Once again, on our nation's birthday, there was a senseless killing of a citizen by the hands of a law enforcement officer. To say this matter is getting old is like a flood victim saying that they are tired of seeing rain and wondering if the sun will shine again. It is very disparaging seeing another family on national television having to fight back tears over something so heinous and avoidable. Every time we get the same story. The cop feared for their life, the perpetrator reached for their weapon, etc. When upon video surveillance or other video it appears that the person has been subdued and no longer a threat to the officer.
I get it, their lives are precious too. But just like on my job if I make an egregious error I am punished, or at worst, terminated. Most of the time these cops get a slap on the wrist. Those acts without any serious consequences for the officers involved has lead to chaos and social unrest amongst many citizens in this country.
America is the greatest country on this earth , land of the free and home of the brave, but it appears that comes with certain requirements. Some of which some folks will never comply with due to their pigmentation. The rules are different, anyone who says otherwise is being delusional. Watch the general response to the lady whose child fell into the Gorilla enclosure and the family in Orlando at the Disney Resort whose child was killed by a gator. Both were examples of poor parenting, one was crucified and the other was seen as more of a sympathy figure , granted, the child was killed by the gator. While the kid that fell in the Gorilla enclosure was only roughed up a little. But the vitriol spilled towards one over the other was not close. It just baffles me that in 2016 we still have these issues with equality. We live in a country where a 12 year kid can't play with a BB gun in a park and a man can't shop in a Walmart with a toy weapon across his body because of his pigmentation. This is sad but true.
How can this madness end ? 1st we must examine ourselves for what we are doing wrong. Boys in the Hood is not just a John Singleton movie, but it is real life for some people here in the US. In Chicago even with the extra patrols, five people were shot to death and 61 others were wounded between 3 p.m. Friday and 6 a.m. Tuesday of the 4th of the July 4th weekend, according to statistics kept by the Chicago Tribune. That's not by cops people. That's by your own people. Black on black murders are more prevalent than cop killings of black men, and I believe to some degree this plays a part into cops believing black men are all killers. In order to fix this epidemic we must hold ourselves accountable. I'm being honest with you, there are certain places in Houston, TX you won't find me at after a certain time and I'm a black man. The problem is that some of these kids are being reared to be the Drug Lord instead of a Pharmacist. A crook instead of a lawyer. A gangster instead of a boxer. They have the belief there's no way out except by the ways of criminal activity when with God all things are possible. But this endless cycle of futility feeds into the belief that black men are menaces to society and that no good comes from them. So cops taking out black men whether justifiably or not, is always a positive result in their eyes. Just like an 8 point deer they are wild game. Only they get toe tagged.
How else can we justify Dylan Roof killing 9 churchgoers at a bible study and being taken to Burger King by authorities knowing he was armed and just murdered 9 church members during their weekly bible study. All the while Tamir Rice and John Crawford got killed on the spot for just posessing toy BB guns.
This is supposed to be a land of equality. From recent accounts it's not. See https://www.rawstory.com/2016/07/here-are-8-white-people-who-pointed-guns-at-police-officers-and-didnt-get-killed. Let it be known that there have been situations where cops have been killed and they do have right to protect themselves but the recurring theme is that they use far more restraint when dealing with non-blacks. It appears that those lives matter unlike those of blacks. Hence the reason for #blacklivesmatter.
Now where do we go from here? When celebrities such as Jesse Williams use their platform to make light of such egregious acts, people seem as though they are race baiting. But it says alot to stand up for a cause knowing that you are a rich and successful actor, who can just live in his fairy tale life and ignore this new age Jim Crow treatment all the while risking his career. It sounds comical. But I am expecting to see a book any day now titled "How to be a Black Man and not get Shot and Killed by Cops, for Dummies". I'm not being facetious, but this is a major problem. People must be educated on how to respond to interactions with cops. The problem I think a lot of guys have is showing respect to those in authority. They been reared to have disdain for the police for obvious reasons . In retrospect this makes you no better than a bigoted cop or racist. Love your neighbor. That's how we win this battle. There is a certain amount of decorum you can display that can help neutralize your interactions with cops. Have a healthy respect for their position. Realize that some battles aren't worth dieing for. God gives us discernment, we must really apply that principle when confronted with anyone who has a weapon that can seriously hurt or kill you.
