ray Tensing or Brian Encinia who have no cultural understanding of the communities they police. Community policing ought to mean that the police are not just police PR or spies, but familiar neighbors.
2
Maybe it's the gun. Does having the power to instantly take human life instill a sense of justification to use that power? If they are authorized to use that power then do they believe that they have an inherent right to pull the trigger? Instead of fearing that power, do some police officers become motivated by it.
Does possessing this power increase fear and paranoia in some officers? Meaning, since they have the power, do they look for reasons to use it. Do they manufacture villains so they can fulfill the gun's purpose?
If a police officer fears and distrusts black males, does this enhanced paranoia motivate the use of the power against them? Many cops spend their entire careers and never fire their service revolvers. These aren't the people killing black males for traffic violations. But it appears that there are some, (one is too many) who become empowered by the gun to the point of committing murderous acts.
I think that maybe we have a two pronged problem here. One is obviously racism, but most racists down shoot people down. There must be some kind of connection in these shooters' minds that gun, lethal force, brings them. It connect the dots. It completes the circle.
In simple terms, did officer Tensing's possession of a gun, drive him to want to shoot Mr. Dubose? Did the gun give him an excuse?
If these questions are valid, then some means of screening must be used to keep badges off these people. It's more than racism.
Does possessing this power increase fear and paranoia in some officers? Meaning, since they have the power, do they look for reasons to use it. Do they manufacture villains so they can fulfill the gun's purpose?
If a police officer fears and distrusts black males, does this enhanced paranoia motivate the use of the power against them? Many cops spend their entire careers and never fire their service revolvers. These aren't the people killing black males for traffic violations. But it appears that there are some, (one is too many) who become empowered by the gun to the point of committing murderous acts.
I think that maybe we have a two pronged problem here. One is obviously racism, but most racists down shoot people down. There must be some kind of connection in these shooters' minds that gun, lethal force, brings them. It connect the dots. It completes the circle.
In simple terms, did officer Tensing's possession of a gun, drive him to want to shoot Mr. Dubose? Did the gun give him an excuse?
If these questions are valid, then some means of screening must be used to keep badges off these people. It's more than racism.
3
The video has a brief, unexplained moment when the body-cam, which is chest-mounted, appears to be pointed straight up at the sky. You can see clouds directly overhead, as if the officer is falling. According to NBC News, the officer's attorneys say there is a second video that supports the officer's story. So, people should wait and see if there really is a exculpatory video.
2
Even if the officer's story is true, I know of no other civilized country where such an altercation would lead to blowing the driver's face off with a handgun. Does American police know of no other response to conflict than pulling their sidearm and discharging it? That seems to be the case in too many incidents involving black and brown people.
This is scary. Even in Kenya, with its relatively high crime rate, it is impossible to find incidents of police discharging their weapons during a traffic stop. We all look up to the U.S. for leadership and this is not one of the moments that the U.S. can be proud of.
243
REGODFREY:Kenya is an east African country so dangerous that the NGO that I worked for pulled its volunteers out. It is a great country if u r part of the one percent. If u r not, u r in constant danger of dying from a terrorist incident, malnutrition, or lack of decent sanitary conditions .Indian entrepreneurs, "compradors," run the country to the detriment of the majority of Kenyans.
Godfrey
I was immediately struck by the similarity of this American episode with some of the lawless turmoil and police retaliation reported in the book, Homeland, by George Obama.
Thanks for sharing a Kenyan perspective, Godfrey.
I was immediately struck by the similarity of this American episode with some of the lawless turmoil and police retaliation reported in the book, Homeland, by George Obama.
Thanks for sharing a Kenyan perspective, Godfrey.
My question is what exactly would prompt you to look to the U.S. for leadership? It is a country plagued by racism and gun violence. In Canada we breathe a sigh of relief everyday that were a NOT the United States
So here's how I would have handled this stop ( not that I would have stopped him in the first place... )
MeCop: Sir, Do you have a driver's license?
Driver: Yes, but I don't have it with me...
MeCop: Well, you need to carry your driver's license with you when you're driving and the reason I stopped you is that you don't have a front license plate... From July/June last year our state has mandated that you must have both front and back license plates...
Driver: Yes, I have the front plate... Here it is in the glove box...
MeCop: Well, get that put on as soon as you can... And start carrying your driver's licence with you. You're going to get a ticket for that someday...
Driver: Yes sir, I understand...
MeCop: O.K. Have a good day and be sure to get the front plate attached asap.
End of stop... What's so difficult about that?
MeCop: Sir, Do you have a driver's license?
Driver: Yes, but I don't have it with me...
MeCop: Well, you need to carry your driver's license with you when you're driving and the reason I stopped you is that you don't have a front license plate... From July/June last year our state has mandated that you must have both front and back license plates...
Driver: Yes, I have the front plate... Here it is in the glove box...
MeCop: Well, get that put on as soon as you can... And start carrying your driver's licence with you. You're going to get a ticket for that someday...
Driver: Yes sir, I understand...
MeCop: O.K. Have a good day and be sure to get the front plate attached asap.
End of stop... What's so difficult about that?
27
This senseless killing only adds to the truthful and necessary mission that "Black Lives Matter"
People who retort with the obvious "All lives Matter" don't get it.
There are people, including some in the black community its self, that treat black lives as easily expendable. "Black lives matter" is a declaration of self worth.
I love cameras, put them everywhere- They are like the light of truth
People who retort with the obvious "All lives Matter" don't get it.
There are people, including some in the black community its self, that treat black lives as easily expendable. "Black lives matter" is a declaration of self worth.
I love cameras, put them everywhere- They are like the light of truth
4
Why is it that three hours or so after Mr. Blow posted this powerful piece only 9 people have commented? Are we just so exhausted by the repetition of police officers killing unarmed black men, have we so succumbed to violence fatigue that this no longer hits us with sufficient shock to deserve comment?
This is not repetition for the victims; each time a life is lost, and the “collateral damage” is to that individual’s family, friends, and community, and the integrity of this country is diminished yet again.
Murder! Another murder, this time of a black father of 10!! How many more have there been in the past that we don't know about? Today's technology has given us a view into this ugliness; let's not be fooled into thinking it's something new.
It's time to reconsider the structure of law enforcement in this country. Seems we have an armed, uniformed and unsupervised, as well as evidently very poorly trained, vigilante force freely roaming our streets and neighborhoods - yes, yes with many exceptions, many good officers - but that does not set aside the immediate need for action! The fast response of the judicial system in Cincinnati may well have averted civil unrest or, as some like to call it, rioting, but for how long? We not only need to get guns out of the hands of the average citizen, who has not undergone sufficient background check, or demonstrated proof of sanity, we evidently need to get guns out of the hands of the police!
This is not repetition for the victims; each time a life is lost, and the “collateral damage” is to that individual’s family, friends, and community, and the integrity of this country is diminished yet again.
Murder! Another murder, this time of a black father of 10!! How many more have there been in the past that we don't know about? Today's technology has given us a view into this ugliness; let's not be fooled into thinking it's something new.
It's time to reconsider the structure of law enforcement in this country. Seems we have an armed, uniformed and unsupervised, as well as evidently very poorly trained, vigilante force freely roaming our streets and neighborhoods - yes, yes with many exceptions, many good officers - but that does not set aside the immediate need for action! The fast response of the judicial system in Cincinnati may well have averted civil unrest or, as some like to call it, rioting, but for how long? We not only need to get guns out of the hands of the average citizen, who has not undergone sufficient background check, or demonstrated proof of sanity, we evidently need to get guns out of the hands of the police!
2
Global Research claims that police kill US citizens at over 70 times the rate of other first world countries. That rate maybe too high or too low, but we all know that it is too high.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/police-in-the-us-kill-citizens-at-over-70-t...
Some studies suggest that African Americans are killed at double, triple or even more than the rate of whites. On the other hand, it seems that the total number of whites killed by police is several times higher than the number of African Americans killed. Neither number is acceptable.
Reducing the rate of African American deaths down to the rate of whites is urgent and essential. But it is not enough - the rate that Americans killed by police might still remain 40 or 50 times higher than other first world countries.
Where can policy changes be made? Rethink the war on drugs; focus on community policing instead of police militarization; radically reform police training, deployment, and leadership; fix a justice system stacked against the poor; stop mass incarceration; change asset seizure laws which encourage targeting of vulnerable groups; get rid of stop and frisk; make bans on racial profiling actually work; improve gun control (full disclosure - I own several.). All in all, a tall order and seemingly impossible.
Civil Rights in the 50's and 60's seemed pretty impossible at times too. Thankfully we had Martin Luther King. Who do we have now?
http://www.globalresearch.ca/police-in-the-us-kill-citizens-at-over-70-t...
Some studies suggest that African Americans are killed at double, triple or even more than the rate of whites. On the other hand, it seems that the total number of whites killed by police is several times higher than the number of African Americans killed. Neither number is acceptable.
Reducing the rate of African American deaths down to the rate of whites is urgent and essential. But it is not enough - the rate that Americans killed by police might still remain 40 or 50 times higher than other first world countries.
Where can policy changes be made? Rethink the war on drugs; focus on community policing instead of police militarization; radically reform police training, deployment, and leadership; fix a justice system stacked against the poor; stop mass incarceration; change asset seizure laws which encourage targeting of vulnerable groups; get rid of stop and frisk; make bans on racial profiling actually work; improve gun control (full disclosure - I own several.). All in all, a tall order and seemingly impossible.
Civil Rights in the 50's and 60's seemed pretty impossible at times too. Thankfully we had Martin Luther King. Who do we have now?
3
How true; before doing something, anything, we have to justify it to ourselves; but killing somebody in a cowardly fashion, just because he can, especially when coupled with a racist attitude in thinking that the color of our skin contributes to our thinking he or she 'must' be culpable; and secondly, being black expedites and clears the need to think twice about it. When will it stop? It seems it is becoming more frequent, in spite of all the News day in and day out, and an indictment coming only when audiovisual support is there. This being so, how can the community trust the police force, even knowing there are just a few apples? Or is this also an assumption, of a widely perceived endemic abuse of power?
3
Now that the US war in the Middle East is about fifteen years old -- how Many of these cops have served oversees and are possibly in PTSD - not that this is any kind of excuse for this police mismanagement. Just like to see a statistics or evaluation on this and articulate who should possibly not be hired as a cop or remain in office. People who practice domestic violence in their own family should certainly not be eligible to serve.People who display a lack of respect and communication skills with the public should not be hired or remain in office. The force should reflect the racial groups that they are serving. It of course depends also a lot on the leadership of the police chief and if the leadership supports this behavior then the tend will perpetuate itself. I noticed that two recent abusers were small lightweight men and maybe they feel vulnerable.
A relative of mine was a successful football player and when he retired before he was injured , he served as police officer- he really likes the work and they like him. He knows about teamwork and he is confident in his own strength and to top it off his parents are interracial so he gets along well with multiple races. Only wish there were more truly constructive persons serving as policemen. We need law and order skillfully done.
A relative of mine was a successful football player and when he retired before he was injured , he served as police officer- he really likes the work and they like him. He knows about teamwork and he is confident in his own strength and to top it off his parents are interracial so he gets along well with multiple races. Only wish there were more truly constructive persons serving as policemen. We need law and order skillfully done.
3
This isn't solely about the actions of Ofc. Tensing. At least one other officer stated for a report that he saw Tensing being dragged, which is clearly false. Was this other officer just mistaken in what he thought he saw? Or was he helping Tensing with his cover story?
This is why the police are currently facing a crisis of legitimacy and losing public confidence. If not for the video evidence, Tensing could lie with impunity, other officers would support the lie, and no one would be held accountable for the truth that a man was shot dead for no good reason. If one concludes from this that the police can do anything they want to you and get away with it so long as there is no video, would you blame them?
This is why the police are currently facing a crisis of legitimacy and losing public confidence. If not for the video evidence, Tensing could lie with impunity, other officers would support the lie, and no one would be held accountable for the truth that a man was shot dead for no good reason. If one concludes from this that the police can do anything they want to you and get away with it so long as there is no video, would you blame them?
28
That has been my experience.
Salem Oregon, '98. A week in jail without medicine. Total disaster. Judge laughed about it with the cop.
Bandon Oregon, '09. Pulled over after being followed through town. Failure to signal, & speeding. These are just a matter of a cops word. But the expired tabs went unnoticed. How could that be? So instead of talking to the judge, I talked to the city council. Most of whom I knew. Those two officers were fired, and I still haven't been to court. The next court date might be interesting.
Salem Oregon, '98. A week in jail without medicine. Total disaster. Judge laughed about it with the cop.
Bandon Oregon, '09. Pulled over after being followed through town. Failure to signal, & speeding. These are just a matter of a cops word. But the expired tabs went unnoticed. How could that be? So instead of talking to the judge, I talked to the city council. Most of whom I knew. Those two officers were fired, and I still haven't been to court. The next court date might be interesting.
I think that this incident is being tried in the media without benefit of due process because it's another situation where an unarmed African American was shot by a peace officer, rather than upon any more facts that those general facts, alone. The video is very clear both in the leading up to and the aftermath of the shooting but the actual events from the point where the driver begins to flee and the officers is approaching the crashed auto is all unclear because of how violently the camera is shaking.
In the conversation pertaining to the traffic stop, the driver is not answering the questions asked, instead he's responding evasively for some reason. The officer repeats his questions explaining why he's doing so. At one point the driver indicates that he may be distracted when he asks why he was stopped. It's the totality of the behavior that seems to make the officer suspicious of the driver leading him to ask him to unfasten his seat belt and to get out of the car. The driver suddenly pulls the door shut while the officer is opening the door and starts the car up to flee. Then that camera begins to shake violently. We see the gun in the officers hand but not where it's pointed, then more shaking, and finally we see the officer and another officer approaching the crashed car. This is a case which must be tried in a court before the facts will be determined with any reliable degree of certainty.
In the conversation pertaining to the traffic stop, the driver is not answering the questions asked, instead he's responding evasively for some reason. The officer repeats his questions explaining why he's doing so. At one point the driver indicates that he may be distracted when he asks why he was stopped. It's the totality of the behavior that seems to make the officer suspicious of the driver leading him to ask him to unfasten his seat belt and to get out of the car. The driver suddenly pulls the door shut while the officer is opening the door and starts the car up to flee. Then that camera begins to shake violently. We see the gun in the officers hand but not where it's pointed, then more shaking, and finally we see the officer and another officer approaching the crashed car. This is a case which must be tried in a court before the facts will be determined with any reliable degree of certainty.
