And they do matter.

We need federal civilian review boards in all police departments with a history of these incidents.

That's certainly an idea for our times - if only we could get it past the neofascist gauntlet.

as anything I've ever seen. Shocking and a call to action.

for murder and violating that mans civil rights.

John Crawford III in Beavercreek, Ohio was shot to death inside a Walmart because some bystander saw him holding a gun. It was an air gun for sale in Walmart. I'm appalled these men, these human beings, died because some untrained or badly trained cop only thought was to shoot, based on an anonymous call. Prayers for the family.

of a hotel clerk freaked out over his traditional robes and head covering. When they called 911 they added the lie that he was pledging allegiance to ISIS.

Five panicky cops came rushing at him, guns drawn, screaming at him to get on the ground. He passed out from the stress of the encounter.

I hope somebody keeps track of these horrors. If a false alarm call causes harm or death, the person who made the call ought to be charged. People are having hysterics and other people are dying because of unwarranted fear.

I read somewhere that he didn't pass out. He had a "minor" stroke. He was in Ohio for medical treatment, and the article I read mentioned multiple issues he was seeking treatment for.

But yeah, they bumrushed him so aggressively that he fucking stroked out. Just ludicrous.

Either one is bad, and neither one would have occurred if the cops hadn't swarmed him so aggressively with their guns.

Then again, they were primed to think he was a terrorist mastermind, and thus when they see him holding a mobile phone, they're thinking "bomb detonator" rather than "calling home to ask how the flowers are coming up."

The real jackwagons in this scenario are the clerk and her family members who saw a Muslim man in traditional attire and speaking Arabic and thought "Terraist!" I mean, what else could be possibly be?

Methinks that trio and their family members are the sort Trump is relying upon for their votes come November. Stupid enough to be afraid, and afraid enough to be easily manipulated.

When we hear about the basic American right "to keep and bear arms," why do the police always freak out uncontrollably when they hear "Gun!"?

the cops are panicked when they confront anyone, because they know that nowadays anyone could be carrying.

Knowing perfectly well that they are unlikely to be held to account for unjustified shootings, they are inclined whenever they see a gun to shoot first and ask questions later, just because they think it is safer to get the jump on someone who might eventually decide to pull that gun and shoot at them.

Only their fear for their own safety in the moment matters when they start shooting, since they will almost certainly suffer no consequences if they shoot an innocent person.

Furthermore, cops are convinced that black people, especially black men and boys, are scary, dangerous, and powerful creatures who can charge through a hail of bullets at a target and destroy that target despite being shot multiple times.

Remember how the 6'5"/200+ pound cop who shot Michael Brown described himself as feeling like a 5-year-old being overpowered by the Incredible Hulk.

Very true. I worked for a while as a police dispatcher, and I had multiple officers tell me that the time they're most keyed up and anxious is... traffic stops. Yep.

I thought that was bizarre until they explained why. Before they initiate that conversation, for all they know you're a wanted felon. They haven't seen an ID yet. For all they know, you're armed and willing to use the weapon. For all they know, you have a few kilos of something highly illegal and are freaking out. They simply have no way of knowing who they're about to meet and what they're about to walk into, so they're already on edge.

It also doesn't help at all that weapons are so, so prevalent. The department I worked for in Arizona did a study. I have no idea of the methodology or how scientific this study was, but the end result that was communicated to us was that 7 out of 10 vehicles in the department's jurisdiction have a gun in them. So every officer is automatically working on the assumption that it's more likely than not that the person in that car has a deadly weapon.

I had two officers pull traffic one night, and before they could even approach the car, the guy got out and started shooting at them. They wound up having to kill him.

I don't think these shootings happen because cops are just callous unfeeling assholes, or murderous bloodthirsty assholes. I don't think any of them start a shift thinking, "I just can't wait to kill someone tonight!" I think they're just afraid because it's gotten so crazy out there. That doesn't excuse their actions when things like this happen, of course.

They're taught from day one in the academy that the uniform makes them a target. No lie, that is actually what they're taught. They're taught hypervigilance, being ultra-aware of their surroundings at all times... because the uniform makes them a target. They're not trained to be public servants! They're trained to be soldiers in enemy territory. I've heard them describe the squadhouse or substation as "friendly territory." It gave me a chill, because if that's friendly territory... the rest is enemy territory? Our neighborhoods are enemy territory?

They're taught to be afraid of the people they're supposed to protect and serve. I get the point of that training: so more cops come home alive. But they're way way waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay overdoing the fear factor, so cops are going out on their beats like a Marine squad going into Fallujah.

And the results are pretty much the same in both cases.

I remember when I was little. My mom told me "If you get lost or you're in trouble, the police are the good guys. They'll help you."

Those days are long gone. Hell, when I was passing through Detroit on my way to Canada, I got lost looking for the office I had to visit in order to export my car so I could import it to Canada. I wound up flipping my lights at a passing cop car, figuring they'd be able to give me directions.

The cop pulled in behind me and got out of her car, and as she approached my window, I saw her hand drop to the butt of her gun. When she addressed me, I very politely explained my situation and requested directions. She then asked to see my license and registration, as if I were being stopped for speeding or something.

Baffled a bit, I said sure, the registration's in the glovebox. As I reached over to open it, she took a step back and pressed her back against the left side of my car, so that if I were inclined to shoot at her, I'd have to literally bring the weapon across my body and take aim over my left shoulder. After she ascertained that I was on the up and up, she was nice enough to lead me to the office I was looking for.

I remember being so bewildered after that encounter. She felt so nervous about someone who flagged her down that she was prepared to draw her weapon at a moment's notice.

But when the cops are so afraid that they'll resort to using force, including lethal force, at the merest hint of a threat... well, then citizens are going to be afraid of the cops. And that fear will make them behave in ways that will make the cops' Spidey-sense tingle even more, and on and on it goes.

I don't know what the solution is, because it seems like the damage is done. The cops doing the training are teaching the rookies to be afraid because they're a target, so from the word go things are going off the rails. Short of a massive change in the way cops are trained and a much heavier emphasis on the service aspect of policing as opposed to the enforcement aspect of policing, I don't see things getting better.

It really is a damn shame.

<crickets>

The shock and grief in the voice of the lady who witnessed this tell anyone it was beyond all doubt unwarranted.

[center]

Howie Lake II



Blane and Allison Salamoni

Close-ups at the Guardian around the middle of the page:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jul/06/alton-sterling-baton-rouge-investigation-department-of-justice [/center]

Daddy and Mommy are both of the police "aristocracy," so this incident will be swept under the rug for sure.

is a "crown prince" of a cop. These are his parents (emphasis added):

The shooter needs to be held to account.