Less than 24 hours after my initial post about Alton Sterling (left) I’m coming back to add the name of Philando Castile (right). Another Black man killed by a scared officer.
Both men had a family, both were black, and both had a weapon.
One had a license to carry and the other was in a state where open carry was perfectly legal. One has a criminal record, and one has a squeaky clean background.
Neither one of them had their weapons drawn at the time that they were murdered.
Can you tell based off of the pictures who was who?
Can you tell me which one of these men deserved to be murdered for observing their second amendment right?
Many people like to make a point of bringing up the background of the victims to try and justify the murder. But their criminal records were not known to the officers at the time of the incidents so why are they brought up after the fact?
To be Black and conscious in America is to be in a constant state of rage.- James Baldwin
How can you not be discontent with the situations unraveling in black urban communities? Regardless of whatever lens, you are seeing through or what you are seeing, the need for change in social relations between people of color and police officers currently exists. Over policing, disenfranchising, and criminalizing the black body is something that happens all too often.
Alton Sterling was murdered by two police officers. The video shows a police officer aggressively tackling a man to the ground. Alton was not visibly resisting arrest, they appeared to be talking and then suddenly an officer attacked Sterling, in the tackle Sterling and the officer rolled over the hood of a car and fell onto the ground. The officers immediately grabbed sterling, one had his left arm pinned down and the other officer had his right side pinned down. Then the officer on the right side of sterling yelled that he saw a gun. The other officer shot Sterling multiple times and murdered Sterling.
Following the murder, one of the officers proceeded to take the gun out of Sterlings pocket!
Please tell me how shooting someone that is lying on their back at point blank range, while he is being forcibly held down by two armed individuals because he had a weapon in his pocket is justifiable.
Ask yourself “at what point could Sterling have possibly drawn his weapon?” While he was being tased? While he was being tackled? While he was being pinned to the ground by two males? While he was staring down the barrel of two guns?
At what point would it have been ok for Sterling to defend himself?
It does not matter if Sterling had a criminal record at the point that he was shot. He was someone who the officers did not know, a black male who had been accosted by the police from hearsay, and a man who should have been innocent until proven guilty. The officers acted as Sterling’s judge, his jury, and executioner.
Many will argue that Sterling should have just submitted to the officers and done as he was told, but less than 24 hours we see a man murdered for doing as he was told and reaching for his wallet. In a time and place where people of color are mistreated and have their rights abused by officers on the regular even when they are following the direction of the officers Sterling’s safety still could not have been guaranteed. Officers perform illegal stops, searches, and interrogations because young adults and people of color are told that they should not question authority, even when officers are overstepping their boundaries and not informing individuals of their rights to counsel or to decline searches, and invoking their right to remain silent. There is no room to “just do” what an officer says when they do not have the best interest of the people at hand and they do not see you as an individual that deserves to have your rights respected, and your life protected.
I don’t really have a comment to add, you really covered it all in your post. But I just wanted to say, great post. Hard information to read, but a lot of truth in it.