I woke up this morning, and Bubba was watching the body cam video released by Sacramento Police: Watch Sacramento police shoot Stephon Clark dead (2-minute edit)
What started as police responding to a 9-1-1 call about smashed car windows, escalated tragically to police shooting dead an unarmed black teenager. Dear sweet Jesus, why does this keep happening? I can't wrap my head around exactly how a minor act of vandalism represents such a “clear and present danger” that it warranted such deadly force.
Can You Tell Who's Who?
We know the statistics; we’ve heard the reports. Black and brown parents across the country have “the talk” with their children for a genuinely horrifying reason: police are more likely to shoot kids of color than white kids. There's another: the militarization of local police.
Since 9/11, municipalities have disproportionately allocated law enforcement funds towards urban combat, including arming and training local police as if they’re deployed “in country.” We’re creating armies, not community police forces. The skills required to recognize, and resolve, an imminent threat are not the same as those necessary for effective community policing.
The U.S. military invests millions of dollars into training soldiers, sailors, and marines for urban combat in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the African continent. That’s good; this training substantially increases the chances that those serving come home alive.
How much money do local municipalities commit to training community police, rather than warriors?
For police to stop shooting our children, we need to stop training them to kill our children.
Warriors aren’t trained to hesitate; they’re not prepared to question or negotiate. They’re taught to resolve threats. They will address these “threats” by any means possible. And when the only tools police have are their AR-15s, body armor, and urban combat training, all people appear threatening.