Weak 18- Here be Dragons

 In the 18 weeks since George Floyd was murdered by Minneapolis Police, what have you done to inform other people of the role systemic racism takes in law enforcement? 

Sleeping.  Just sleeping and trying to get some rest after her shift.  

Going for a jog.  Getting a few miles in.

Walking around your neighborhood.  Minding our own business.

Coming home from getting candy.

Complying with a traffic stop.

Innocuous tasks.  Acts of violence against people of color.  By law enforcement.  By armed citizens who see a black body and react violently.

Speaking of cops- Police officers are protected by draconian laws to prevent prosecution in the event of an officer involved shooting.  

Draconian-  (of laws or their application) excessively harsh and severe.

 

When I was a kid it was a simple equation explained to me:  In the event an officer feels there's an imminent threat of death then lethal force is justified.  Then we watched a training video of a man (Black) and the officer who was called to an armed robbery.  The black man turned around with his hand in his jacket pocket.  The man turned around when the officer demanded it and still had his hand in his pocket.  The officer fired immediately toward the center mass, killing the suspect.  The suspect was not armed, and simply had their hand in their pocket as a threat.

 

And this has considered okay.  Even if the officer fucks up and shoots the wrong person.  And it's not okay.  Because not only is a life lost that never had to end, the cop has this awful Hollywood immunity that provides them will a nearly impossible-to-prosecute defense.  

Sleeping.  At home.  The place she should have felt safest.  After helping save lives and provide care.

I'm asking you to think about this because it's never far from my mind.  Cops have been *allowed* to do this for a very long time.  It's within the last 10 years that the level of violence perpetuated on black bodies has reached an almost casual, horrible commonplace.  Are you okay with this?  I'm not.  

We need to change this.  We need to end this.  The police need to be accountable and dismantled and recreated to serve the public they protect.