As I mentioned earlier we also must get away from portraying ourselves as hard core, and thug life. Why? I'd rather live in an area where there is harmony and low crime, than one with constant drama and chaos. But there are another set of issues dealing with that. When you are driving a nice vehicle in a well to do area you are looked upon as if you don't belong. Cops constantly follow you because you can't possibly afford the car you drive and think it must be stolen. Or as a friend of mine told a story of him doing yard work at his own home, and being asked by a fellow neighbor how much he charged to mow his lawn. Thinking all along surely a black man can't afford to live here. But this is modern day America. The same America that stands staunchly behind that 2nd Amendment right to bear arms only to see a cop slaughter an American citizen just because he exercised his right to bear arms. The same America who said if the club goers in Orlando were packing , they would have deterred the killer from murdering so many. Let me ask you? What are those gangs in Chicago using? Guns. Are they stopping any of the gang activity that's going on today. No. What about the shootout in Waco,Texas last year. Very few people mention how out of hand that got. Gang activity is prevalent among people of all ethnicities but only blacks are treated as savages.
Cops must not assume all people of a certain demographic are the same. Making assumptions leads to misinterpretation. You must get to know a person before you pass judgement. These cops need to not make such hasty decisions because of what they believe a stereotypical black man is. Most black men I know fall for a lady with a big butt and a smile. But they are also law abiding citizens who are out to just make an honest living like most other people. Not all cops are bad, some give you directions when you're lost, help you get your car out of traffic if you break down, and some do actually help protect you from bad guys. But some assume we are all thugs, we all are killers. How about giving blacks the benefit of a doubt as other ethnic groups? By murdering blacks all you are doing is continuing the cycle of broken homes. Eliminating the father figures who help mold these kids. This is what creates the thug that cops are afraid of. The kids look to the local dope man for direction on how to be a man.
Violent retaliation against cops is not the answer either. We must learn to fight in the judicial system. Proverbs 15:18 Reads, A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention. People on both sides of this matter must do a better job of controlling their emotions. Remember cooler heads prevail.
Yes Blue lives matter, and All lives matter. How about having Black lives matter just as much. God created us all equal. The Vanderbilt football player who raped an unconscious women got 15 years in prison. The Stanford swimmer guilty of the same crime got 3 months because he's not fit for prison. Are you kidding me. Have you heard of OJ Simpson, Michael Vick, and Jared from Subway they were affluent at the time of their convictions and have and in OJ and Jared's case, are serving time in prison. An even bigger slap in the face was Ricky Jackson who was wrongfully convicted of a murder and was released from prison after serving 39 years receiving a mere 1.3 million dollars. While a popular sideline reporter, formally of ESPN and now with FOX , Erin Andrews received 52 million dollars because a man recorded her changing in her hotel room during her time working college football games for ESPN.That really damaged her career. She is now on FOX's number 1 NFL broadcast team. Now you tell me which one was more of an injustice. If all lives mattered there wouldn't be such a huge disparity in regards to issues like these. We need to PUSH. Pray Until Something Happens. Otherwise these poignant episodes will continue to doom our proud nation. Get it together America.
Wednesday, July 20, 2016
When is Enough, Enough
Wednesday, July 6, 2016
Enough Already
Once again, on our nation's birthday, there was a senseless killing of a citizen by the hands of a law enforcement officer. To say this matter is getting old is like a flood victim saying that they are tired of seeing rain and wondering if the sun will shine again. It is very disparaging seeing another family on national television having to fight back tears over something so heinous and avoidable. Every time we get the same story. The cop feared for their life, the perpetrator reached for their weapon, etc. When upon video surveillance or other video it appears that the person has been subdued and no longer a threat to the officer.
I get it, their lives are precious too. But just like on my job if I make an egregious error I am punished, or at worst, terminated. Most of the time these cops get a slap on the wrist. Those acts without any serious consequences for the officers involved has lead to chaos and social unrest amongst many citizens in this country.
America is the greatest country on this earth , land of the free and home of the brave, but it appears that comes with certain requirements. Some of which some folks will never comply with due to their pigmentation. The rules are different, anyone who says otherwise is being delusional. Watch the general response to the lady whose child fell into the Gorilla enclosure and the family in Orlando at the Disney Resort whose child was killed by a gator. Both were examples of poor parenting, one was crucified and the other was seen as more of a sympathy figure , granted, the child was killed by the gator. While the kid that fell in the Gorilla enclosure was only roughed up a little. But the vitriol spilled towards one over the other was not close. It just baffles me that in 2016 we still have these issues with equality. We live in a country where a 12 year kid can't play with a BB gun in a park and a man can't shop in a Walmart with a toy weapon across his body because of his pigmentation. This is sad but true.
