Some of the unarmed victims of police shootings
Click here to read a moving column by Leonard Pitts, Jr.
Yet another instance of an unarmed African-American citizen shot and killed by police with no justification and no consequences.
Our President says these are simply local matters and no business of the federal government.
I say it is a national disgrace and Trump shows lack of leadership and lack of concern.
How many more times must this happen before it is clear to everyone that this is not mere coincidence? Our President says this is a purely local matter. I say it is a national disgrace and needs to be addressed.Yes, most police are good people and would never murder an innocent person of any color, but clearly there are bad ones and poorly trained ones and the more times there are no consequences, the more these killings will occur.
It is amazing how much benefit of doubt people( not minorities) give to the police. However lawyers who have questioned police at trial know how common fudging the facts and outright lying occurs. The latest lies surrounding a young black unarmed man gunned down in his grandmother’s backyard are belied by the independent autopsy showing he was shot 8 times in the back.
Any prosecutor will tell you that the toughest case to prosecute is against a police officer. The normal case requires the judge and the defense lawyer to remind jurors that the accused is presumed innocent; in reality, most people feel that the accused would not be there if they were innocent. But with a police officer it is the reverse and they start with the jurors believing there must be some mistake. When the victim is African-American and does not look just like the white people on the jury, the benefit they give the officer is even greater. I believe prosecuting such cases is important but what is even more important is better selection in choosing officers, better training, especially in dealing with minority communities, better internal investigations and discipline. Where local authorities fail to act, the feds should step in.