2
Yes, it's true that, for the case to tried, all facts should be determined. But simply on an informal basis, from the video, its apparent this cop engaged in non-standard behavior. From opening the door, to reaching into the car, and finally to unholstering his gun. Bottom line, this was a traffic stop. Even if the officer got suspicious, he crossed the line (and stepped out of protocol) by a series of decisions that ended with another dead body. With the car driving off, he could've simply radioed in the license plate and the driver would've likely been apprehended a few blocks away. We don't hire 'peace officers' to improvise as they see fit, we hire them to do a specific job: keep the peace, not 'be a hero'. In this case, it ended tragically...again.
There are people with hidden agendas who become cops. They seek power and authority, they have hate in their hearts, and sometimes act it out in the most heinous way. Police candidates need to be screened, psychologically evaluated if you will, to prevent these commissions of crimes by those whose job it is to prevent such things from happening.
4
I'm not going to pretend to know what's in their hearts. Sure, screen them, test them, whatever. But the REAL preventative is simple accountability. It may be a hard pill to swallow at this point, but the criminal justice system is indirectly complicit in unqualified individuals becoming cops by years--decades!--of shielding the badge from accountability. When potential recruits factor in that they're asking to be hired for a job (with a gun, no less) that has unwavering accountability if they screw up, we'll get cops who understand they're expected to be professionals doing a professional job. Just because police officers are part of the criminal justice system doing a dangerous job, doesn't mean they're themselves unaccountable to the law they're sworn to uphold. Police unions, defense attorneys, judges, even juries, do us all a disservice allowing questionable behavior to turn into a get-out-of-jail card. At some point, such 'privilege' will turn into a presumption that will allow citizens to see cops as a threat rather than allies. Our entire society will suffer from that. Indeed, we're already witnessing the trend, where fear begets fear. Real accountability is the only answer. Not 'protecting' cops from the consequences of their own unprofessionalism.
Ugly and tragic but the hysteria is overblown. Keep in mind some basic statistics:
1. In absolute numbers blacks and whites in America commit about the same number of violent crimes and those crimes result in about the same number of arrests. Blacks are smaller % of the population but their crime rate is higher. So you'd expect police shootings of blacks and whites to be about the same right? But in fact twice as many whites are killed by cops each year. There is zero statistical evidence this is a minority issue.
2. Police killings of blacks is down 75% over the last 40 years. The news and editorials constantly refer to "recent spate" but in fact there is perhaps no social metric that has improved more. That doesn't mean there isn't a problem but it does mean the problem got a lot smaller.
3. Each year there are more than one half million 911 calls from blacks reporting violent crime by other blacks. A 911 call is basically a plea from the black caller to the police to "go out and get that criminal!" These calls do not come from whites because most crime is within ones own neighborhood and race. So that 500K calls result in 300 shooting deaths doesn't seem that bad.
In a recent editorial a black women described her constant fear of attack because of the color of her skin. There is simply no basis for this fear. The chances of a black women being inured by a white (policeman or otherwise) are virtually zero.
1. In absolute numbers blacks and whites in America commit about the same number of violent crimes and those crimes result in about the same number of arrests. Blacks are smaller % of the population but their crime rate is higher. So you'd expect police shootings of blacks and whites to be about the same right? But in fact twice as many whites are killed by cops each year. There is zero statistical evidence this is a minority issue.
2. Police killings of blacks is down 75% over the last 40 years. The news and editorials constantly refer to "recent spate" but in fact there is perhaps no social metric that has improved more. That doesn't mean there isn't a problem but it does mean the problem got a lot smaller.
3. Each year there are more than one half million 911 calls from blacks reporting violent crime by other blacks. A 911 call is basically a plea from the black caller to the police to "go out and get that criminal!" These calls do not come from whites because most crime is within ones own neighborhood and race. So that 500K calls result in 300 shooting deaths doesn't seem that bad.
In a recent editorial a black women described her constant fear of attack because of the color of her skin. There is simply no basis for this fear. The chances of a black women being inured by a white (policeman or otherwise) are virtually zero.
4
How many cases of a white person being shot to death by a police officer have we had recently?
I am not a US citizen of resident and to me it seems that each step of those interactions is almost didactic. I keep asking myself if a white driver would have been pulled over, then if a white driver would refuse a direct order by the officer, then if a white driver would be shot to death by the officer.
It is a vicious cycle.
Why did the officer stop the driver, only the missing front plate (is it really a crime as he stated?)? Why did the driver not answer straight away that he did not have his license on him (did he have one at all)? Why did he attempt to take off with the car? The shooting is completely absurd, but why the need to run away? Even if you fear that the officer is a racist bigot, what would drive you to such an action? Nothing good could have come out or it.
Anyways, I'll say it one more time, not to be misunderstood: I find the shooting and death not only tragic, but absurd. The punishment for any traffic violation is not death and I agree that the officer did not think that at least this specific black life mattered.
I am not a US citizen of resident and to me it seems that each step of those interactions is almost didactic. I keep asking myself if a white driver would have been pulled over, then if a white driver would refuse a direct order by the officer, then if a white driver would be shot to death by the officer.
It is a vicious cycle.
Why did the officer stop the driver, only the missing front plate (is it really a crime as he stated?)? Why did the driver not answer straight away that he did not have his license on him (did he have one at all)? Why did he attempt to take off with the car? The shooting is completely absurd, but why the need to run away? Even if you fear that the officer is a racist bigot, what would drive you to such an action? Nothing good could have come out or it.
Anyways, I'll say it one more time, not to be misunderstood: I find the shooting and death not only tragic, but absurd. The punishment for any traffic violation is not death and I agree that the officer did not think that at least this specific black life mattered.
4
Your conclusion is correct. There are statistics available in response to your first question and can be Googled.
I get skeptical when commenters use this case as a template for "what's wrong with America," because it shouldn't be made to fit a pre-existing narrative. If ignorance and misinformation go viral, we get one more example of internet hysteria. Remember how the recent spate of fires at Black churches were all said to be arson, until they weren't?
Yet the narrative of "bad White cop shoots unarmed Black victim" exists for a reason; there have been more than enough incidents to show this is a pattern and a very serious problem.
I lived in Cincinnati for years and graduated from UC; I lived in the neighborhood where the shooting took place. I have no problem with armed campus police; who else would stop a mass murderer on campus? I don't have a problem with this cop making a traffic stop - campuses have streets, people - but this arrest happened many blocks off campus. This officer appears to be well-trained, with two years at the police academy - longer than most police officers - and a bachelor's degree. We don't know whether he's racist or not.
This victim did himself no favors with his evasive answers and gin bottle, and he threatened the officer when he started to drive away. But the officer escalated this beyond crisis to a fatality.
Each case is different. Don't be so quick to jump to conclusions. But the pattern of police violence against unarmed citizens is real and very worrisome.
Yet the narrative of "bad White cop shoots unarmed Black victim" exists for a reason; there have been more than enough incidents to show this is a pattern and a very serious problem.
I lived in Cincinnati for years and graduated from UC; I lived in the neighborhood where the shooting took place. I have no problem with armed campus police; who else would stop a mass murderer on campus? I don't have a problem with this cop making a traffic stop - campuses have streets, people - but this arrest happened many blocks off campus. This officer appears to be well-trained, with two years at the police academy - longer than most police officers - and a bachelor's degree. We don't know whether he's racist or not.
This victim did himself no favors with his evasive answers and gin bottle, and he threatened the officer when he started to drive away. But the officer escalated this beyond crisis to a fatality.
Each case is different. Don't be so quick to jump to conclusions. But the pattern of police violence against unarmed citizens is real and very worrisome.
107
So a closed bottle of Gin warrants what happened. So please tell how was he supposed to get the Gin home? Campus cops have stopped prior mass murder on what other campus? The each case is different is becoming a cope out. Maybe each case is different is true, in your mind, but why is the outcome always the same. A woman pulled from her car thrown to the ground and manhandled because she refused to put out her cigarette? How much do you have to see before you come to a conclusion? His dead body drove the car away after he was shot. Get the story right before you come to a conclusion!
2
The gin bottle in the picture may not have been opened. Look closely at the cap in the video. The paper tape seal is not visible. An open bottle of gin within reach of the driver would be a serious offense if Ohio has an "open container" law.
1
Apparently the officer's extra training at the academy and a college degree did not prevent him from overreacting , racist or not. Officers have to have better training, especially when there is no obvious threat to the officer. As one of the officials, DA or Police Chief said, this was not a murder suspect, this involved a missing front license plate. Even if Mr. Dubose was attempting to flee the scene, which we don't really know, so what! Big deal. Radio ahead for help and have some other officer stop him.
3
This may seem a little off-point, but I don't think so. I see this problem of police brutality as part of a more general pattern in our country of increased “authorized” violence. I see a parallel between increased unnecessary, excessive force in American police and in our military as well. I think BOTH the police and our soldiers have changed over the years, & our attitude toward "justified" use of force DOMESTICALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY has subtly altered, and for the worse.
I always respect our American soldiers for defending our freedoms even in wars I don't agree with, but I've sensed a change in attitude over the years from the reluctant war-weary "citizen soldier" of WWII who bravely did what had to be done in a just & necessary war but took no enjoyment in killing others, to our present day/modern "American Sniper"/Abu Ghraib type macho, enthusiastic, volunteer service people who sometimes seem to take enjoyment in killing “the bad guys” and the chickenhawk war profiteers who encourage them and start unnecessary "preemptive" "wars of choice". And I see a similar change in police.
I think most police & American service people are decent people. They both protect us, & the majority of them deserve our appreciation. But, sadly, in my opinion, America is in some ways becoming a perverse caricature of what it used to be & ought to be.
I always respect our American soldiers for defending our freedoms even in wars I don't agree with, but I've sensed a change in attitude over the years from the reluctant war-weary "citizen soldier" of WWII who bravely did what had to be done in a just & necessary war but took no enjoyment in killing others, to our present day/modern "American Sniper"/Abu Ghraib type macho, enthusiastic, volunteer service people who sometimes seem to take enjoyment in killing “the bad guys” and the chickenhawk war profiteers who encourage them and start unnecessary "preemptive" "wars of choice". And I see a similar change in police.
I think most police & American service people are decent people. They both protect us, & the majority of them deserve our appreciation. But, sadly, in my opinion, America is in some ways becoming a perverse caricature of what it used to be & ought to be.
137
I have two friends who are police officers and they have told me that most men enter the force for the power; are most really, therefore, decent?
1
We have a public health problem in this country and this problem is being fed by the media, politicians and the NRA. Gun violence is destroying us and we need the types of interventions used to address public health issues. I never thought we would see smoking decrease in the general public but it did. We need a full throttle campaign to stop all this violence running rampant among us. We live in a toxic atmosphere that is destroying too many of us.
2
I am honestly flabbergasted by this video and I don't think I can ever take a police report seriously again if it is not backed up with video evidence. I guess I had never fully appreciated the extent to which so many police are emotionally unstable and given to creating and escalating conflict. After this I don't see how anyone can seriously oppose mandatory body cams and dashboard cams for all police, period.
591
Cams are great......but can't the video be altered to erase evidence?
1
I hope that in the future the mandatory body cams do not have to be activated by the police officer but instead will self activate once the officer either gets out of a vehicle or, if not in a vehicle, will self activate when the officers movement pattern changes. I do not know if the dashboard cameras have to be activated by the officer or are automatically activated during an incident. The point is that if the cameras were "inadvertently" not activated in the Ohio incident it would just be the officer's description of what happened instead of a video record. In that case the officer might only be issued a reprimand or a fine instead of a murder indictment.
1
All I had to see was the unprovoked body roll of the cop at the pool party in Texas to know what that was about. I had seen such a roll previously in a different (civilian) context, and I have come to understand it as a passive-aggressive move intended to set the stage: the person rolling has perceived a threat that you (the dumb bystander) didn't see and so you had better be scared and submissive to that roller.
All crap, in both instances.
All crap, in both instances.
The video doesn't show justification of the shooting. It seems that things happened so fast that the shooting was a thoughtless reaction to the suspects attempt to flee. Asking why this happened in this case and others is a needed question.
But it took two people to make this happen.
It is also fair to ask what kind of person drives around on public roads making up his own rules as he goes and isn't man enough to face the consequences when called to account for it.
But it took two people to make this happen.
It is also fair to ask what kind of person drives around on public roads making up his own rules as he goes and isn't man enough to face the consequences when called to account for it.
8
For me, what is ven more concerning is that the officer immediately started lying about what happened to protect himself as he ran down the road and continued to do so after he saw that he basically blew Mr. Dubose's head off. The video on Cincinnati.com is not editted. He shows absolutely no concern about Mr. Dubose or remorse about what he did to him. What kind of person does that? I live in Cincinnati and most people thought Prosecutor Deters was not releasing the video before the grand jury hearing to allow the officer to "lawyer up" as he is very supportive of the police and definitely not liberal. However, it now appears that he didn't want to take any chance of the perception that the grand jury was influenced by public outrage by seeing the video before the hearing. Maybe Officer Tensing will be man enough to admit he is guilty.
How many sworn law enforcement officers have we caught in bald-faced lies by now?
We need to stop automatically believing anything that comes out of an officer's mouth. Samuel Dubose was murdered in cold blood, and if there hadn't been a camera, the courts and the media would have parroted Tensing's lies. From now on, when it's the word of an officer versus the word of a citizen, the burden of proof should be on the trained employee of the state to prove that the citizen is in the wrong.
We need to stop automatically believing anything that comes out of an officer's mouth. Samuel Dubose was murdered in cold blood, and if there hadn't been a camera, the courts and the media would have parroted Tensing's lies. From now on, when it's the word of an officer versus the word of a citizen, the burden of proof should be on the trained employee of the state to prove that the citizen is in the wrong.
30
1. Body cameras for police should be mandated nationwide.
2. In this case, it appears that the officer should be charged based on the evidence.
3. Stopping a car without a license plate is entirely valid.
4. Some policemen perform criminal acts and should be punished accordingly.
5. The black community bears responsibility for black on black killings and for black on black property crimes. In Baltimore, many blacks were killed by other blacks in the reaction to the death of Freddie Gray and black businesses were destroyed by blacks.
6. All of the above points are not mutually exclusive.
2. In this case, it appears that the officer should be charged based on the evidence.
3. Stopping a car without a license plate is entirely valid.
4. Some policemen perform criminal acts and should be punished accordingly.
5. The black community bears responsibility for black on black killings and for black on black property crimes. In Baltimore, many blacks were killed by other blacks in the reaction to the death of Freddie Gray and black businesses were destroyed by blacks.