How can this madness end ? 1st we must examine ourselves for what we are doing wrong. Boys in the Hood is not just a John Singleton movie, but it is real life for some people here in the US. In Chicago even with the extra patrols, five people were shot to death and 61 others were wounded between 3 p.m. Friday and 6 a.m. Tuesday of the 4th of the July 4th weekend, according to statistics kept by the Chicago Tribune. That's not by cops people. That's by your own people. Black on black murders are more prevalent than cop killings of black men, and I believe to some degree this plays a part into cops believing black men are all killers. In order to fix this epidemic we must hold ourselves accountable. I'm being honest with you, there are certain places in Houston, TX you won't find me at after a certain time and I'm a black man. The problem is that some of these kids are being reared to be the Drug Lord instead of a Pharmacist. A crook instead of a lawyer. A gangster instead of a boxer. They have the belief there's no way out except by the ways of criminal activity when with God all things are possible. But this endless cycle of futility feeds into the belief that black men are menaces to society and that no good comes from them. So cops taking out black men whether justifiably or not, is always a positive result in their eyes. Just like an 8 point deer they are wild game. Only they get toe tagged.
How else can we justify Dylan Roof killing 9 churchgoers at a bible study and being taken to Burger King by authorities knowing he was armed and just murdered 9 church members during their weekly bible study. All the while Tamir Rice and John Crawford got killed on the spot for just posessing toy BB guns.
This is supposed to be a land of equality. From recent accounts it's not. See https://www.rawstory.com/2016/07/here-are-8-white-people-who-pointed-guns-at-police-officers-and-didnt-get-killed. Let it be known that there have been situations where cops have been killed and they do have right to protect themselves but the recurring theme is that they use far more restraint when dealing with non-blacks. It appears that those lives matter unlike those of blacks. Hence the reason for #blacklivesmatter.
Now where do we go from here? When celebrities such as Jesse Williams use their platform to make light of such egregious acts, people seem as though they are race baiting. But it says alot to stand up for a cause knowing that you are a rich and successful actor, who can just live in his fairy tale life and ignore this new age Jim Crow treatment all the while risking his career. It sounds comical. But I am expecting to see a book any day now titled "How to be a Black Man and not get Shot and Killed by Cops, for Dummies". I'm not being facetious, but this is a major problem. People must be educated on how to respond to interactions with cops. The problem I think a lot of guys have is showing respect to those in authority. They been reared to have disdain for the police for obvious reasons . In retrospect this makes you no better than a bigoted cop or racist. Love your neighbor. That's how we win this battle. There is a certain amount of decorum you can display that can help neutralize your interactions with cops. Have a healthy respect for their position. Realize that some battles aren't worth dieing for. God gives us discernment, we must really apply that principle when confronted with anyone who has a weapon that can seriously hurt or kill you.
As I mentioned earlier we also must get away from portraying ourselves as hard core, and thug life. Why? I'd rather live in an area where there is harmony and low crime, than one with constant drama and chaos. But there are another set of issues dealing with that. When you are driving a nice vehicle in a well to do area you are looked upon as if you don't belong. Cops constantly follow you because you can't possibly afford the car you drive and think it must be stolen. Or as a friend of mine told a story of him doing yard work at his own home, and being asked by a fellow neighbor how much he charged to mow his lawn. Thinking all along surely a black man can't afford to live here. But this is modern day America. The same America that stands staunchly behind that 2nd Amendment right to bear arms only to see a cop slaughter an American citizen just because he exercised his right to bear arms. The same America who said if the club goers in Orlando were packing , they would have deterred the killer from murdering so many. Let me ask you? What are those gangs in Chicago using? Guns. Are they stopping any of the gang activity that's going on today. No. What about the shootout in Waco,Texas last year. Very few people mention how out of hand that got. Gang activity is prevalent among people of all ethnicities but only blacks are treated as savages.
