By now everyone has heard about the events that transpired in Ferguson, Missouri. Michael Brown was shot and killed by a police officer after allegedly striking him during a struggle. The incident began after Brown robbed a convenience store when he was seen walking down the middle of a road interfering with traffic. The police officer confronted Brown about the traffic situation and from there the details are disputed. However, we do know Brown died from multiple gun shot wounds to his head and torso.
I think enough people have weighed in on the racial tensions in Ferguson and the statistics behind police and civilian interactions, so what I want to talk about today is one of the overarching issues that I see effecting our whole country: that everyone thinks they have the right to respond with deadly force if they feel threatened.
An unarmed man walking down the middle of the street disrupting traffic does not deserve to be shot. Even if Brown did strike the police officer, assault of a police officer is not an offense that warrants the immediate execution of the perpetrator. I do believe that police officers have the right to defend themselves, but I think the problem is that in our current society, we immediately jump to very deadly, very permanent solutions to crimes that would otherwise amount to a medium length jail sentence.
For instance if I were to go right now and find a police officer and punch them in the face I would face a minimum of six months in jail. Even if I combined that with a robbery charge for the cigars I just stole from a convenience store, the maximum sentence for simple robbery is 10 years in prison and a 20,000 dollar fine. So the absolute worst case scenario is that I would spend 10.5 years in prison and pay 20,000 dollars in fines. That is not even factoring in that I would be a first time offender (like Brown) and only stole a package of low quality cigars (like Brown). This is nowhere near the level required to convict someone of the death penalty in any state in the U.S.
People are dying because we in America are obsessed with our own safety to the degree that we are willing to kill others to keep ourselves secure. If the officer in the Brown incident had used any of the other means usually available to officers this whole situation would have turned out very differently. The officer could have used mace or a tazer, both of which are more effective at close range than a hand gun, if Brown actually was close enough to strike the officer. If the officer had used a non-lethal method Ferguson would not be torn apart by rioting and looting right now. Brown would be alive and facing assault and robbery charges rather than lying dead in the street.
We need to ask ourselves why we as a society jump to the most final of solutions in these confrontations. From shooting a young, drunk, pregnant woman through a locked porch door with a shotgun because you feel threatened to luring a robber into a garage and blasting out the door indiscriminately with a shotgun to shooting an 18 year old for walking in the middle of the street and stealing some cigars. There are better ways to deal with these situations that do not involve death. There are non-lethal solutions to protect yourself. If you are concerned about your safety take self-defense classes, buy mace, buy a tazer, call the police. Think about your actions when they may be ending the life of another human being. This world of ours is already filled up with suffering and pain. More needless violence and bloodshed is disgusting.
No comments:
Post a Comment