6. All of the above points are not mutually exclusive.
5
The car had a plate. I, a white, male retiree living in a college town, drove in Ohio for nine years with only a rear plate, in town and out, and was never questioned by the police, who were always around. I was also cited for speeding (62 in a 55 mph zone), but the state trouper said nothing about a missing front plate.
Apparently 19 states (and two provinces) do not require a front license plate. So why is it a crime for residents of the other states to drive without one?
Would this man have been stopped if he was driving in Arizona?
No 'crime' was committed here, an administrative rule was broken. Is this a good use of police time? Or was the objective to impose a black tax á la Ferguson?
Would this man have been stopped if he was driving in Arizona?
No 'crime' was committed here, an administrative rule was broken. Is this a good use of police time? Or was the objective to impose a black tax á la Ferguson?
The month after the Baltimore riot there were 30 killing of black on black.
America is awash in fear and its corollary, loathing, the self-variety or of another who is different. Fear is not instinctual, but learned and acquired as choice. It provides no clarity and instead is reactive. It offers no solace, no protection or buffer, just isolation and ignorance, again an acquired taste. Unfortunately, fear sells and is big business, for the media, every politician and for religious leaders of all stripes and costumes. It is cleverly used as weapon in disguise to both keep the populace restive and inline, seeming to be at cross purposes, but merely disseminated coyly as tool to exploit and then to constrain.
Officer Ray Tensing is a by-product of a society gone awry; a society in love with violence on screen and off, forever wondering why there still are Ray Tensings on every street corner, but taking no responsibility to change, choosing instead to be unaware and to continue this destructive cycle unabated. The killing of Samuel Dubose will not be forgotten.
Officer Ray Tensing is a by-product of a society gone awry; a society in love with violence on screen and off, forever wondering why there still are Ray Tensings on every street corner, but taking no responsibility to change, choosing instead to be unaware and to continue this destructive cycle unabated. The killing of Samuel Dubose will not be forgotten.
2
Thank god for camera phones, thank god for body-cams, or else,
we would have only the cop's word for what happened.
I know this doesn't do anything for the victim, Samuel, but think how many times we took a cop's word for it.There must be a better psychological tests for cops.This was only the University police, not the city police.
My message to Charles Blow. not in my life time, will we see real justice.I hope I'm wrong.Perhaps, in yours?
we would have only the cop's word for what happened.
I know this doesn't do anything for the victim, Samuel, but think how many times we took a cop's word for it.There must be a better psychological tests for cops.This was only the University police, not the city police.
My message to Charles Blow. not in my life time, will we see real justice.I hope I'm wrong.Perhaps, in yours?
5
This sounds like there was bad hiring, meaningless evaluation, and an aversion to releasing from duty a person who was ill-fit for his line of work.
There are some lines of work in which bad choices can be fatal. Police departments owe communities due diligence in hiring and firing.
There are some lines of work in which bad choices can be fatal. Police departments owe communities due diligence in hiring and firing.
4
Countless innocent black men have died at the hands of police officer over the past few decades. The public believed the police officers that the black men were guilty and there was little public rage.
The only thing that has changed is that with video evidence, the public no longer believes the cops.
Cops know they are being watched and I strongly believed less innocent black men are dying at the hands of cops than were dying ten years ago.
What really saddens me is the lost life and lost honor of countless black men wrongly labeled guilty for the lack of video evidence
The only thing that has changed is that with video evidence, the public no longer believes the cops.
Cops know they are being watched and I strongly believed less innocent black men are dying at the hands of cops than were dying ten years ago.
What really saddens me is the lost life and lost honor of countless black men wrongly labeled guilty for the lack of video evidence
6
Tensing is clearly out of control, but Dubose is hardly "innocent". He broke multiple laws in this case, has an extensive record, and did endanger the officer by pulling the door shut and driving away when Tensing is standing right next to the car. Tensing had no reason to draw or discharge his weapon, and should go to jail, but Dubose's bad decisions are a contributing factor here too. Had Dubose followed the law and not resisted arrest, this never would have happened. I think the argument has to be that the police are supposed to be trained and willing to make good decisions, even when citizens are making poor decisions.
We live in a reckless, at times lawless and very often violent society here in America. It is not just black-on-black incidents that I’m referring to – it is broader swath of hard, angry people, mostly young men, often pitted against other hard, angry people, usually from the same pool of young men. Some are criminals – drug dealers, gang-banger, meth-heads, bikers, etc. Most have emotional and psychological issues. Many often have problems with authority.
As a result of this population of angry young men, we have a criminal justice system that is a de facto police state. As long as you stick to the straight and narrow and do the right thing, for the most part you’re ok. But, as soon as you deviate, as soon as you create waves – watch out. The police will have you in their crosshairs and your life may well be totally upended. And heaven help you if you’re poor. And, its an added mark against you if you’re a minority or ‘different’.
My point? Blow needs to realize it’s not about race. It’s about what kind of society we’ve created and chosen to live with here in America – acceptance, even glorification, of anti-social behavior leading to excessive criminality that then has the public demanding punitive laws and draconian policing all to be managed by dysfunctional courts and repressive prisons.
Until we decide to change what America is today, this dogging of the police is going nowhere. It’s called the thin blue line for a reason.
As a result of this population of angry young men, we have a criminal justice system that is a de facto police state. As long as you stick to the straight and narrow and do the right thing, for the most part you’re ok. But, as soon as you deviate, as soon as you create waves – watch out. The police will have you in their crosshairs and your life may well be totally upended. And heaven help you if you’re poor. And, its an added mark against you if you’re a minority or ‘different’.
My point? Blow needs to realize it’s not about race. It’s about what kind of society we’ve created and chosen to live with here in America – acceptance, even glorification, of anti-social behavior leading to excessive criminality that then has the public demanding punitive laws and draconian policing all to be managed by dysfunctional courts and repressive prisons.
Until we decide to change what America is today, this dogging of the police is going nowhere. It’s called the thin blue line for a reason.
140
KnowItAll,
It's absolutely 100% about race. A white driver in that car, without a driver's license would never have been asked to unbuckle. That officer would have had them wait while he went back to his car and looked them up on his computer and issued them a ticket - just like Officer Brian Encinia did with the first person on the video of his arrest of Sandra Bland.
What dogging of the police are you talking about? In New York City, for all the violence police perpetrated not only on Eric Garner, but many others, and hundreds of thousands of stops and frisks, countless demonstrations, they got themselves two brand new police units so they can... keep an even tighter grip on.... you guessed it: African Americans!
Open your eyes. Open your mind and heart. Innocent people are dying.
----
Full video of Sandra Bland's arrest is included in my blog post:
http://www.rimaregas.com/2015/07/my-dignity-is-privileged-sandrablands-w...
It's absolutely 100% about race. A white driver in that car, without a driver's license would never have been asked to unbuckle. That officer would have had them wait while he went back to his car and looked them up on his computer and issued them a ticket - just like Officer Brian Encinia did with the first person on the video of his arrest of Sandra Bland.
What dogging of the police are you talking about? In New York City, for all the violence police perpetrated not only on Eric Garner, but many others, and hundreds of thousands of stops and frisks, countless demonstrations, they got themselves two brand new police units so they can... keep an even tighter grip on.... you guessed it: African Americans!
Open your eyes. Open your mind and heart. Innocent people are dying.
----
Full video of Sandra Bland's arrest is included in my blog post:
http://www.rimaregas.com/2015/07/my-dignity-is-privileged-sandrablands-w...
4
Beg to differ, Mr Know It All. All stats say that we are living in a comparatively low-crime period right now. We have the justice system and police we have today because of politics. No politician ever went wrong by being "tough on crime". And usually, "tough on crime" was code for imprisoning black men for many years for minor drug offenses. How else does one explain the staggering disparities of race in our prison population today? And now, after a decades-long binge of mass incarceration, well, now we see that we just can't afford it anymore. Fiscally, morally or any other way.
1
Well said.
So what comes next? Where do we start?
So what comes next? Where do we start?
Enough vigorous and immediate attention by prosecutors and judges should have a strong deterrent effect on such behavior as Officer Tensing's, although it will be as hard to prove as any negative -- except, perhaps, in diminishing overall white-on-black police confrontations. That's another blessing, if it happens.
But Charles brings up the issue of protections, and to craft these rationally we must first understand the circumstances that create the problem. Simple racism clearly is one component, and perhaps enough energetic action punishing unjustified use of deadly force will have that deterrent effect. If it doesn't, then the problem becomes that much knottier a one to solve, because my own observations suggest that racism is almost impossible to eradicate in a person -- if you can't cause the racist to fear sure retribution for racist acts, it's very difficult to keep him from committing them.
But there are other components that could be more susceptible to reform. How do we evaluate candidates for employment as police officers? How much do we pay them? How do negative evaluations trigger diminished duties (union problems here)? How do we evaluate, if at all, how prepared for pressure an officer is on any given shift before sending him off to work that shift?
We better protect the people from their police by better assuring that those police are balanced PEOPLE, CAPABLE of restraint and as free from prejudice as we can determine.
But Charles brings up the issue of protections, and to craft these rationally we must first understand the circumstances that create the problem. Simple racism clearly is one component, and perhaps enough energetic action punishing unjustified use of deadly force will have that deterrent effect. If it doesn't, then the problem becomes that much knottier a one to solve, because my own observations suggest that racism is almost impossible to eradicate in a person -- if you can't cause the racist to fear sure retribution for racist acts, it's very difficult to keep him from committing them.
But there are other components that could be more susceptible to reform. How do we evaluate candidates for employment as police officers? How much do we pay them? How do negative evaluations trigger diminished duties (union problems here)? How do we evaluate, if at all, how prepared for pressure an officer is on any given shift before sending him off to work that shift?
We better protect the people from their police by better assuring that those police are balanced PEOPLE, CAPABLE of restraint and as free from prejudice as we can determine.
6
No doubt it is right and just that the officer who shot Mr. Dubose be charged with murder, and that a light needs to be shined on unwarranted police violence towards African Americans. However, as you note in this piece, Mr. Blow, "community violence" is a greater threat to black Americans than police violence, and yet I don't see a constant drumbeat in the media deploring black on black crime and violence sparking discussions about ways to possibly ameliorate the situation. It appears easier for columnists such as yourself (and others at the NY Times) to focus on bad cops who go against their duties to serve and protect the public with their terrible actions, which may or may not be driven by latent or overt racism, rather than on "community" perpetrators of violence against their neighbors which does not have a racial angle. You ask how can an person (the cop who shot Mr. Dubose) so cavalierly take another person's life; it is an important question which police forces across the country should be addressing as well as the African American community itself.
122
I suggest that you read Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America by jill Leovy. It would answer many of those questions that you are asking.
3
Um, the police are public protectors paid by US, the citizens, to protect us, the citizens; and they swear to do this- therefore, they deserve more attention, focus, and outrage when they, you know, murder citizens while wearing the uniform.
4
It doesn't strike me as very fair to have a system of state santioned murder and exploitation by government and law enforcement in African American communities and then turn around and blame those communities for the breakdown of social order within them.
4
The video proves that the officer was being dragged by the car.
During the stop, you can see a pothole in the road up ahead. When the officer gets up after shooting DuBose, he's at that pothole. He looks to have been dragged at least 25 feet.
Being dragged by a car in that manner is potentially deadly for the police officer. In fact, a Cincinnati police officer was previously dragged to death in a very similar circumstance: http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2000/09/01/loc_cop_dragged_to_death.html .
During the stop, you can see a pothole in the road up ahead. When the officer gets up after shooting DuBose, he's at that pothole. He looks to have been dragged at least 25 feet.
Being dragged by a car in that manner is potentially deadly for the police officer. In fact, a Cincinnati police officer was previously dragged to death in a very similar circumstance: http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2000/09/01/loc_cop_dragged_to_death.html .
6
Anyone who wants to be a cop, should not be one.
8
Police organizations tend to respond to criticism of the rogue murdering cop with "we aren't all like that" and "violent episodes are statistically insignificant compared to the total number of police-civilian interactions". So if this cop is "poorly trained" what does that say about training standards. What are the police doing to protect us from poorly trained officers? What are the police doing to stop the "brotherhood" cover-ups of bad cops? Police departments: Stop saying "it isn't me" and start trying to figure out a way to police yourselves. At the very least, "it isn't me" as a public relations campaign isn't working.
17
I doubt the rate of white cops killing black men has increased. I think it has always been this way. White America just never believed it until the proliferation of cheap phone video recording devices along with the internet made it impossible to not see it.
40
I'm am reasonably sure police departments vet new hires adequately. They know what they're getting in a new recruit. What the new recruit is getting is a police culture imbued with the meme that black and brown lives DO NOT MATTER, MUCH. After all, it is top down. Our first black president has been treated with hostility, disrespect, overt racism and hatred unique in the history of the office. This malignant culture has metastasized so thoroughly threw the American culture that a network 'news' outlet, Fox, can cheer lead such behaviors. As for this imperiling our democracy, that ship let the dock long ago, Charles, with Citizens United. We are a faux democracy, dysfunctionally lethal. The average American citizen is now a commodity distrusted by their government and each other and whose value is measured almost solely by what they can spend.
45
Actually, police departments have a difficult time recruiting, because most young recruits (male and female) fail the lie detector question: have you ever smoked pot...
This narrows the recruit pool significantly and leaves police departments solely able to hire people who are out of the mainstream. Would police departments place more emphasis on history of bullying and anti-social behavior; than recreational pot smoking in high school/college; they would probably have a more emotionally stable force.
This narrows the recruit pool significantly and leaves police departments solely able to hire people who are out of the mainstream. Would police departments place more emphasis on history of bullying and anti-social behavior; than recreational pot smoking in high school/college; they would probably have a more emotionally stable force.
1
There is little reason for a beat cop to be armed. If cops making traffic stops and otherwise policing petty crime think they are in a serious situation, they can call for armed (and hopefully, trained) backup. You might be surprised to learn that in countries where police are not armed, armed criminals don't generally shoot them. Even in the United States, per the FBI only 27 police officers died in the line of duty in 2013 and 49 in 2012. The National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund reported 31 police killed by firearms in the US in 2013. WHY DO COPS NEED GUNS?
12
Rosa: So that the numbers aren't higher.
Cops in those other countries aren't armed, because ordinary citizens don't have firearms, in great part because of strict gun laws. It's different here. Very very different.
"What kind of person takes another person’s life so cavalierly?"