Cops must not assume all people of a certain demographic are the same. Making assumptions leads to misinterpretation. You must get to know a person before you pass judgement. These cops need to not make such hasty decisions because of what they believe a stereotypical black man is. Most black men I know fall for a lady with a big butt and a smile. But they are also law abiding citizens who are out to just make an honest living like most other people. Not all cops are bad, some give you directions when you're lost, help you get your car out of traffic if you break down, and some do actually help protect you from bad guys. But some assume we are all thugs, we all are killers. How about giving blacks the benefit of a doubt as other ethnic groups? By murdering blacks all you are doing is continuing the cycle of broken homes. Eliminating the father figures who help mold these kids. This is what creates the thug that cops are afraid of. The kids look to the local dope man for direction on how to be a man.
Violent retaliation against cops is not the answer either. We must learn to fight in the judicial system. Proverbs 15:18 Reads, A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention. People on both sides of this matter must do a better job of controlling their emotions. Remember cooler heads prevail.
Yes Blue lives matter, and All lives matter. How about having Black lives matter just as much. God created us all equal. The Vanderbilt football player who raped an unconscious women got 15 years in prison. The Stanford swimmer guilty of the same crime got 3 months because he's not fit for prison. Are you kidding me. Have you heard of OJ Simpson, Michael Vick, and Jared from Subway they were affluent at the time of their convictions and have and in OJ and Jared's case, are serving time in prison. An even bigger slap in the face was Ricky Jackson who was wrongfully convicted of a murder and was released from prison after serving 39 years receiving a mere 1.3 million dollars. While a popular sideline reporter, formally of ESPN and now with FOX , Erin Andrews received 52 million dollars because a man recorded her changing in her hotel room during her time working college football games for ESPN.That really damaged her career. She is now on FOX's number 1 NFL broadcast team. Now you tell me which one was more of an injustice. If all lives mattered there wouldn't be such a huge disparity in regards to issues like these. We need to PUSH. Pray Until Something Happens. Otherwise these poignant episodes will continue to doom our proud nation. Get it together America.
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
MVP Status
In the 2010 NFL football season the Carolina Panthers gained the dubious distinction of being the NFL's worst team. This occurrence afforded them the opportunity to have the first pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. It was largely believed that the Panthers would pick a QB due to the lackluster play of the 2010 2nd round pick ,Jimmy Clausen and determining early on that he wasn't the QB of the future.
It was largely assumed Andrew Luck, a once in a generation prospect, a prodigy at the QB position, would probably come out after his junior year. Now hear me out, I commend anyone who values their education and because he grew up in an affluent household, he was not pressured into not leaving early to turn pro. Andrew ,allegedly returned to school to complete his college degree avoiding the draft all together. Whether true or not, in Carolina this was perceived as a slap in the face and that he didn't want to be with their franchise. Ironically several athletes who go pro early return to school to finish their degree during their playing careers. I recall Vince Carter and Antwain Jamison getting their UNC degrees at the same time. Shaquille O'Neal walked the stage at LSU. In fact, Cam Newton, another top prospect at the time, just received his degree earlier this year. So that reasoning comes with a hint of skepticism.
In 2010 Cam Newton had one of the most dominant individual seasons in college football history at Auburn University. Leading the Tigers to an undefeated National championship season and accumulating several awards including the Heisman Trophy.
As a result Cam declared a year early and the Carolina Panthers made Cam Newton the first pick of the 2011 draft. Luck consequently entered the 2012 draft the next year and became the first overall pick of the Indianpolis Colts.
Cam entered the league under much scrutiny. There was talk he couldn't understand the NFL game and that his transition to the league would be rough. He would follow along th same lines of JaMarcus Russell, Vince Young, and Ryan Leaf and be a big bust. All he did was break the all time rookie passing yardage record and single handedly gave the Panthers franchise hope. He may never be a traditional drop back passer. His success can not be solely quantified by passing statistics. He could very well become the all time rushing TD leader for QBs by seasons end and there are countless times throughout the course of a game where he pulls a rabbit out of a hat to make a play.
Early on winning games was challenging to say the least. Was it always Cam's fault ? No, but he struggled making plays when it mattered most and sulked in postgame press conferences as the loses mounted. The media constantly beat him down. Asking can he win? Is he a leader, why is he always hiding under a towel, etc. But in his 3rd season after a 1-3 start, Cam would lead the Panthers to one of their most successful seasons in their history.
