How To Not Get Shot
A cranky opinion for
CRANKY OPINION SATURDAY
The following is the opinion of a
cranky old man with little expertise on the topic opined. Opposing opinions are welcome, but please, no
name calling and that means you, you big stupid head!
Black man
shot at a traffic stop. Black man shot
when arrested. Black men should not be
shot for a minor infraction or even a stop to be questioned. No one should be shot by a cop unless they
are a threat to the life of the officer.
Are some
police officers racist? I am sure some
are, but even these officers probably don’t want to shoot anyone. What do we need to do to stop black people or
any people from being shop by a cop?
The police
could probably use more training…it certainly could not hurt.
More
importantly, we civilians need to learn how to react to a police stop, traffic
or otherwise. The police are trained to
be respectful and polite even if they are by necessity a bit intimidating. When a citizen is stopped he should show the
same respect to the officer.
This video I
saw on Facebook posted by a Mr. Lowandslow is very educational.
Respect for
police, and how to react to them should be taught in school. Police should be part of the teaching process explaining how dangerous their job
is and how much they appreciate when a citizen does everything he can do to
show the officer he is not a threat.
When you are
pulled over, turn off the engine. This assures
the officer you are not going to suddenly pull away and perhaps run him over.
Turn off the
radio so there are no distractions, roll down your window, pull out your wallet
with your license and registration and put it on the dash before the officer
reaches the car. Have your hands visible
on the wheel.
Do not speak
except to answer the officer’s questions.
If the police
are unreasonably profiling black people, that needs to end. If the police are not respectful to black
people, that needs to end. In the
meantime, do not give an officer any reason to fear you. In almost every recent senseless killing by a
police officer that I have seen, the officer was not put at ease, he had reason
to be concerned. This is not to say he
did not react unreasonably, I am not qualified to make that judgment, but I
haven’t any doubt that no officer stops a car with the intent to shoot the
driver.
I believe
that blacks are stopped unjustly more than whites and that is not right, but
until that is rectified, every citizen needs to learn how to react to a stop,
and how to react when arrested. Let the
courts decide if a ticket or an arrest is justified, but at least get the
chance to go to court.
There is no
reason for an innocent person to be shot by a cop. There is no reason for a guilty person to be
shot by a cop. Don’t resist, don’t give
the officer any reason to be concerned, stay alive.
If police
are unfairly profiling black people that is an issue that must be addressed,
but address it alive.
Drive safe,
drive legal, be respectful even if you feel you are not being treated fairly, and
stay alive.
The preceding was the opinion of a
cranky old man and not necessarily that of management…Mrs. Cranky.
The video is great, but what a shame that it's necessary!!
ReplyDeleteAgree with fishducky and I am grateful I don't have to worry about such things.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately blacks who have been totally submissive and thrown on the ground without resistance are being shot...and these are only the ones on cameras that we know about.
ReplyDeleteYou are correct, it's about staying alive to get to your court date so you can argue that the officer stopped you wrongfully. Tabor is right, sometimes they even shoot those who aren't threatening them at all. It's a sad situation all around.
ReplyDeleteSo true Cranky. Give the cop no reason to be fearful and you should stay alive. You may get a ticket, but that's better than getting shot. Today too many people of ALL colors have no respect for authority, and the cops feel threatened at almost every encounter. As you said, for their part the cops might need better training. De-escalation on both sides is needed.
ReplyDeleteI'm a big proponent of police body-cameras. I think it would be a good idea for someone (auto manufacturers?) to make available in-car-cameras, too. That would put everyone on notice that a mis-step on either side WILL be recorded.
I have to speak with Lynn. Little black boy with a squirt gun was gunned down in my town. Did you have a squirt gun when you were twelve. If an adult yelled at you to drop it, would you maybe have taken a few extra seconds to comprehend, while an office behind his police car shot you dead.
ReplyDeleteTo be clear, it is not my intent to defend bad police actions. There are racist cops, there are incompetent cops, there are poorly trained cops. I very much doubt there are any cops who wake up in the morning planning to kill a kid with a squirt gun. My point is most bad police actions are a result of the officer fearing, for one reason or another, for his own life and it is incumbent on the citizens to learn and make every effort to reduce that fear, for their sake and for your own.
DeleteThe two most dangerous calls for cops are family fights and traffic stops. This is where the cops are in danger the most. Now it seems they just need to be out in the open for someone to just shoot them. There is little respect for law enforcement. Many are not welcome in restaurants and their food is messed with if they are allowed to order. I don't like this. Without cops there is anarchy and some want anarchy.
ReplyDeleteHave a fabulous day Joe. ☺
Law enforcement is like every other job.....there are good cops and bad cops. My husband is white and he has had some bad experiences with cops downtown. Respect needs to go both ways.
ReplyDeleteGood words. I'm of the opinion that ALL fatal cop shootings should go to trial. Having grand juries decide if force was warranted contributes to suspicion and cronyism.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you say. Phil Castile would have agreed, too. He knew how to behave--he survived more than 40 traffic stops. As part of his gun training, he was taught to tell the officer that he had a gun and a permit, so the officer would not be surprised. It seems that this time when he said it the officer opened fire, but that is still under investigation. Pretty sure the car wasn't running, but in any case the police officer should have had him step out. We are learning now about something called "Bulletproof Warrior," a 2-day training the officer had recently. He also had 2 hours of de-escalation training; given the video he clearly needed more. As a citizen of Falcon Heights, I'm pushing the City Council to look at changes in training, incentives, etc., and ending the use of traffic stops to generate income. But again, you are right about being cautious and respectful. That is "the talk" that black parents have to give their sons early and often.
ReplyDeleteNo easy answers here but you make good points. Changing a mindset (either side of the issue) is hard to do. But I do think education is a factor we haven't used enough.
ReplyDeleteRick