Its the kind of person that does it both ways. Last week, a police sgt was shot and killed in a traffic stop. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/25/us/california-man-charged-in-police-of...
However, that story made it to page 16 of the NYT. Why? Why wasn't that front page news? Is it because it happens frequently and is part of the job?
Well, if part of the job involves not knowing you will be shot at when pulling someone over then you guard will be very high.
Killing is wrong - but it is wrong all the time. The NYT is irresponsible when every killing of a civilian is front page news while the same senseless killing of police is buried in the back of section A.
What we need is a civil discourse, both ways. We need justice when a killing is criminal or senseless.
But what we need more is less divisiveness and less demonization of every sub-set of our society, time and again.
Its the kind of person that does it both ways. Last week, a police sgt was shot and killed in a traffic stop. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/25/us/california-man-charged-in-police-of...
However, that story made it to page 16 of the NYT. Why? Why wasn't that front page news? Is it because it happens frequently and is part of the job?
Well, if part of the job involves not knowing you will be shot at when pulling someone over then you guard will be very high.
Killing is wrong - but it is wrong all the time. The NYT is irresponsible when every killing of a civilian is front page news while the same senseless killing of police is buried in the back of section A.
What we need is a civil discourse, both ways. We need justice when a killing is criminal or senseless.
But what we need more is less divisiveness and less demonization of every sub-set of our society, time and again.
1
There is a general problem that emerges in connection with the latest shootings by the police at different places. The shootings show that police are
a. Hired Guns
b. Poorly trained in the use of firearm
c. Have no self-control
d. Are not aware that their duty is to protect the public, not to shoot first and ask questions later.
a. Hired Guns
b. Poorly trained in the use of firearm
c. Have no self-control
d. Are not aware that their duty is to protect the public, not to shoot first and ask questions later.
20
Thank you for saying these things. I know fine police officers but something is really wrong with police training or culture -- or the lack of it -- when an officer's response goes immediately to lethal force. Charleston's Mayor Joe Riley has spoken about the importance of ongoing, intensive training to promote a "serve and protect" attitude of police in the community. It can be done.
1
Maybe we as Black Americans need to resign ourselves to the fact that even the slightest resistance or protest of the actions of a police officer will be used as a context to take our lives and then lie about the circumstances.
36
I do think that people with bias against blacks specifically join the police services knowing they would have ample opportunities to carry out acts of hatred and intimidation without accountability (read up about two officers in Anniston, Alabama, recently suspended after their membership ties to the KKK were exposed).
Violent or intimidating behaviour targeting blacks over the centuries didn't just disappear ... they took on another form. This is why even law-abiding, compliant black folks need to be so careful--something can still happen to you if the police you encounter have a grudge and they want to act out against you. It's more than just body- and dash cameras that are needed--it's assessment for bias at all levels of law enforcement, assessment of one's propensity for violent responses or unnecessary police response for minor or no infractions, and accountability for whom one pulls over and why.
Violent or intimidating behaviour targeting blacks over the centuries didn't just disappear ... they took on another form. This is why even law-abiding, compliant black folks need to be so careful--something can still happen to you if the police you encounter have a grudge and they want to act out against you. It's more than just body- and dash cameras that are needed--it's assessment for bias at all levels of law enforcement, assessment of one's propensity for violent responses or unnecessary police response for minor or no infractions, and accountability for whom one pulls over and why.
21
I am sickened at the thought of the thousands, yes thousands, of Black lives lost in these encounters before we had the benefit of body cams.
Black lives matter as all lives. And fortunately white police will now have to acknowledge that fact. If they can't, they can't serve. Period.
For far too long we've allowed very sick people to wear badges and get away with flaunting authority unabated.
Make everyone of them wear a body cam and we will see the death-by-police rate drop dramatically.
The sooner, the better.
Black lives matter as all lives. And fortunately white police will now have to acknowledge that fact. If they can't, they can't serve. Period.
For far too long we've allowed very sick people to wear badges and get away with flaunting authority unabated.
Make everyone of them wear a body cam and we will see the death-by-police rate drop dramatically.
The sooner, the better.
3
I think it would go a long long way towards healing the spirits and fears of black people and the spirit of the whole community if police officers who kill people unnecessarily were IMMEDIATELY arrested and indicted and convicted. Expediency in all such cases would also act as a deterrent to other cops with guns who are poorly trained and unduly influenced by cops and robbers dramas.
In so many of these cases (that of 13-year old Tamir Rice for one) the murdering cop has a record in previous jobs which should have precluded his being even hired as a cop in another department.
The protection of cops by their surrounding systems has got to stop!!!
In so many of these cases (that of 13-year old Tamir Rice for one) the murdering cop has a record in previous jobs which should have precluded his being even hired as a cop in another department.
The protection of cops by their surrounding systems has got to stop!!!
5
The Cincinnati University cop , Ray Tensing, shot and killed Samuel Dubose for no reason beyond his own itchy trigger-finger and desire to impose his small entitled authority during an unnecessary traffic stop. That Ray Tensing was wearing a body camera which videographed the murder from start to finish was the only way that the young unproperly trained campus policeman could have been charged with Dubose's so painfully unnecessary murder. How long will these painfully unnecessary killings of innocent (or at any rate, not guilty of traffic misdeeds) black men from coast to coast continue? When will people rise up and demand an end to police shootings? Once again the horrific freedom of gun-bearing and shooting to kill, authorized by the NRA and gunlobbies, reigns supreme in our terrified nation. People with guns kill innocent people, men, women, children. How many more white cops (whether city police or university hires) will shoot and kill how many more black folk who are heinously pulled over for deadly traffic stops? It is the gun-bearers we have learned to fear in our society, not the innocents who are shot and killed at traffic stops. Those innocents shot to death by policemen at traffic stops. or arrested and tossed imto jail for no good reason, are today's strange fruit from the old Jim Crow days. Murder writ large by police is amok in our society.
5
I feel that every police officer in the country should be mandated to watch this body cam video- plus the video of the North Charleston police murder - and perhaps read Mr. Blow's commentary as well- in the presence of their supervisors and fellow officers. This should be done often.
The reason is simple: Two weeks after Mr. Dubose funeral this incident will have passed in the collective minds of most. It is only by constant review will the message sink in to those who carry a gun but who can't seem to remember they are there to serve and protect - not themselves - but everyone else.
The reason is simple: Two weeks after Mr. Dubose funeral this incident will have passed in the collective minds of most. It is only by constant review will the message sink in to those who carry a gun but who can't seem to remember they are there to serve and protect - not themselves - but everyone else.
5
What a wise and very necessary suggestion. Mandatory indeed. Watch it, feel it and sit with those thoughts over this raw and reprehensible act by a fellow policeman.
1
This has got to stop. Whatever it takes. if you see something, say something. if you can, take a picture, or a movie. If you can't, write it all down as soon as you can. And if it comes to that, be prepared to put your body between that cop and his victim.
3
You may not want to say it but, from my perspective, it certainly looks like it's open season on black men among police departments in the U.S. You write: "How little must an officer think of the person at the other end of the barrel to shoot him in the head when ... there appears to be no threat?" But is it just disregard for blacks in general that's on display here or is there something much more sinister going on?
4
In the recent spate of police killing civilians, from New York to Ohio, Missouri to South Carolina, tragedies in-between and now again in Ohio, the Police argue that the citizen acted improperly. True or not, the fact remains that law enforcement are the professionals in these encounters, which means that the onus of conduct is upon them and arms are only a measure of last resort. Police also often initiate the contact, so they should be responsible for setting the most calm and non-confrontational tone possible. If wearing the uniform is supposed to confer respect, those in it must also convey respect for others' lives.
19
It is unbelievable to me that, knowing their body-cam is recording, these "law officers" have the audacity first to "lose it" and escalate a banal situation into violence during a traffic stop and second to lie about the circumstances of the arrest to defend their behavior. Thank god for cell phones and body cams. Think of all the innocent people of color who have been sacrificed to police violence before the advent of recording devices. Their families probably listened in stunned disbelief when they were told their law-abiding, peaceful, unarmed loved one died because the officer was in fear of his life when a gun was pulled on the cop, leading to justification of their loved one's death. This madness must stop. We are losing more young men of color in America to police violence than we are losing in violent Afghanistan. Madness.
6
Fear of police officers - which they've earned - is one terrible consequence of the cops abusing and killing innocent people.
Several months after I was beaten by the local police, I was taking trash out at 11 p.m. when I saw a man pry open a window and climb into a dark apartment across the street. This was terrifying but my enormous fear of the cops after being beaten by them had traumatized me. I wasn't carrying a phone. What to do?
I went to my neighbors, 2 college boys, whose window overlooked that apartment. I explained what I'd seen and asked them to please phone 911 immediately. They agreed. When I saw them two days later, they told me they went out and walked around that building looking for the intruder themselves (!!!) They never called the police.
This was agonizing and I've never known what happened in that apartment. Sadly, you can't rely on other people to call the police. But after being hauled in and beaten, I would have done almost anything to avoid talking to the police about ANYTHING, because contact with them had left me injured and traumatized.
The consequences of police brutality extend beyond the suffering of those directly victimized. Nobody wants to live in a community where law-abiding people are scared to death to call the police if they witness a crime.
One reason for people who haven't experienced this to see that even when it isn't you, it can directly impact your own safety and well being.
Several months after I was beaten by the local police, I was taking trash out at 11 p.m. when I saw a man pry open a window and climb into a dark apartment across the street. This was terrifying but my enormous fear of the cops after being beaten by them had traumatized me. I wasn't carrying a phone. What to do?
I went to my neighbors, 2 college boys, whose window overlooked that apartment. I explained what I'd seen and asked them to please phone 911 immediately. They agreed. When I saw them two days later, they told me they went out and walked around that building looking for the intruder themselves (!!!) They never called the police.
This was agonizing and I've never known what happened in that apartment. Sadly, you can't rely on other people to call the police. But after being hauled in and beaten, I would have done almost anything to avoid talking to the police about ANYTHING, because contact with them had left me injured and traumatized.
The consequences of police brutality extend beyond the suffering of those directly victimized. Nobody wants to live in a community where law-abiding people are scared to death to call the police if they witness a crime.
One reason for people who haven't experienced this to see that even when it isn't you, it can directly impact your own safety and well being.
162
I believe that you could reasonably consider that an interaction with a police officer could lead to your death. I don't think its too far to go, to think that a stop by an officer is a form of assault. A patrol car puts its lights on behind my vehicle with no one else around and I'd seriously think twice about pulling over. I'm white and I feel this way. When more whites get to feeling how blacks have felt for decades, maybe things will change.
44
Suppose Mr Dubose simply stepped out of the car at the officer's request rather than restarting his car and trying to flee? Perhaps a different conclusion to the confrontation, one without tragedy? Why try to run away?
100
"Suppose Mr Dubose simply stepped out of the car at the officer's request..."
But that happens every day! It doesn't make the newspaper, and we don't read about it.
But trying to evade a ticket by fleeing is not a capital crime.
But that happens every day! It doesn't make the newspaper, and we don't read about it.
But trying to evade a ticket by fleeing is not a capital crime.
13
Yes, it's simple cause and effect. The guy should have considered the possibility he'd get his head blown off. He simply forgot what country he was living in. I'll remember this the next time I'm stopped.
29
Can we please stop finding faults with victims? Regardless of the victim's behavior prior to the death...unless the victim actually attacked the officer, no one should DIE from such an interaction. In your description, you imply that we the citizens have to "obey" the officer at all times?! Instead, if the civilian is unarmed, can we please just ask the police officer to stop taking the gun out of their holster? Just stop this nonsense.
32
It is all about power. Who has it and who does not. Goodness help you if you invoke your rights with Law Enforcement. It is looked upon as disrespectful and a lack of cooperation. It takes a mature person to do the work of a police officer. They need to be calm and thoughtful and not allow their indignation of someone that dares to question their overwhelming sense of righteousness. White on Black and the undercurrent of racism, which is all too real despite denials by those in power, does not help but it is not everything all of the time.
4
The Cincinnati area has a very long history of racial police brutality. My white father grew up in that area in the 30s recalled that the police had reputation of brutality in dealing with blacks back then - that really tells you how bad it must have been because people weren't exactly concerned about racial equality or police brutality back then.
3
Lee, Cincy is in Ohio, Ohio in the North...can't be true.
Comprehensive investigative reporting is required. Can the NYT with the cooperation of other major news organizations begin to maintain as complete as possible a data base of police-civilian interactions that result in death. With as much detail as possible about the interaction -- traffic stop, robbery in progress, etc. And of course the gender/racial/age demographics.
We need to know the extent of police brutality, police executions, and so forth.
Bring on the truth!
We need to know the extent of police brutality, police executions, and so forth.
Bring on the truth!
17
Why are campus cops making traffic stops like this?
Why are campus cops carrying guns?
Why are campus cops carrying guns?
102
The most discouraging fact about this latest outrage is that it was perpetrated while the officer was wearing a body camera. In other words, Officer Tensing knew his actions were being recorded . . . and murdered Mr. Dubose anyway. What does this fact say?
15
I'm sickened. It should be clear to anyone by now, without disparaging the service of many good police officers, that we have a systemic problem. It's time to go beyond talking about the existence of the problem and start looking for responses. My suggestions:
1. We need an independent federal, agency to investigate cases of police shootings or brutality.
2. We need enhanced sentences for police officers who commit crimes under cover of their offices.
3. We need nationwide standards for training police in cultural sensitivity and in dealing with confrontations generally. Retreating and calling for backup needs to be the first option in response to a perceived threat. Look at this video of how UK police retreat from and then group together to capture a clearly deranged machete-wielding man without firing a shot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cX5CPx4RKWw. These guys are not macho. They're not afraid to run. In the US, does anyone doubt the man with the machete would be shot in ten seconds? We need to learn that police who can do what is done in this video are the true heroes.
1. We need an independent federal, agency to investigate cases of police shootings or brutality.
2. We need enhanced sentences for police officers who commit crimes under cover of their offices.
3. We need nationwide standards for training police in cultural sensitivity and in dealing with confrontations generally. Retreating and calling for backup needs to be the first option in response to a perceived threat. Look at this video of how UK police retreat from and then group together to capture a clearly deranged machete-wielding man without firing a shot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cX5CPx4RKWw. These guys are not macho. They're not afraid to run. In the US, does anyone doubt the man with the machete would be shot in ten seconds? We need to learn that police who can do what is done in this video are the true heroes.
15
There are many individuals (including people with authority) in this country that should never, never be entrusted with a firearm. We, as a nation, need to become more scrupulous as to who legitimately is allowed to have a weapon, including those who apply to become law enforcement personnel.
