Cops 4: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

[The Sicatoka]

Re: Cops 4: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

From people I know in Milwaukee this shooting, while causing similar unrest as other well-known recent police killings of black men, is different in a number of important ways. One, the cop who shot him is also black, so the racial aspects have to be looked at very carefully. Racism is probably not a factor as we might normally think. Two, the dead suspect clearly was armed with a loaded semi-auto handgun that was stolen (along with hundreds of rounds of ammo). Three, he was charged within the last year in a shooting and separately charged with trying to intimidate a witness in that shooting. I believe that the cops involved in this (at least some of them) knew who this guy was and knew of his gun crimes.

Anybody who has read my blather in this or similar threads knows I don't hold law enforcement in the highest regard in 2016, but this shooting looks to me (albeit with the limited knowledge I and all of you have) like it was probably unavoidable given the circumstances and due almost entirely to the behavior of the victim. While still tragic, it looks like this one is not criminal.

Correction: The criminal behavior was not wearing the badge. (The guy had a stolen gun.)

[Stauber1]

Re: Cops 4: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

From people I know in Milwaukee this shooting, while causing similar unrest as other well-known recent police killings of black men, is different in a number of important ways. One, the cop who shot him is also black, so the racial aspects have to be looked at very carefully. Racism is probably not a factor as we might normally think. Two, the dead suspect clearly was armed with a loaded semi-auto handgun that was stolen (along with hundreds of rounds of ammo). Three, he was charged within the last year in a shooting and separately charged with trying to intimidate a witness in that shooting. I believe that the cops involved in this (at least some of them) knew who this guy was and knew of his gun crimes.

Anybody who has read my blather in this or similar threads knows I don't hold law enforcement in the highest regard in 2016, but this shooting looks to me (albeit with the limited knowledge I and all of you have) like it was probably unavoidable given the circumstances and due almost entirely to the behavior of the victim. While still tragic, it looks like this one is not criminal.

Based on what we know, it does appear that this is a situation where lethal force seems (at the very least) possibly warranted, and I agree with almost everything in your post.

But, I do have to raise issue with the bolded part. Time and again it has been empirically shown that the race (and I use that word recognizing the biological inaccuracy of it) of law enforcement officers does not affect the way in which black Americans are subjected to different treatment by law enforcement officers, or similarly by prosecutors or officers of the court. This is what is meant by institutional racism.
It is a faulty way of thinking to look at the instance in Falcon Heights, MN or Baltimore or any of the countless other examples we have and simply say "well that cop hated black people" (or to try to argue against that point in an attempt to vindicate the officer). That's a misunderstanding (or misrepresentation) of the core issue.

EDIT: not that I am saying you misunderstand the issue, as you do seem to allude to the idea by saying this is not a case of race "as we might normally think." I just think this is an important point to emphasize.

[WeAreNDHockey]

Re: Cops 4: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

EDIT: not that I am saying you misunderstand the issue, as you do seem to allude to the idea by saying this is not a case of race "as we might normally think." I just think this is an important point to emphasize.

You are correct on both points in your edit. I did mean allude to what you've noted, and it is definitely an important point to emphasize.

[trixR4kids]

From people I know in Milwaukee this shooting, while causing similar unrest as other well-known recent police killings of black men, is different in a number of important ways. One, the cop who shot him is also black, so the racial aspects have to be looked at very carefully. Racism is probably not a factor as we might normally think. Two, the dead suspect clearly was armed with a loaded semi-auto handgun that was stolen (along with hundreds of rounds of ammo). Three, he was charged within the last year in a shooting and separately charged with trying to intimidate a witness in that shooting. I believe that the cops involved in this (at least some of them) knew who this guy was and knew of his gun crimes.

Anybody who has read my blather in this or similar threads knows I don't hold law enforcement in the highest regard in 2016, but this shooting looks to me (albeit with the limited knowledge I and all of you have) like it was probably unavoidable given the circumstances and due almost entirely to the behavior of the victim. While still tragic, it looks like this one is not criminal.

I can't say I disagree with any of this but the reason for rioting goes well beyond this particular shooting.

[WeAreNDHockey]

Re: Cops 4: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

I can't say I disagree with any of this but the reason for rioting goes well beyond this particular shooting.

Of course it does. If not, there would be riots nightly in this country. Police shootings are often the flashpoint occurrence in a tinderbox that's waiting to explode.

[cF[Authentic]]

Re: Cops 4: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Where is this in the Black Lives Matters mission statement?

[johnnypohlfan]

Re: Cops 4: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Where is this in the Black Lives Matters mission statement?

Who would have thought, the solution to all their woes is to round up the rich people, take all their money, and give it to the "black community." What a visionary!

[trixR4kids]

Re: Cops 4: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Guy is more coherent than GWB

[MaizeRage]

Re: Cops 4: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Who would have thought, the solution to all their woes is to round up the rich people, take all their money, and give it to the "black community." What a visionary!

To be fair, rounding up a group of people and stealing all the money they earned has undeniably worked out very well for white people.

[bronconick]

Re: Cops 4: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

So the sister said to stop burning stuff down in the neighborhood and to take it to the suburbs.

[St. Clown]

Re: Cops 4: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

So the sister said to stop burning stuff down in the neighborhood and to take it to the suburbs.

I saw that video clip the other day, too. It's remarkable how the news orgs spun her statement as a blanket call for peace.

[johnnypohlfan]

Re: Cops 4: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

To be fair, rounding up a group of people and stealing all the money they earned has undeniably worked out very well for white people.

You're on quite the roll lately. Although all your posts do is lead me to believe that in high school you were unanimously voted "Talks the most, says the least" in your graduating class. You're clearly going for some sort of record for most posts done without actually contributing anything of value to the conversations at hand.

[MaizeRage]

Re: Cops 4: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

You're clearly going for some sort of record for most posts done without actually contributing anything of value to the conversations at hand.

Your only contribution was a shockingly tone-deaf(at best) flip comment that I assume was intended to be mocked. I was only doing you a favor by doing so.

[aparch]

Who would have thought, the solution to all their woes is to round up the rich people, take all their money, and give it to the "black community." What a visionary!

A move straight out of Jessie Jackson Sr. and Al Sharpton's playbook!

I had no idea the Rainbow Coalition was driving the BLM movement!

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

You're on quite the roll lately. Although all your posts do is lead me to believe that in high school you were unanimously voted "Talks the most, says the least" in your graduating class. You're clearly going for some sort of record for most posts done without actually contributing anything of value to the conversations at hand.

IIRC, he's a Mankato grad who cheers for Meeeechigan and writes a blog - what do you expect?