Entering his 4th season, the Panthers organization decided to make several changes to the team replacing his top 4 wide receivers including the franchise's most accomplished player, Steve Smith. Under these circumstances even Peyton Manning would struggle with such a transition. The receiving corps were already underwhelming but to do that and expect Cam to excell was incomprehensible. Not to mention he missed time due to offseason ankle surgery, which set him back even more. Leading to questions about is he a franchise QB? Have the Panthers overpaid for him? He's not a leader, etc. To say Cam Newton is free from criticism would be naive. His passes sometime look as though he is throwing to the Charlotte Hornets Front court, but to say he's not a good QB is asinine. No he doesn't have the stats of a prototype QB. But what he does for this team can't be quantified. He's special in his own unique way. No QB has nearly as many running TDs as him since he arrived in the league and the last time I checked they count the same as a passing touchdown.
So why all the vitriol for Cam and not so much for others like Ryan Tannehill or Andrew Luck. In Andrew Luck's 4th season his team acquired several former Pro Bowl players most notably Andre Johnson and Frank Gore, to help get his Colt team over the hump. How has the chosen one responded ? How about going 1-5 and leading the NFL in interceptions. Mind you the Colts are 3-5 and those two other wins were led by seasoned vet, Matt Hassellbeck. Luck is excused because he has little help. Little help, what about TY, what about Andre Johnson, Dwayne Allen. No line , Cam was sacked 9 times by the Eagles on a Monday Night in 2014, was that strong line play. Oh and he's injured. Cam had an injured ankle all of last season, and also had the rollover accident that resulted in transverse fractures in his back. Was he given a fair shake? No, all you hear is he has pedestrian numbers and that he is too arrogant
Now Newton and the Panthers are owners of an 11 game regular season winning streak. A year ago the NFC South was the armpit of the NFL. This year the the South is awful again, except it's the AFC South led by Texans and Colts at a smoking 3-5 record. Cam Newton has ascended to MVP status while Luck is throwing interceptions like Santa delivering presents on Christmas Eve. Both of these young signal callers have potential for greatness. But you can't dismiss the talents of Cam. When the chosen one has been awful. He is an acquired taste. An anomaly of sorts. Trust me being USC fan I saw why some may not be too fond of him. All the smiling and running over your team's DBs is tough to watch and is something few others can mimic. But the man is having fun. His gamesmanship is contagious and gives his team confidence. Give him his due all that matters is that he wins. This isn't a Rex Grossman or Trent Dilfer situation though. Cam is needed, and without him this team would be awful. That's the true definition of a MVP.
Monday, August 31, 2015
NFL 2015 Bring it On
Monday, June 15, 2015
Lone Warrior
First of all I would like to say the GS Warriors don't have to apologize to anyone about winning this NBA Finals. There will be no asterisk attached to their season accomplishments. Along the way they played several teams who haven't had their full complement of players ( ex. Jrue Holiday, Patrick Beverly, Kyrie Irving) at all times during these playoffs, all the while they with an already strong roster and deep bench suffered no such quandary. Steph Curry is a bad man and deserved his MVP status. But I'll say this with confidence if Kyrie and Love were available this would have not been a series. If Shumpert or LeBron hit a game winning shot at the end of game 1, avoiding Kyrie’s overtime injury, Cleveland may be celebrating tonight.
But the operative word was "if". I'll use that "if" word again. If we are going to give an MVP to the best player in this series it would not be Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and especially not Draymond Green (who some say expects to recieve a max contract, but not if I'm paying the bill) but LeBron James. But unfortunately he will be 2-4 on basketball's biggest stage. A point in which you are judged amongst the greatest of greats. The Jordans, the Birds, the Magic Johnsons of the basketball world. But ultimately he has tasted the champagne and succeeded at the highest level but just not at the success rate of other legendary stars. So here he is somewhere in the pantheon of NBA greats between Karl Malone and Michael Jordan. Better than most but not the best ever. But 4 MVPs, 2 NBA titles, and 5 consecutive trips to the Finals are nothing to sneeze at.
Would Jordan be 6-0 without Pipen or Horace Grant. Would Bird have 3 rings without McHale and Parrish. How about Magic without Worthy or Kareem for a whole series. Sure they could win a game but when you are in the NBA Finals you have to have a good team. NBA championships are a team accomplishment. With apologies to Delly and Mosgov , the Cavs weren’t picked favorites to win before the playoffs because they were the LeBron’s top cohorts. But the trio of James , Irving , and Love seemed to be a formidable grouping. Look at how injuries crippled the OKC Thunder this year. To see this Warriors team win a Championship before a team with Kevin Durant , Russell Westbrook, and Serge Ibaka is very surprising. This championship will go to the team that best withstood attrition. Steph Curry is good, but is he really considered a better player than Kevin Durant. I venture to guess most people would say no.