19
To jzzy55:
You write that police should be more highly trained to shoot for the arm or leg , to disable the subject! That attitude is unfortunately a carry over from 'THE LONE RANGER' and the singing cowboy western movies where the good guys only shoot the bad guys in the hand!
By definition, a police shooting is an adrenaline rush! Police officers shooting center mass (the torso) do so to stop the threat in the fastest way possible!
Police officets shooting expert on the range will shoot much less expert in adrenaline situations! Those same cops, like most all cops, will shoot much less expert in use of force adrenaline situations, thereby making wounding a suspect in the arm or leg an accident at best, especially when being shot back at, but repeated training and built in muscle memory training will give them a higher edge over those not so well trained!
The actions of ex officer Tensing are those of an immature, poorly trained man who should never have been a cop in the first place! It seems that he shot DuBose because he was getting away, from an infraction traffic stop, and had done nothing to warrant such escalation of force!
You write that police should be more highly trained to shoot for the arm or leg , to disable the subject! That attitude is unfortunately a carry over from 'THE LONE RANGER' and the singing cowboy western movies where the good guys only shoot the bad guys in the hand!
By definition, a police shooting is an adrenaline rush! Police officers shooting center mass (the torso) do so to stop the threat in the fastest way possible!
Police officets shooting expert on the range will shoot much less expert in adrenaline situations! Those same cops, like most all cops, will shoot much less expert in use of force adrenaline situations, thereby making wounding a suspect in the arm or leg an accident at best, especially when being shot back at, but repeated training and built in muscle memory training will give them a higher edge over those not so well trained!
The actions of ex officer Tensing are those of an immature, poorly trained man who should never have been a cop in the first place! It seems that he shot DuBose because he was getting away, from an infraction traffic stop, and had done nothing to warrant such escalation of force!
7
If the facts are determined to confirm that the officer shot at the vehicle to stop this suspect fleeing without having a reasonable belief that deadly force was necessary, it was a crime, most definitely. But it was also a very accurate shot if the officer intended to hit what he hit, which you point out is atypical. Determining guilt is the role of our courts. As for policies concerning hiring and training police officers who might be likely to misuse their authority, it's very hard to tell who will fail to live up to expectations ahead of time. If there was ample evidence that this officer was incompetent, he should not have been on duty.
Yes, and the cop who shot the man in the back was also shot because he was getting away (in a traffic stop!!). That is an attitude that needs immediate correction, and the police departments need to take note they can't do that (during a traffic stop!!)
Seven blacks have been murdered over the last week in Chicago. I guess from Blow's point of view their lives didn't matter since he refuses to write about them.
9
There have been 185 murders this year in Baltimore city through July 29. But only Freddie Gray's made the national news. Don't the other 184 victims matter? The news media are very selective in what crimes are reported.
Why is he refusing to write about them?
It is certainly a false equivalency to say one should regard a criminal's killing of another person as the same as a trained, sworm cop's murder. One is an anti-social or unsocialized person's violet act, but the other is the violent act of a person trained and paid to "protect and serve"> Rape is awful but rape of choir kids by an ordained priest, minister, or rabbi is worse, shaking our trust in those who are supposedly protecting us all.
1
Let's not forget the other cops who "witnessed" the shooting and backed up Officer Tensing's self-serving lies. They need to be prosecuted, too.
221
The police are out of control in this country.
A fundamental misunderstanding here once again, as in many recent police brutality cases, that the job of the police officer is to 'catch bad guys' as my 3-year old would say. In fact, the police officer should be there to keep the peace and de-escalate situations to ensure wrongdoing can be investigated with minimum loss of life or injury.
It seems like there are too many amateur, untrained cops on the beat who have a 3-year old's idea of what their job should be, combined with minds ruined from years of watching bad cop shows. Put a gun in the hands of these idiots and innocent people die.
It seems like there are too many amateur, untrained cops on the beat who have a 3-year old's idea of what their job should be, combined with minds ruined from years of watching bad cop shows. Put a gun in the hands of these idiots and innocent people die.
50
The statement of the prosecutor, “This doesn’t happen in the United States, O.K.?” he said. “People don’t get shot for a traffic stop.”
CORRECT - IF YOU ARE WHITE!
Technology is simply laying bare what Blacks have long stated to white America.
The execution of Blacks for little or no reason by rogue cops is the America that Black have long known and so has white America--if you are willing to be honest.
CORRECT - IF YOU ARE WHITE!
Technology is simply laying bare what Blacks have long stated to white America.
The execution of Blacks for little or no reason by rogue cops is the America that Black have long known and so has white America--if you are willing to be honest.
31
Every day we watch accounts of a yet another police shooting (of an African American) or a mass murder by an unhinged gunman who obtained a gun illegally.
Welcome to America 2015.
I'm not equating the two episodes, but each offers its own indictment of American society. For starters, the common thread is the taking of innocent lives. Oh, yes, I'm going to get replies, I'm sure--what do you mean, "innocent"?; "where there's smoke, there's fire"; "innocent people don't resist arrest".
Sadly they do because we're seeing it every night--on TV, our smart phones, our devices which have become a portal to the callous disregard for those police offices are ostensibly "serving."
I don't understand why men like Ray Tensing choose police work. I don't understand why cops like Ray Tensing [are] " generally well rated in his reviews." I don't understand what "generally well rated" means when there are so many veiled comments made to his performance review---"extremely proactive"; "needs to get out more."
On that scale, this guy was long overdue for a promotion, not an indictment!! But thankfully, the dash-cam saves the day. Prevents the officer's lie from becoming official. Explains the perplexity evidenced by Dubose who couldn't understand why the cop was so angry so quickly and why he entered the car to blow him away.
But even a dash-cam can't explain why Tensing entered policing and how he felt he was protecting the community by killing this driver in the blink of an eye.
Welcome to America 2015.
I'm not equating the two episodes, but each offers its own indictment of American society. For starters, the common thread is the taking of innocent lives. Oh, yes, I'm going to get replies, I'm sure--what do you mean, "innocent"?; "where there's smoke, there's fire"; "innocent people don't resist arrest".
Sadly they do because we're seeing it every night--on TV, our smart phones, our devices which have become a portal to the callous disregard for those police offices are ostensibly "serving."
I don't understand why men like Ray Tensing choose police work. I don't understand why cops like Ray Tensing [are] " generally well rated in his reviews." I don't understand what "generally well rated" means when there are so many veiled comments made to his performance review---"extremely proactive"; "needs to get out more."
On that scale, this guy was long overdue for a promotion, not an indictment!! But thankfully, the dash-cam saves the day. Prevents the officer's lie from becoming official. Explains the perplexity evidenced by Dubose who couldn't understand why the cop was so angry so quickly and why he entered the car to blow him away.
But even a dash-cam can't explain why Tensing entered policing and how he felt he was protecting the community by killing this driver in the blink of an eye.
21
The answer to the question, "What kind of a person does this," is visible right here in the comments section. 50% of the people (based on prior articles) seem to believe that anyone who speaks back to, disrespects, runs from, or does anything besides say, "Yes, sir," to an officer either deserves, or asked for, a bullet to the head. It's the mind of the populace that needs to be changed, because if 50% of them refuse to condemn these types of police action, there's no way police are going to change.
197
If you've ever been to court, you know that the parties involved all rewrite the script to make themselves out to be the wronged party. Cops are especially good at this, they come from a brotherhood that is utterly self absorbed and familiar with the system of incident reporting. The recent death in custody of the woman pulled over in Texas had minutes of dashcam of the officer discussing and inflating a bumped shin with a colleague, he seemed almost embarrassed about the conflation, but still carried on with his ridiculous assault claim.
So here we have a cop who tries to grab at a driver who is driving away, and amplifies the situation to being dragged. If there were no video, that claim would stick, the cop would get a medal and the victim would get his character assassinated along with losing his life.
Maybe we need to rethink some sorts of cops having guns.
So here we have a cop who tries to grab at a driver who is driving away, and amplifies the situation to being dragged. If there were no video, that claim would stick, the cop would get a medal and the victim would get his character assassinated along with losing his life.
Maybe we need to rethink some sorts of cops having guns.
47
Every law enforcement office in this country should be required to attend a workshop where the movie '' the Stanford Prison Experiment '' is shown and discussed. It will help them understand what happens when those in power let it go to their heads.
5
psych 101 dude. I know the people who did the study. Psych 101.
The police have shown themselves, time and time again, to be unwilling to strictly obey the laws they are paid to enforce. It perhaps started many years ago with the unwritten agreement that officers, on call or not, could operate their motor vehicle in whatever manner, and at whatever speed they desired. The "professional courtesy" that other officers showed to a policeman operating their vehicle illegally was the most obvious of what we now know to be a cancer of criminal obfuscation. This is especially true in fatal police interactions with people of color. I am frankly in favor of striping officers on patrol of any deadly weapons save perhaps a beanbag shotgun to be locked in the trunk of the patrol car. Sidearms should be limited to Tazers only. Perhaps this would lead to the long overdue strengthening of our civilian gun laws.
9
Today I read an article in Time Magazine written shortly after the shooting of Walter Scott by a police officer in Charleston, SC, April 7, 2015. The article opened my eyes to how pernicious the problem of violence against Black Men and Women by the Police has become. We are in the midst of a bonfire of racist incidents in this country and I can see another period of inner city (and other places as well) violence on the horizon. Time Magazine began its linear examination of the subject with the Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman case in my state of Florida. Through a serious miscarriage of justice George Zimmerman was judged not guilty with a claim of self defence which made absolutely no sense because all he had to do was not get out of his vehicle; there was never any evidence that the victim attacked the SUV. I think that case sent a waive through the US that black lives do not matter and so many of these wanna bees in uniforms are taking advantage of this. I am truly frightened, and I'm white. I can't even imagine how threatened black people are feeling at this time. I'm glad that again this law enforcement officer is being charged and hopefully some of the others will be convicted, but until we start to see some real justice handed down, our urban areas are justifiably powder kegs.
7
Just for the record, I am a white male senior citizen.
Thank God for the current video technology.
We have been shown video of a 12 yera old with a toy gun in Cleveland being killed by a cop, a cop shooting an unarmed man who had his back to the cop and was running away, and now this shooting in Ohio with no apparent provocation (and the cop lying in his report of the incident).
In every instance, the cop was white, and the person killed was black.
I do not recall seeing ANY video of a black cop gunning down an unarmed white person. When was the last time one of those incidents was in the news?
Something is seriously wrong when we have so many demonstrable examples of white on black violence, which seems to suggest that these white cops are very poorly trained and/or feel "entitled."
Society needs to take the position that if you act in the name of all of us in an official capacity, you had better hew closely to all of the responsibilities that your position imposes on you. No excuses. No exceptions.
Thank God for the current video technology.
We have been shown video of a 12 yera old with a toy gun in Cleveland being killed by a cop, a cop shooting an unarmed man who had his back to the cop and was running away, and now this shooting in Ohio with no apparent provocation (and the cop lying in his report of the incident).
In every instance, the cop was white, and the person killed was black.
I do not recall seeing ANY video of a black cop gunning down an unarmed white person. When was the last time one of those incidents was in the news?
Something is seriously wrong when we have so many demonstrable examples of white on black violence, which seems to suggest that these white cops are very poorly trained and/or feel "entitled."
Society needs to take the position that if you act in the name of all of us in an official capacity, you had better hew closely to all of the responsibilities that your position imposes on you. No excuses. No exceptions.
165
Only when the courts impose multi-million-dollar settlements on cities will they start to screen their police appropriately, to prevent such incidents.
The police departments of cities with large black populations seem to think they are an occupying army keeping order and protecting the declining white population. This attitude will not be defeated until it becomes too expensive to maintain. Given enough civil disobedience and a profusion of expensive law suits the more intelligently managed cities will get rid of the sociopaths in the ranks of the police departments.
The less intelligent cities may need some expensive physical damage. Ferguson and Los Angles made some changes after expensive physical damage.
The less intelligent cities may need some expensive physical damage. Ferguson and Los Angles made some changes after expensive physical damage.
8
Is it a "structural" or a civilizational issue? Structural is too abstract, I think, to encapsulate the psychic and intersubjective modalities involved in police violence--violence which is incomprehensible without recognition of our violent culture. Civilization and its counter-concept: barbarism are concepts we are not comfortable to use anymore (for historical reasons), but they address, I believe, more than social theories the social pathologies afflicting us. In the classical sense, to be civilized, meant to curb aggressive impulses and emotions. It meant, in short self-control in thought and actions. But then from time immemorial humans have always chafed at the discipline imposed by civilization. And the result in all cases has been decivilizatiion, regression to barbarism. As I see it, we need to reclaim civilization, to teach again those virtues, morals and habits that make us polite and sociable.
3
I see you slipped in Coates' premise that blacks fear for what whites/authorities can and historically do to their bodies. Coates has it slightly wrong; it is not fear of harm so much as it is anger; anger at being confronted over walking in the street, anger at having been pulled over for a missing plate, for loose cigarettes, or for lack of turn signals. Experience tells the arrestee it is because of their race—and that would justifiably make anyone in their shoes angry. It should make everyone angry when racism is the reason.
Recall that before Ferguson, Professor Gates angrily—not fearfully--confronted police who responded to a complaint of possible home burglary in progress. Mike Brown tussled with Officer Wilson over a gun in the officer's car. Why? Sandra Bland resisted the officer who pulled her over. Why? Walter Scott fled from police and swatted away the officer's taser. Why? DuBose started his car and put it in gear to flee. Why? Eric Garner said he would resist at all costs, and did. Why? These are not the actions of people who fear a legacy of corporeal harm. They didn't fear the punishments of a jaywalking ticket, or a turn signal violation, or a fix-it ticket. Any fear over what might be done to their bodies was outweighed by calculations of the potential benefits of confrontation, defiance or escape. Under Coates’ theory, one would think that the fearful to comply with every humiliating order to avoid what white heritage has wrought on their bodies.
Recall that before Ferguson, Professor Gates angrily—not fearfully--confronted police who responded to a complaint of possible home burglary in progress. Mike Brown tussled with Officer Wilson over a gun in the officer's car. Why? Sandra Bland resisted the officer who pulled her over. Why? Walter Scott fled from police and swatted away the officer's taser. Why? DuBose started his car and put it in gear to flee. Why? Eric Garner said he would resist at all costs, and did. Why? These are not the actions of people who fear a legacy of corporeal harm. They didn't fear the punishments of a jaywalking ticket, or a turn signal violation, or a fix-it ticket. Any fear over what might be done to their bodies was outweighed by calculations of the potential benefits of confrontation, defiance or escape. Under Coates’ theory, one would think that the fearful to comply with every humiliating order to avoid what white heritage has wrought on their bodies.
