That is your view, certainly not mine.
What I am angry about is the way the our officers are slandered and treated, based upon totally false 'facts', spewed and spinned by an organized movement, that is tearing our society apart.
I watched the Community Council meeting in Charlotte yesterday. They put young children up there, crying, saying they were afraid the police were going to kill them for no reason. That is exploitation and built upon a totally false narrative. None of those children are in any danger because of any of those officers. It is pathetic to see what this movement is doing to the reputation of our officers.
They painted a totally false picture of Keith Scott, and said he was unarmed, reading a book, innocently waiting for the school bus. That got the entire nation up in arms.
And now the true picture emerges. And this was not a peaceful doting father at all. He was posing a serious threat to the people in that lot and to the officers because he did not want to be arrested for the stolen gun and the drugs. That makes the entire interaction between them volatile and dangerous.
It is not anything about him being less than human. It is about him being fully human, and having faults, like we all do. But that does not mean that we should overlook them and blame his death upon the officers. That is so unfair to them. They did not make the poor choices he made that day.
Excellent and eloquent post-- thank you. You're not the only one who is angry about this.
Part of being human is the media and public
not lying about someone's shortcomings, in a situation like this, and especially not glorifying them after they are dead, and making them into a blameless martyr. The family can do that if they wish at the funeral, and they can be somewhat forgiven for their tunnel vision and denial about their loved one's criminal activity and choices, and blaming of everyone except their loved one for bad and criminal decisions and behavior. The public, elected officials, and the media should never be drawn into that land of denial.
The truth should not be painted over, or denied, or twisted into something it isn't. And that is exactly what happens in these high profile cases, over and over. The suspect is immediately framed as innocent, law abiding, trustworthy, and preyed upon by racist or brutal police officers. The lies are not just little mistruths that can be forgiven, but
outrageous whoppers-- "reading the koran", "doesn't own a gun", 'hands up, don't shoot." Friends and family members INTENTIONALLY lie about the deceased suspect, to try to mold the suspect into a more respectable and sympathetic "victim". Then they claim that they are offended and victims of racism when called out for their lies! It's preposterous.
At some point, there is going to be a massive public backlash against these kind of lies, the lies about suspects shot by police in the course of criminal activity, that whip up the passionate activists and criminally destructive opportunistic rioters. Police brutality, and racism, DO exist, but
not in the manner that these activists are promoting, and
not in great or increasing numbers. The public sees thru the lies, and is mightily frustrated with the rioters, as well as the police who are not permitted, by all these "PC" policies to quell the riots in a timely and effective manner.
When the activists start demonstrating for the innocent
children killed in drive by shootings, and the vulnerable old folks shot and killed, and the innocent but law abiding poor folks shot and killed in these violent inner cities, then most of America will be right there with them supporting them. But asking most people to support demonstrations and protests for criminals, engaged in criminal activity when they got themselves killed, isn't the way to gain the hearts and minds of the public. IMO. They damage their own "cause" by choosing the wrong criminal "martyrs", and acting out in such a violent manner.
“We shouldn’t have to humanize him in order for him to be treated fairly. "
Well, we shouldn't have to
lie about him in order to tell the truth about who he was, and how he lived, and what he was doing when he died, either.