Kobe Bryant, who many compare James to has always had that other guy on his Championship teams from Shaq, Pau Gasol, Glen Rice, to Ron Artest. One of his seasons without another significant star player. He was criticized due to losing in the 1st round against the Suns after squandering a 3-1 lead and practically laying down in the decisive game 7. He at the time was outmanned, I recall Leandro Barbosa destroying the Lakers and detractors were critical of Kobe’s defense and his approach in that decisive game. But when you are the only consistent source of offense on the team what do you expect. Even great players get fatigued and one can only do so much in a team game. Fast forward to the 2008 Olympics. Kobe, not needing to score as much, took the assignment of guarding Barbosa again. Barbosa was rendered ineffective because Bryant was able to focus on just playing defense, he didn’t have to carry the team offensively due to the overall strength of the USA team. Barbosa saying afterwards “he’s never guarded me like that”. I mention this because it brings to light the plight of LeBron James. To call LeBron a failure as a basketball player after these Finals is blasphemous.
His 1stgame ever as an 18 year old was 25 points, nine assists, six rebounds and four steals on 12-of-20 shooting and his stat line from Game 5 of these 2015 Finals is 40 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists in a loss. He from day one has succeeded his lofty expectations with the exception of one. The number of NBA championships. Losing this Finals doesn’t come with an asterisk due to a limited supporting cast. Delly can have some moments but asking him to hold down Curry for a whole series was asking too much. Also expecting JR Smith to show up every game was a pipedream. He is too inconsistent. Losing the Finals means your team lost just like no one player gets all the credit, no one player gets all the blame . Robert Horry and GS Warrior coach Steve Kerr played on teams that went 7-1 and 5-0 respectively in The Finals. But some of the players on those opposing teams never got to experience a championship. But it doesn’t make them less of a player. Players such as Allen Iverson, Karl Malone, John Stockton, and Reggie Miller should not take a backseat to an Andre Igudola, Klay Thompson or even Steph Curry ( at least to this point) because they had a GM who constructed a team that was good enough to achieve the ultimate goal. If you’re going to criticize James, you also have to give him his credit. Although one would venture to think how different things would be had they kept Wiggins and not gotten Love. No matter what you think about him, he's a legend of the game. His place in history is still to be determined. But there will soon be a day when young guns the likes of Anthony Davis and Andrew Wiggins will be the frontline stars of the NBA, so enjoy LeBron why you can.
Saturday, April 11, 2015
When Will We See an End?
Here we are yet again America. In my home state of South Carolina another unwarranted death dealt out by the boys in blue has taken place. A routine traffic stop gone wrong. It sounds like a broken record but sadly no resolution has taken place. What went wrong? Who's to blame?
First off I'm glad to see the victim Walter Scott's family asked that media whores like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson stay away. They tend to stir up a hornets nest instead helping find a resolution to the problem. Ferguson is still a mess today months after they were there. They need to put more emphasis on educating the people on how to interact professionally with cops. Not running might have prevented this incident and there would not be this world wide firestorm we have today about this N. Charleston incident but it shouldn't have led to death.
Let's back track a little to last February when Ray Rice was seen pulling his then fiancee from an elevator in an Atlantic City casino. No one knew what went on inside, only that it wasn't good and that Ray Rice played a part in it. Ray told the local authorities what he did and he was jailed, put on probation and entered into a first time offender program. What happened next was the NFL and the Ravens levied a suspension on him for 3 games. But then TMZ released a video that would forever change how the NFL now deals with its players that are involved in domestic disputes and incidences. After viewing the horrible act committed by Mr Rice in the elevator he was indefinitely suspended from the NFL. Mind you the NFL and other sports as well have always had players that have committed such sinister acts but after seeing it on film it gives you a perspective that just makes you see just how awful the act really was. Consequently two other players Greg Hardy and Adrian Peterson who were awaiting trials about their domestic violence cases were put on the Commissioner's exempt list and missed the rest of their seasons. The NFL has taken a hard line on this topic but only after turning a blind eye for so many years. It took that riveting video to give a better perspective on how heinous the act was.