3
fight or flight? pretty human reaction.
A tragic lament
The only just "fully restorative" action would be some miracle that could bring Samuel Dubose back to life. Unfortunately we do not live in such a fantasy world.
If society continues its obtuse incapacity to do anything about the systemic, official violence against its minority populations, the victims themselves will make those in power wish they been more creatively proactive in their problem-solving endeavors.
www.endthemadnessnow.org
If society continues its obtuse incapacity to do anything about the systemic, official violence against its minority populations, the victims themselves will make those in power wish they been more creatively proactive in their problem-solving endeavors.
www.endthemadnessnow.org
I was struck by the lack of emphasis on the blackness of the officers who killed the detainee in the police van in Baltimore. Statistics seem to show that black officers mistreat black suspects at about the same rate as white officers.
The NYTimes has reported on these statistics in the past. Another report would be beneficial, to supplement the tabloid style journalism that seems to be part of news media reporting on black and white relations. (Yes, I am a former professor of statistics. And the Upshot features are a step in the right direction.)
To see several other common sense suggestions for America, go to YouTube and watch Comedy Party Platform (2 in 9 sec). Then invite me to speak to your group, and send a buck to Bernie.
The NYTimes has reported on these statistics in the past. Another report would be beneficial, to supplement the tabloid style journalism that seems to be part of news media reporting on black and white relations. (Yes, I am a former professor of statistics. And the Upshot features are a step in the right direction.)
To see several other common sense suggestions for America, go to YouTube and watch Comedy Party Platform (2 in 9 sec). Then invite me to speak to your group, and send a buck to Bernie.
1
So if black cops brutalize black citizens, it's okay for white cops to brutalize blacks?
It's becoming too hard to regard a 'police report' as anything but pulp fiction.
60
Why do the commenters here uniformly say "they could just apprehend him later" over and over, including Mike Brown, Garner, Sandra, etc. etc.? (That's absolutely terrifying as a policing policy, by the way; just letting suspects do whatever they want an cooperate if they feel like it-- clearly these suggestions are practical jokes.)
Blacks IN EVERY ONE OF THESE CASES, yet again, seem to think they can flout the law and just not cooperate with the police. Cooperate w police = you don't die. I still see no race angle. Sorry.
Blacks IN EVERY ONE OF THESE CASES, yet again, seem to think they can flout the law and just not cooperate with the police. Cooperate w police = you don't die. I still see no race angle. Sorry.
2
@Jackson25 - Nonsense. Execution is not an option, particularly for minor infractions. Moreover, in each of those instances, the people who were out of control were the police officers. What percentage of such crimes are never captured on video or, if they are, never come to light?
5
So cooperate with police or get your head blown off? Since when was Pinochet installed?
1
What an incredible statement! Even when the police are acting irrationally, illegally, confrontationally, unconstitutionally you would subscribe to the idea that it is justified for the police to kill you if you don't cooperate?
And the fact that all these incidents involve white cops and dead black people doesn't even hint to you that this could have a racial angle?
Good luck, Man! Sooner or later you will need it!
And the fact that all these incidents involve white cops and dead black people doesn't even hint to you that this could have a racial angle?
Good luck, Man! Sooner or later you will need it!
1
Not that it matters much to anyone these days, but the situation in Baltimore is still grossly out-of-hand:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/crime/blog/bs-md-ci-july-homic...
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/crime/blog/bs-md-ci-july-homic...
1
Watching this video was heartbreaking, frustrating, and finally, infuriating. Early on, I didn't see anyone check on the victim, to see if he was still breathing. I heard the offending policeman say several times, 'I'm good,' referring to his faked hand injury. The other officers were far more concerned with policeman Tensing's condition while the real victim lay in his own blood.
I didn't see any evidence that Mr. Dubose's life mattered to any of them.
I didn't see any evidence that Mr. Dubose's life mattered to any of them.
21
Mr. Blow glancingly mentions the greatest threat to black lives:
"Police violence may not be the greatest threat of violence to black lives — community violence, sadly, surpasses it..."
This is old news, but in the U.S. in the period between 2010-13 approximately 92 percent of blacks who were murdered were killed by other blacks. With this sad number in mind, Mr. Blow's words take on disturbingly new dimensions.
"How often must we hear the lamentations for justice emanate from dark faces streaked with tears and burning with a righteous rage?"
"Something has to give. The carnage must be abated. Trust must be restored."
"What we are living through cannot continue. People cannot long shoulder this weight — nor should they be required to."
"Police violence may not be the greatest threat of violence to black lives — community violence, sadly, surpasses it..."
This is old news, but in the U.S. in the period between 2010-13 approximately 92 percent of blacks who were murdered were killed by other blacks. With this sad number in mind, Mr. Blow's words take on disturbingly new dimensions.
"How often must we hear the lamentations for justice emanate from dark faces streaked with tears and burning with a righteous rage?"
"Something has to give. The carnage must be abated. Trust must be restored."
"What we are living through cannot continue. People cannot long shoulder this weight — nor should they be required to."
4
Most whites are killed by other whites. Most Asians are killed by other Asians. Most Latinos are killed by other Latinos. How is this relevant to a discussion on police brutality?
1
Let's also address the increasingly militarized nature of police forces all across this country. How would a London constable on patrol (cop) have handled this situation traffic stop?
The cops I see on the beat look and act more and more like an occupying army than police officers, or the absurdly Orwellian "peace officers". And that's what I see as a fifty-something white guy living in a low-crime area of the city!
And one more thing: I see cops breaking traffic laws on an almost daily basis here in Minneapolis (and they are not responding to a call). You think I'm going to say something? And as I mentioned earlier, I'm white.
God help my African-American brethren!
The cops I see on the beat look and act more and more like an occupying army than police officers, or the absurdly Orwellian "peace officers". And that's what I see as a fifty-something white guy living in a low-crime area of the city!
And one more thing: I see cops breaking traffic laws on an almost daily basis here in Minneapolis (and they are not responding to a call). You think I'm going to say something? And as I mentioned earlier, I'm white.
God help my African-American brethren!
11
Apparently, Samuel DuBose did drive away and drag the Officer. This is made clear when ones looks at land marks before and after the dragging/shooting.
Before he dragged the Officer he turned the car on and tried to shut the door. You'll note at roughly :20 (seconds in) he takes the keys from the ignition, the car is off (this is so he can show the Officer the front plate which was locked in the passenger side compartment. Pay attention to his hands).
Moments later, at around 1:52 he STARTS the engine. Listen and you can hear it turn over. The Officer reaches into the car attempting to stop him and they wrestle.
If you slow the tape down (there’s a little gear icon in the lower right hand corner of the youtube screen - you can change the speed there) you can see the action more clearly. Then . . . there’s the dragging.
PLEASE NOTE: At the beginning, on the road ahead of them, there are oil stains and a parked car you can see during the stop.
THEN NOTE at 2:00ish when he gets up – he’s right next to the oil stains and he's closer to the parked car and the empty lot filled with grass – he WAS dragged. That must have been terrifying. (Someone else noticed the Officer's change of location, no name was given, GOOD EYE, though!)
Whether the Officer was within the law by shooting him or not I can’t say, but I can say that it looks like Samuel Dubose was attempting to flee and dragged the Officer. Again, that must have been terrifying.
Before he dragged the Officer he turned the car on and tried to shut the door. You'll note at roughly :20 (seconds in) he takes the keys from the ignition, the car is off (this is so he can show the Officer the front plate which was locked in the passenger side compartment. Pay attention to his hands).
Moments later, at around 1:52 he STARTS the engine. Listen and you can hear it turn over. The Officer reaches into the car attempting to stop him and they wrestle.
If you slow the tape down (there’s a little gear icon in the lower right hand corner of the youtube screen - you can change the speed there) you can see the action more clearly. Then . . . there’s the dragging.
PLEASE NOTE: At the beginning, on the road ahead of them, there are oil stains and a parked car you can see during the stop.
THEN NOTE at 2:00ish when he gets up – he’s right next to the oil stains and he's closer to the parked car and the empty lot filled with grass – he WAS dragged. That must have been terrifying. (Someone else noticed the Officer's change of location, no name was given, GOOD EYE, though!)
Whether the Officer was within the law by shooting him or not I can’t say, but I can say that it looks like Samuel Dubose was attempting to flee and dragged the Officer. Again, that must have been terrifying.
2
The horrifying video from this incident casts a chill on all citizen-police interaction. It is most threatening/frightening for African-Americans, but it is frightening for anyone who is an American citizen subject to police officers to see a person shot in the head in cold blood for a traffic stop. If we are not a police state, we need to change the culture of policing so that it is no longer a dominance game and so that police wish to protect our safety, not kill citizens who don't show full obedience. (I wish that last sentence were hyperbole, but apparently it is not).
3
"...The bodycam video was vital, and refuted the officer’s account. Also, the prosecutor moved quickly to charge the officer in the case..."
The body camera did not confirm the officer's account, but since the camera was being violently moved about during the crucial events, it does not actually indicate enough to provide conclusive evidence as to what happened. It's another case of people trying to hold up a situation representing a class of grievances which they feel are not being properly addressed. It's the kind of action which leads to disappointment when the obviously guilty miscreant is not successfully prosecuted because the facts cannot sustain the prosecution's charges.
The body camera did not confirm the officer's account, but since the camera was being violently moved about during the crucial events, it does not actually indicate enough to provide conclusive evidence as to what happened. It's another case of people trying to hold up a situation representing a class of grievances which they feel are not being properly addressed. It's the kind of action which leads to disappointment when the obviously guilty miscreant is not successfully prosecuted because the facts cannot sustain the prosecution's charges.
4
I think the spectrum of police training and suitability reflects the deeply polarized culture of our society. I have had good contact with kind and caring police officers so I know they are out there. Unfortunately highly racist, violent men and women have also infiltrated the ranks and this is what we are seeing. The police system needs a full overhaul particularly with respect to racial, cultural, and medical sensibilities. Given the condition of our political realities, I am pessimistic about any change soon.
248
David--
A problem is that these "kind and caring" police officers do and say nothing when other officers over-react and kill unarmed citizens. The confrontational union heads and PBA continue to be supported and re-elected. The rank-and-file turn their backs on publically elected officials who question their actions.
It is difficult to differentiate between police officers anymore. If one abuses citizens, and the second does and says nothing, we have to consider both officers to be a problem.
A problem is that these "kind and caring" police officers do and say nothing when other officers over-react and kill unarmed citizens. The confrontational union heads and PBA continue to be supported and re-elected. The rank-and-file turn their backs on publically elected officials who question their actions.
It is difficult to differentiate between police officers anymore. If one abuses citizens, and the second does and says nothing, we have to consider both officers to be a problem.
1
It's interesting that you say "Unfortunately highly racist, violent men and women have also infiltrated the ranks and this is what we are seeing. " It occurred to me as I read that, that there's never been a reported incident of a female police officer shooting an unarmed black man. I don't know what to make of that; perhaps it's just never been reported, or perhaps it's a statement about women in general.
1
"Unfortunately highly racist, violent men and women have also infiltrated the ranks and this is what we are seeing. "
On the contrary, they did not "infiltrate" the police force. They were hired. On the assumption that police forces generally are not hiring assassins on purpose, the broader question might be, why is the hiring pool so shallow?
On the contrary, they did not "infiltrate" the police force. They were hired. On the assumption that police forces generally are not hiring assassins on purpose, the broader question might be, why is the hiring pool so shallow?
1
take away the guns. all the guns.
9
Slightlycrazy: and who is going to do that, the police?
I can't watch these videos anymore or I fear I will lose my mind. Thank you for taking it for the team and describing the bodycam video. Thank you for keeping the issue of our paramilitarized police on the pages of the Gray Lady, paper of record.
15
I see an officer being patient, polite, and professional. I see a citizen no only non-compliant, but fleeing.
2
come on, the cop was White, the citizen Black .... please ... there really isn't any other truth than that is there?
I thought the officer was annoying and repetitive. How many times did he need to ask about a license Dubose already admitted he didn't have with him.
Over 65 years ago, I had a Roy Rogers lunchbox, a Hopalong Cassidy sweater (and cap pistol). I went to the movies almost every weekend. I saw western hero after hero, historical town after town, respond to "criminals" and "Indians' by the use of guns and rifles. The stranger was to be feared; the dreaded "others" were to be controlled. The prevailing myth of the U. S, bolstered by the 2nd Amendment is that "free [white] citizens should be quickly assembled against any threat of rebellion or uprising. How are the mentalities of these "officers of social control" any different from how I was socially educated in the 1940s and 50s? And I am a 70 year old African American male.
10
Mike Brown Eric Garner and others have not died in vain. Light is being shined where it has never been. God bless all of those who have perished in senseless police violence. Maybe the ship is turning and just maybe they helped a movement to come to life. For all life to matter first you have to include all life. .
5
The police in this country are out of control. They must be brought back into control and forced to serve the communities they are employed to serve. They can not continue to be a law unto themselves.
9
While I am in agreement that blacks are taking the brunt of abusive police actions, I am not as convinced as Blow is that this is just a matter of white police racism against blacks.
I suspect that it is part of a wider pattern of police abuse against the public more generally.
There is an increasingly authoritarian feeling to our society, with the police leading the charge.
I suspect that it is part of a wider pattern of police abuse against the public more generally.
There is an increasingly authoritarian feeling to our society, with the police leading the charge.
12
"It adds to distrust about officers’ accounts of what leads to these deaths. It adds to a corrosion of trust in the entire criminal justice system."
Mr. Blow, those are understatements. Put it like this: as a black male, each and every day that I drive, I am hypervigilant for the police. "Hyper" because, I have to wonder if today will be my day to be harassed for no good reason, arrested, assaulted, shot dead, or all of the above.
I am by no means a lawbreaker. But I learned long ago that that is irrelevant. And I learned that cops are not there to help (me). Best to avoid them if at all possible.
Mr. Blow, those are understatements. Put it like this: as a black male, each and every day that I drive, I am hypervigilant for the police. "Hyper" because, I have to wonder if today will be my day to be harassed for no good reason, arrested, assaulted, shot dead, or all of the above.
I am by no means a lawbreaker. But I learned long ago that that is irrelevant. And I learned that cops are not there to help (me). Best to avoid them if at all possible.