Now to the April 4th shooting of Walter Scott. He was a man who committed some crimes but nothing of the extreme violent variety. But when you make questionable decisions you open yourself up for trouble. So he has a DUI, and back payment for child support for several of thousands of dollars but not armed robbery, drug distribution, rape or anything of that nature. So I imagine his demeanor is not one of violent variety but one of a man who doesn't want to go behind bars knowing he has some pending warrants. So the threat of going back to jail scared him into literally running for his life.
So if he had stayed in his car would he be alive today? Almost assuredly yes. But we also have seen cops mow down 12 year old Tamir Rice for holding a toy gun at a local park in Cleveland. Or John Crawford in Beavercreek, Ohio who was just playing with an airsoft rifle in Walmart and was shot before he could respond to the command to get down. Some cops are too cowardly and never try to diffuse the situation even when no real threat exists. Talk first. He was believed to have a bench warrant out on him for child support. Unless he has a good life insurance policy there's little chance that he'll be able to catch up on his back payments thanks to the killer cop. I feel some sorrow for the cop's family as well the stress of the situation and the fact his wife is expecting in the next few months. But trying to take a shortcut often gets in you in a into tight situations you can't get out of. This wasn't a split second decision, just a I'm too lazy to run or call for backup so I'll just shoot him. Forget about those people this suspect is leaving behind. Mr Scott was a father, a son, an uncle among other roles, but all Officer Slager could see was he's making me run too much.
I know, I know more blacks kill blacks than cops do, but aren't they supposed to be held to a higher standard. In some cases deadly force is needed. Such was the case in January of this year in nearby Freeport,TX with Ronald Sneed who held his girlfriend at gunpoint. In this instance there was a chance he could seriously harm her so one of the responding officers shot him. But the cop was protecting the interest of a fellow human being and the story was corroborated with the girlfriend. Funny thing is once the blacks are caught they are convicted and sent to jail and are often given hard time in most instances. Some even get the nasty needle. George Zimmerman didn't even get convicted for his obvious disregard of instruction from the 911 operator. We now see what kind of low life he is. Just like OJ he'll mess up again and get what's due to him. But these cops are repeatedly getting off with the same lines, I was threatened. I feared for my life. He reached for my gun. It happened so fast.
Oh, but now we have a video. Show of hands, who has ever seen an episode of Cops the TV show. There are countless episodes where someone evades the police officer and tries to run and usually they get caught by the initial officer or help from a backup officer. In those instances the cops never fire a weapon unless the perpetrator has fired a weapon at them. It would be easier to take the shortcut and shoot the individual. But these cops use integrity and apprehend their perps in a more sensible manner. Or maybe is it that the video is rolling so they know what not to do on camera.
Mr Scott left the car he was in and ran to a park where the officer followed him and attempted to tase him. After that failed attempt Mr Scott and his apparent Usain Bolt like speed were too much for the officer. He ran again but this time instead of chasing him on foot he fired eight rounds at Mr Scott fatally wounding him and cuffing his hands on his then dead body. He then goes to retrieve the taser and plants it beside the dead corpse. To set up his blatant lie, which had ran in the local paper as a struggle with Scott who reached for his taser and he then responded with deadly force. But unknowingly he was caught on video by an eyewitnes, who wanted to show the world the truth. Every case is unique in some way but one can't help but wonder what if we had a video of Darren Wilson shooting Michael Brown or Trayvon's fight for his life. Would things be different? Unfortunately those in the grave can't defend themselves against public opinion. They are rendered speechless by being murdered. They themselves unarmed.
But even with this video and blatant cover up is this enough to finally convict one of these guys ? The Eric Garner incident was on video and still there was no conviction. If this doesn't get it done what will? It just amazes me how James Holmes the Colorado movie theater killer and Jared Loughner the Arizona man who shot a US senator and killed 6 others ,are here still wasting tax dollars when they easily and justifiably should have been shot on sight by law enforcement for the mass shooting events they were involved in. But playing with a toy gun in Walmart gets you shot down like you're big game. Something is wrong and it's time to call on the one who knows all the answers. Jesus. We must treat each other with respect and live a life pleasing to God. No this may not end all that troubles this nation immediately, but the word says all things are possible thru Christ. Love thy neighbor and forgive. Let's move forward before there's more civil unrest. Let's not assume someone's exterior makes them any less human than another man. All lives matter, let God be the final judge.