43
Since the officer knew he had on a body camera, how
could he be so stupid as to do what the DA said
the camera showed?
And his response saying it was just a chicken crap
happening showed that he thought that killing
a black man was nothing to get upset about.
could he be so stupid as to do what the DA said
the camera showed?
And his response saying it was just a chicken crap
happening showed that he thought that killing
a black man was nothing to get upset about.
1
We should separate the bullets from the gun a la Barney Fife. Put one bullet in each pocket and make them load one bullet at a time if they can't do a simple traffic stop without unholstering their weapon. This, of course is a ludicrous idea, but so is shooting people as a first option. Just as Barney had Andy as a voice of reason, we will need the police to be the front line in stopping this abhorrent behavior in their ranks. The vast majority of police officers are professional, courteous and just want to get home in one piece. They must, also, be aware that these bad apples do them no good what-so-ever. They should lead the way on this for two reasons. Because it's the right thing to do and because those cameras are not going away any time soon.
5
"The vast majority of police officers are professional, courteous and just want to get home in one piece. They must, also, be aware that these bad apples do them no good what-so-ever."
And for all their physical courage, they must not be cowards hiding behind the "thin blue line."
"They should lead the way on this for two reasons. Because it's the right thing to do and because those cameras are not going away any time soon."
And because this stuff can get cops, good and bad, hurt - economically, politically, and physically. Which hurts us all. They have already lost the benefit of the doubt.
And for all their physical courage, they must not be cowards hiding behind the "thin blue line."
"They should lead the way on this for two reasons. Because it's the right thing to do and because those cameras are not going away any time soon."
And because this stuff can get cops, good and bad, hurt - economically, politically, and physically. Which hurts us all. They have already lost the benefit of the doubt.
1
People who use alcohol are welcome on the police force. People who use cannabis are not. Alcohol has a connection to violence that cannabis simply doesn't have. A better balance between alcohol and weed is needed within police culture, among other places.
2
I look forward to the comments of those who will invariably attempt to blame Samuel Dubose for his death, to explain the unexplainable, to excuse the inexcusable, to deny Dubose's race has anything to do with anything, and to accuse Charles Blow of, once more, "playing the race card."
1
A couple of typos: The name is spelled "DuBose", and not "Dubose", as Mr. DuBose's family made clear at the press conference today. And it was not a shooting, it was a murder.
I write Samuel DuBose's name with respect, compassion, and love. Because it seems, as a person who is not of color, that is all I can do to retain any humanity.
The murder of Samuel DuBose is not simply a matter of the safety of young people of one or another race; the carnage that must be abated; the trust that must be restored. Losing Mr. DuBose is so much deeper than the deep sorrow of losing a child, father, brother, or friend. His loss, in a long line of those unrecorded and dismissed, systematized and condoned, is a loss of my humanity. By the racism of millions of tiny decisions, unconscious yet constantly reinforced by my culture, my humanity is hourly stolen away. That the last tiny decision ended up at the trigger of a gun just happened to put it in the news. It is still racism. In this depraved sphere I know more personal details about dead Black individuals than alive ones.
The fabric of society and democracy itself are not all that's at stake. I am not Sam DuBose, because all those tiny decisions are always going to go my way in the same situation. Unless we make it change, consciously and with outrage and passion. Otherwise this system has left a great number of us participating in it, as people not of color, less than human.
I write Samuel DuBose's name with respect, compassion, and love. Because it seems, as a person who is not of color, that is all I can do to retain any humanity.
The murder of Samuel DuBose is not simply a matter of the safety of young people of one or another race; the carnage that must be abated; the trust that must be restored. Losing Mr. DuBose is so much deeper than the deep sorrow of losing a child, father, brother, or friend. His loss, in a long line of those unrecorded and dismissed, systematized and condoned, is a loss of my humanity. By the racism of millions of tiny decisions, unconscious yet constantly reinforced by my culture, my humanity is hourly stolen away. That the last tiny decision ended up at the trigger of a gun just happened to put it in the news. It is still racism. In this depraved sphere I know more personal details about dead Black individuals than alive ones.
The fabric of society and democracy itself are not all that's at stake. I am not Sam DuBose, because all those tiny decisions are always going to go my way in the same situation. Unless we make it change, consciously and with outrage and passion. Otherwise this system has left a great number of us participating in it, as people not of color, less than human.
2
I just can not believe you have to keep writing these columns on black people getting killed by mostly white police officers.. and I HATE that we have to keep reading this.. What is happening to our country? I thought we should be advancing in our race relations.. instead we are horribly going backwards.. I HATE this. It makes me cry….. I am at a loss for words.
9
Deters' aggressiveness so far is justified and welcome. But watch out - the story is not yet over. Deters has a long history of devious actions and playing very close to the edge. He became prosecutor in Hamilton County after being removed by the GOP elders from the state office promotion track, after his actions as state treasurer failed the smell test. He may have some debts to pay that could be discharged by dragging his feet in voir dire or in a trial itself. He needs to not overly distress the white electorate, which in Hamilton County is not very progressive.
What is more certain is that he as so far avoided seriously inflaming the black electorate of Hamilton County. Were he to do so, it is likely that black turnout in 2016 would exceed that of 2008 or 2014. Turnout will decide the next election. In recent elections the shift of Hamilton County from the GOP to the Dems delivered Ohio to President Obama. There can be no question that Deters and his bosses are aware of all this.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out. And momentous. Maybe Deters will decide he has enough right-wing cred to break new ground - like Nixon in China. Or maybe he will tread his usual narrow line.
What is more certain is that he as so far avoided seriously inflaming the black electorate of Hamilton County. Were he to do so, it is likely that black turnout in 2016 would exceed that of 2008 or 2014. Turnout will decide the next election. In recent elections the shift of Hamilton County from the GOP to the Dems delivered Ohio to President Obama. There can be no question that Deters and his bosses are aware of all this.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out. And momentous. Maybe Deters will decide he has enough right-wing cred to break new ground - like Nixon in China. Or maybe he will tread his usual narrow line.
5
Why is a University of Cincinnati campus police officer stopping vehicles off-campus for license plate violations? Since it hasn't been mentioned in any of the stories I've read, I'm assuming UC campus police have this authority, but it just seems odd.
12
The indictment is a good start, but half the story. A jury could still find him NOT GUILTY. Precedent has shown that is more than likely to happen.
1
Bravo. The devil is in the details. Why does the University of Cincinnati, my employer for 28 years, have a police force? What we need are mall cops with radios, not guns. The Cincinnati Police have worked hard to overcome the defects that led to riots and federal intervention. I trust them, not these failures pretending to be real police officers.
My intent is to carry around placards to hand to UC police: "Please don't shoot me or light me up. I am not a black man. GO AWAY."
My intent is to carry around placards to hand to UC police: "Please don't shoot me or light me up. I am not a black man. GO AWAY."
3
I look forward to the comments of those who will invariably try to explain how Samuel Dubose is responsible for his death, to excuse the inexcusable, to explain the unexplainable, to justify the use of lethal force by the police and, lastly, to accuse Charles Blow of once more "playing the race card."
6
Is anyone asking the obvious question: after this volley of police killings of minority men following in many cases during a dubious confrontation between the police and the men, why do we not acknowledge that such confrontations have been a regular event but never vigorously prosecuted? How many such deaths were deemed committed under appropriate use of force?
3
I don't think what what happened in those crucial 5 seconds is clear. What is clear is that the police in the string of videos we've seen lately are routinely escalating rather than rather than calming the situation.
So, the person is uncooperative? Why not wait for backup? If the guy decides to take off on you, so what? If you don't have your am in the car you will not be in danger. Officers expect immediate and total surrender and if they don't get it they attack, safe in the knowledge that the person is "resisting arrest" That's the tell-tale of a ticky-tack stop. It starts with a small offense that then gets ramped up with "resisting arrest" and "assaulting an officer." In the civilian world that's known as trying to get away from someone pounding on you.
When a situation is ramped up, bad things happen.
So, the person is uncooperative? Why not wait for backup? If the guy decides to take off on you, so what? If you don't have your am in the car you will not be in danger. Officers expect immediate and total surrender and if they don't get it they attack, safe in the knowledge that the person is "resisting arrest" That's the tell-tale of a ticky-tack stop. It starts with a small offense that then gets ramped up with "resisting arrest" and "assaulting an officer." In the civilian world that's known as trying to get away from someone pounding on you.
When a situation is ramped up, bad things happen.
33
This is terrible but something is missing to determine just how terrible. As these killings of black citizens by police are going on by police officers there is nothing being reported about white citizens by police. This either means there are no such killings or the killings of whites by police are not being reported.
I suspect there are killings of whites by police but they are not being reported by police and there are far fewer of these crimes.
This information needs to be shared.
I suspect there are killings of whites by police but they are not being reported by police and there are far fewer of these crimes.
This information needs to be shared.
2
The acts of predatory police violence are undermining the civil structure of this country.
These acts make a mockery of American civil liberties and American belief that the law means something other than the power of a badge.
Mr Blow is right. Body cams must be mandatory for all cops; no exception. To take it a step further, all citizens should arm themselves with cameras in order to defend themselves in a court of law against badged bullies in uniform.
or else we truly will find ourselves in a major civil war again.
These acts make a mockery of American civil liberties and American belief that the law means something other than the power of a badge.
Mr Blow is right. Body cams must be mandatory for all cops; no exception. To take it a step further, all citizens should arm themselves with cameras in order to defend themselves in a court of law against badged bullies in uniform.
or else we truly will find ourselves in a major civil war again.
1
The NRA has often suggested attacks by criminals armed with guns can be thwarted if ordinary citizens arm themselves and are prepared to shoot back. I'm wondering when they are going to start saying the same thing in response to murderous attacks on unarmed civilians by police officers.
1
I made this comment a few days ago, to an article on the shooting of Sandra Bland, but it is just as relevant here. This prosecutor is to be commended and emulated.
This emphasizes that law enforcement, both police and prosecution is getting a pass. Prosecutorial immunity if so complete that a district attorney who intentionally fabricates evidence leading to an innocent person being convicted and executed is completely immune. In another comment in this series the worst punishment posited for this officer was relegation to a desk job. Certainly he should be immediately removed from being armed or having police functions, private or public. Of course we know that the firearms purchasing database is nonfunctional, the proof is lives lost in the last month, be it from ineptitude or deliberate nonfeasance, is in the teens.
This emphasizes that law enforcement, both police and prosecution is getting a pass. Prosecutorial immunity if so complete that a district attorney who intentionally fabricates evidence leading to an innocent person being convicted and executed is completely immune. In another comment in this series the worst punishment posited for this officer was relegation to a desk job. Certainly he should be immediately removed from being armed or having police functions, private or public. Of course we know that the firearms purchasing database is nonfunctional, the proof is lives lost in the last month, be it from ineptitude or deliberate nonfeasance, is in the teens.
Than you for this column. We need to be a safer society, but the tipping point is tilting to the police shooting people with a terrible frequency. Enough is enough.
6
The ubiquity of video feeds in the broader society is bringing to light a truth that the African-American community have lived with but the majority always felt was special pleading by people who were likely criminals. "If you aren't doing anything wrong, the cops will leave you alone" is the attitude a White American takes as a truism and finds it hard to imagine systematic police violence against a minority group. Most people realize you shouldn't die because you were selling illegal cigarettes, nor should you end up spending 3 days in jail and face a felony charge for giving an officer attitude and refusing to put out your cigarette. At this point even the defenders of George Zimmerman realize he is a thug that flies off the handle and was looking for a confrontation when he stopped Trayvon Martin. The scales are slowly falling from the eyes of the rest of the nation.
I have no solution to this other than for us to recognize that racism still exists, that African Americans are still considered probable criminals till proven otherwise, and to body cam the police. Perhaps some degree of training officers in implicit bias and deescalating situations would help, but that is retail stuff. Will we ever be a truly color blind society? I hope so, but not this generation.
I have no solution to this other than for us to recognize that racism still exists, that African Americans are still considered probable criminals till proven otherwise, and to body cam the police. Perhaps some degree of training officers in implicit bias and deescalating situations would help, but that is retail stuff. Will we ever be a truly color blind society? I hope so, but not this generation.
8
Again, where are the so-called civil libertarians, railing against an overzealous state intruding on "personal liberty?" The police ARE the armed wing of "the state," so where are Rand Paul and the Tea Partiers and the NRA, decrying yet another obvious intrusion into a man's liberty? Where are the Minutemen, who assured us they're truly worried about a government run amok, depriving citizens of the most elemenal of liberties, that being life?
It just proves what a sham the whole libertarian and Tea Party argument has always been. They are actually interested only in liberty and justice for some. Which of course amounts to neither liberty nor justice.
It just proves what a sham the whole libertarian and Tea Party argument has always been. They are actually interested only in liberty and justice for some. Which of course amounts to neither liberty nor justice.
39
The ACLU, Defense attorney associations, and other civil liberties watchdogs have been complaining for decades about police abuse of unarmed or obviously non-threatening citizend, often wondering why minorities are usually the victims.
Maybe the rest of America is finally starting to see reality when it comes to the police and how violently different in some cases treat men and women of color. There is no protecting or serving going on here. It's more like modern day lynching going on in the name of, "I feared for my life".
Just maybe those who love to say, "If they would just follow the police demands" will come to see this statement is meaningless because doing the right thing does not mean all will in well. Just maybe America is starting to feel a little empathy about what is happening unlike Fox News who always blames the victim unless it is an old racist refusing to pay his grazing fees and they will go and stand with him.
Racism is alive and well in the policing culture for a small few, but their impact is still very deadly. Many refuse or do not want to hear this, but they are living in denial. The police culture must be changed from that same culture that existed in Jim Crow. There has been a lot of progress, but so much more is needed.
Just maybe those who love to say, "If they would just follow the police demands" will come to see this statement is meaningless because doing the right thing does not mean all will in well. Just maybe America is starting to feel a little empathy about what is happening unlike Fox News who always blames the victim unless it is an old racist refusing to pay his grazing fees and they will go and stand with him.
Racism is alive and well in the policing culture for a small few, but their impact is still very deadly. Many refuse or do not want to hear this, but they are living in denial. The police culture must be changed from that same culture that existed in Jim Crow. There has been a lot of progress, but so much more is needed.
12
You're right. This white person is ready to admit that people like me have for decades given the police a degree of deference that they do not deserve. What we have learned is that they are no less likely to be incompetent and corrupt than any other government agency.
Here are two, admittedly small, prophylactic measure:
(1) No traffic stops for minor offenses. If an officer sees what he thinks is a problem, let him write down the license plate number and send a warning notice to the owner. Maybe if an owner accumulated a certain number of notices (a fact that could be verified via computer, then a stop would be allowed.
(2) No shooting -- or even pursuit -- of drivers who take off after a traffic stop. Let that be grounds for an arrest warrant that could be enforced next time.
Neither of these measures addresses the underlying problems -- but they might reduce tension between police and citizens.
(1) No traffic stops for minor offenses. If an officer sees what he thinks is a problem, let him write down the license plate number and send a warning notice to the owner. Maybe if an owner accumulated a certain number of notices (a fact that could be verified via computer, then a stop would be allowed.
(2) No shooting -- or even pursuit -- of drivers who take off after a traffic stop. Let that be grounds for an arrest warrant that could be enforced next time.
Neither of these measures addresses the underlying problems -- but they might reduce tension between police and citizens.
10
University police should not be armed with firearms and should not be making traffic stops off campus. The militarization of public safety personnel needs to be stopped and put in reverse.
22
I am 67, white,and drive older, nicely kept vehicles. Yet I have encountered too many police officers with chips on their shoulders to ever feel safe if pulled over by one. Therefore, I go out of my way to drive safely, obey all traffic laws, make sure all of my lights are working for fear of being pulled over by one of the many jerks on the police/sheriff's force. I am somewhat disabled (have the disabled thing on my dash), use a cane and drive with oxygen. If one of these immature, unstable officers were to pull me over, make me exit my vehicle, and try to stand on one leg totally sober, I would fail the test. As has been seen so many times recently, arguing my case and getting angry with the officer could very well end my life or get me thrown into a cell with no cane and no oxygen.
39
I've criticized you in the past, saying you're beating us over the head with the race issue. I was wrong. We need to stop this, now, and save lives.
173
Thank you!
2
Good for you! I believe it's the sign of an evolved mind to be able to admit to having been wrong and then changing one's mind.
It's sort of like admitting to having racist tendencies (there was an article here not so long ago with a test to get a appraisal of one's subliminal prejudices, a real eye opener) in order to work on overcoming them. (Not that I presume you have any, but it showed I did!)
It's sort of like admitting to having racist tendencies (there was an article here not so long ago with a test to get a appraisal of one's subliminal prejudices, a real eye opener) in order to work on overcoming them. (Not that I presume you have any, but it showed I did!)
1
And yet we watch television shows every night where people's lives are taken without hesitation, without repercussion. Drama and merely television, we're told, but also documentation of what has become an underlying meme in our society. It used to be speak first, shoot last. We have become a society that just shoots, period.
5
here in Holland the cops shoot threatening people in the legs all the time, part of their training. in the usa, the cops almost always seem to go for the chest. in this case the cop had a drunk driver, driving away, not a funny situation, maybe he should have shot the tires out.
9
No question that individual police officers in this country are too often out of control, too quick on the trigger. And no question that this disproportionately affects people of color because too many white police officers have difficulty dealing with folks who are not like them. But here is another truth: too many police officers are bullies when they think they can get by with it, and this affects black, brown, AND white. We need better screening of would-be police officers in general. Not only to screen out the bigots and the crypto-bigots, which should be a no brainer, but also for the presence of emotional stability and (dare I say it?) basic people skills.
855
In selecting police there's an underemphasis on emotional maturity and self-control with an overemphasis on physical skills. Hence we get too many trigger-happy bullies in police forces everywhere.
3
This will be difficult where the old officers, who do the selecting, already are of such a (bullying) mindset and want officers in their own image in order to stay cozy.
2
The phrase "no brainer" says it all, really. There can be no malice aforethought where there was no thought prior to this "officer's" malicious action. We are living, unhappily, absurdly, in a world of the unwashed, brainwashed, and whitewashed.
Where corruption is rampant and accepted, whether in Moscow, Beijing, or Washington, people will suffer just so much before law and order will break down. George Washington led our fight for the right for citizens to enjoy the right to their private property, including "life and liberty". For us to recall that is a "no brainer."
Where corruption is rampant and accepted, whether in Moscow, Beijing, or Washington, people will suffer just so much before law and order will break down. George Washington led our fight for the right for citizens to enjoy the right to their private property, including "life and liberty". For us to recall that is a "no brainer."
2
Per usual, Mr. Blow hits the nail on the head.
A side question: Where does a campus cop get off stopping a motorist on a city street that is not part of the university campus?
A side question: Where does a campus cop get off stopping a motorist on a city street that is not part of the university campus?
39
Do what they do in my native country (UK): disarm rank and file police. Have special forces on call with weapons. But there is no reason whatsoever for someone making traffic stops to be carrying a gun. How stupid is that?
61
You are right. One does not hear of traffic stops resulting in deaths in Britain for the simple reason that the cops making those stops are not usually armed. Brits are sensible enough to understand that most things cops do don't require deadly weapons, so most cops simply shouldn't have them. Americans do not seem to have figured that out.
3
Average number of firearm-related homicides per million population per year
Japan: 0.6
UK: 2.5
USA: 103
wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_firearm-related_death_rate
Japan: 0.6
UK: 2.5
USA: 103
wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_firearm-related_death_rate
3
Well, a police officer carrying a gun while making a traffic stop is indeed stupid. But in our NRA-sponsored America, everyone else is carrying a gun too. How stupid is that?
5
Thank goodness for body cams and eyewitnesses with smartphones. We are finally seeing what almost surely has been happening far too often for far too many years!
43
Fifty years ago NYC cops said they'd throw a black suspect against a glass store window if he didn't show them proper respect. Their report would say "resisting arrest." These were otherwise nice family men!
I'm totally with Charles Blow on this case. Mr. DuBose was murdered.
10
talk to us about south africa's truth and reconciliation commission and whether it could work here.
3
To serve and protect, not to dominate and abuse.
Civil rights denied and loved ones lives so flippantly taken.
The law is not *above* the law.
Why is it so often not the case?
Civil rights denied and loved ones lives so flippantly taken.
The law is not *above* the law.
Why is it so often not the case?
5
Apparently, Samuel DuBose did try to drive away. You'll note at roughly :20 (seconds in) he takes the keys from the ignition - this is so he can show the Officer the front plate which was locked in the passenger side compartment. Watch his hands, so the car was off.
Moments later, at around 1:52 he STARTS the engine. Listen and you can hear it turn over. The Officer reaches into the car attempting to stop him and they wrestle. I'm still looking at the tape but I've noticed that much so far.
You can slow it down at youtube (there's a little gear icon in the lower right hand corner of the youtube screen - you can change the speed there) and see the action more clearly.
Whether the Officer was within the law or not I can't say, but I can say that it looks like Dubose was attempting to flee and part of the Officer's body was in the car.
Moments later, at around 1:52 he STARTS the engine. Listen and you can hear it turn over. The Officer reaches into the car attempting to stop him and they wrestle. I'm still looking at the tape but I've noticed that much so far.
You can slow it down at youtube (there's a little gear icon in the lower right hand corner of the youtube screen - you can change the speed there) and see the action more clearly.
Whether the Officer was within the law or not I can't say, but I can say that it looks like Dubose was attempting to flee and part of the Officer's body was in the car.
5
The prosecutor pointed out that Mr. Dubose was deceased when the car moved and the officer was not being dragged.
Prosecutor Deters was unequivocal and forceful about the fact that Mr. Dubose did NOTHING WRONG and that Officer Ray Tensing committed murder.
He left zero doubt.
Prosecutor Deters was unequivocal and forceful about the fact that Mr. Dubose did NOTHING WRONG and that Officer Ray Tensing committed murder.
He left zero doubt.
6
No one is doubting that he started the car. But so what?
1
Watch the footage. Once he regains his balance, the oil stain that was up ahead - low and behold - he gets it together and you can see, he's right next to it.
Once again, and alarmingly often, a Black life means nothing to a cop, because pervasively, a Black life has little or no value in America. We are valued as less than animals, and that is the reality that most Americans, I believe, are in denial of or won't speak the truth about.
13
Annie,
Denial and lies are most definitely a huge part of the problem. So is the fact that very little of this country's real history is taught in our schools. Going from state to state, how much a student learns over primary through high school education can vary a great deal. While they can learn the truth in college, by then, it's a choice and not mandatory.
Then, if we're real honest... What other country that had a civil war has provinces that still fly the flag of the defeated side?
Those of us who are relatively conscious need to make an effort to join our Black brothers and sisters.
Denial and lies are most definitely a huge part of the problem. So is the fact that very little of this country's real history is taught in our schools. Going from state to state, how much a student learns over primary through high school education can vary a great deal. While they can learn the truth in college, by then, it's a choice and not mandatory.
Then, if we're real honest... What other country that had a civil war has provinces that still fly the flag of the defeated side?
Those of us who are relatively conscious need to make an effort to join our Black brothers and sisters.
1
I'm sorry, Annie, and I can fully understand why you feel that way. It's true in many ways. We all want to be proud of our country, so it's hard to accept that racism is part of our country's DNA. As Pres. Obama said, our Constitution enables each generation of Americans to try to re-cast our nation to be closer to the ideals of its founding documents. I'm hanging onto that notion.
The video was non-conclusive but it does not fit the media's propaganda.
2
These killings (DuBose, Garner, Walter Scott, etc.) demonstrate that there is a sadistic streak that turns homicidal in a certain percentage of police officers.
Such police officers are self-evidently dangerous predators who find a 'legitimate' venue for their aggression by joining the police force, which often as not, hides their abuses and murders.
Such police officers are self-evidently dangerous predators who find a 'legitimate' venue for their aggression by joining the police force, which often as not, hides their abuses and murders.
7
So that taxpayers won't have to foot the bills that come due when families successfully sue the city/county for damages in such cases, I think that police departments need to carry liability insurance to be paid out of their current budgets. Better yet, let liability insurance premiums be deducted out of officers' paychecks. Once they see the cost of the premiums, particularly when they are raised after a claim--then the police departments will start to train officers in alternatives to lethal force and will get rid of unstable cops with anger management problems.
31
Yes, the fact that the city gets sued is a problem, because it is the very citizens who are subjected to aggressive policing who have to pay the bill. And I think that at least in the case of NYC, the rogue officer just keeps his/her job and gets to cause the city more headaches by possibly causing more law suits.
It seems odd not to mention the open bottle of liquor, the lack of drivers license or the fact that he was fleeing. While you will counter that these facts don't justify the shooting they are certainly relevant to the story.
11
The bottle of liquor was unopened.
2
They were obvious from the video, weren't they?
Just so, it was also clear from the video that the cop lied, his partners lied, and the cop murdered a man who had a small, almost full bottle and no gun, no knife, and no violence toward the cop. Why are you ignoring these facts?
Just so, it was also clear from the video that the cop lied, his partners lied, and the cop murdered a man who had a small, almost full bottle and no gun, no knife, and no violence toward the cop. Why are you ignoring these facts?
The bottle of liquor was not open, not having your driver's license on you is not the same as not having a driver's license (your spin on that seems clear to me), etc. But don't let facts get in your way...
It's not just about the police. This wanton disregard for black life and particularly black men's lives goes way beyond the sphere of law enforcement. It's deeply embedded in the very culture of this society. The pattern and frequency of this behavior support this assertion. Now ask yourself again what would motivate a white man to shoot an unarmed black man in his face without cause or provocation! What?
477
Of the 2.3 million people in American prisons 40% are black even though they are only 12% of the population. America has 25% of the world prison population with only 5% of the planets people. Most of those prisoners are poor black non-violent illegal drug users or those possessing illegal drugs. Blacks make up 40% of those on death row. Of the blacks on death row 80% are there for killing a white person. Even though inter-racial murders are only 5% of such crimes.
2
But it is about police. These are people we supposedly have control over. We hire them, we train them, we tolerate them in our midst, we can also, at least, fire them, I hope. The citizenry must regain control over these little tinpot jesuses, and fast.
It's not just about the police - agree. But most black people who are murdered are murdered by black people...just as most white people who are murdered are murdered by white people.
The media doesn't care much when a black man kills another black man (or a black woman). When it's a white cop killing a black man, it's headlines.
Now, in this case, that is absolutely right. But it seems like the authorities are responding appropriately and this runaway cop is going to be prosecuted...just as the cop in South Carolina is being prosecuted.
Personally, I think the Ferguson incident was completely different.
And the Trayvon Martin killing was prosecuted and a jury found the killer Not Guilty (I don't agree with the verdict - but he was arrested, indicted and tried.)
The media doesn't care much when a black man kills another black man (or a black woman). When it's a white cop killing a black man, it's headlines.
Now, in this case, that is absolutely right. But it seems like the authorities are responding appropriately and this runaway cop is going to be prosecuted...just as the cop in South Carolina is being prosecuted.
Personally, I think the Ferguson incident was completely different.
And the Trayvon Martin killing was prosecuted and a jury found the killer Not Guilty (I don't agree with the verdict - but he was arrested, indicted and tried.)
We have been letting lousy cops get away with abuses for too long. Fellow cops, prosecutors, judges, union officials, politicians, citizenry, et alia, have emboldened bad and abusive behavior. Asset forfeiture is now piracy. Traffic tickets and excessive petty warrants, fees, charges are revenue enhancement (see Ferguson MO and others). 'Resisting arrest' is code for rough stuff and de facto killing. Free military hardware leads to too much SWAT behavior and the inevitable overreacting and senseless killings due to bad info (see Rodney Balko). There's more, of course. Always more. It's too much.
8
Why is a university officer carrying a gun? What type of training did he have? Why was he alone giving out tickets off campus? Basically - who is he and how did he get out there by himself with a deadly weapon? Enforce traffic laws on the campus where you were hired to be - without a gun.
7
A police officer should be intent on never using his weapon. I know that was my father's attitude. Why would you ever shoot someone unless they were about to harm someone else.
I know a rogue cop, thankfully he's retired, but he is obsessed with the notion that cop's are under siege.
Police departments everywhere have to pay attention to the mental health of their employees. During my wife's 22 years all they ever did was ask them how much they were drinking every few years. That was their entire mental health program.
I know a rogue cop, thankfully he's retired, but he is obsessed with the notion that cop's are under siege.
Police departments everywhere have to pay attention to the mental health of their employees. During my wife's 22 years all they ever did was ask them how much they were drinking every few years. That was their entire mental health program.
14
Maybe they should become police officers...
Keep in mind, according to the WaPo 50 on-duty police officers were killed in 2014 [http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/12/31/wonkbook-50-c...]. I don't remember getting a NYTimes alert for any of those. I find the imbalanced content curation intriguing.