Politics And Current Events

[Gaucho]

He was just trying to maintain order.

[faftorial]

So provocative

[King Colby]

This is the way it is going to be for the rest of forever, I hope you guys all realize that. Doesnt matter who is sitting in the oval office. It happened with the best president ever Obama and the worst president ever Trump. Social media brah.

Depressingly. Yeah.

I have no idea how we get out of this. Obviously anecdotal but EVERYBODY feels more radical and deadset on their beliefs

Internet was supposed to help people understand each other but instead everyone wraps themselves in their own echo chamber and gets high on stories that confirm their bias

I have no idea how we get out of this without a mythological MLK type persona

We don't. It's over man. The media will twist and turn any situation where a black person dies by cop into this regardless of the facts. And I dont care what policy changes are made, exception scenarios are going to occur in which a cop kills a black guy, justified or not.

[MR25]

Maybe cops just shouldn't be killing people, and should be taught how to properly defuse a situation.

It would go a long way.

[skullman80]

I find it crazy that someone thinks like this. This person spoke at the RNC.

https://www.comicsands.com/abby-johnson ... 3a7pZIohSE

[shafnutz05]

Maybe cops just shouldn't be killing people, and should be taught how to properly defuse a situation.

It would go a long way.

Keep moving the goalposts. Your initial narrative about Blake was shot to shreds. For ****'s sake, they tried to tase him, asked him to comply multiple times, etc.

Here's a concept--maybe at some point, domestic abuser/sexual assaulter Blake should have....I don't know, just stopped and put his hands up? God forbid you put *any* onus of responsibility on the abusive guy that the police was called on.

Maybe we should have sent a social worker instead, as many of the BLM/Defund the Police crowd think would solve the issue. Or maybe the police could just carry wooden clubs instead of guns. It's one thing to agree with common sense police reform (which I do), but not every police-involved shooting is created equal.

It's easy to say "they should have properly defused the situation", when you aren't the one trying to talk down a guy wanted for rape and domestic abuse with a knife and small children in the car.

[NailedPenguin]

Maybe cops just shouldn't be killing people, and should be taught how to properly defuse a situation.

It would go a long way.

Maybe people shouldn't rape 13 year olds, but then you and your comrades wouldn't have a new hero this week.

[Morkle]

Reading up on this Kyle Rittenhouse person. A high-school drop-out that worshipped the police, and attended a Trump rally. That's about all they have.

[count2infinity]

Cops shouldn't kill people... people should obey cops orders... he was unarmed.... how could they know that...

Rinse. wash. repeat.

I still stand by my original assessment: cops shouldn't kill innocent or guilty people. They should not be in the business of killing anyone. I understand it's a dangerous job (well... it makes the top 25. Certainly isn't in the top 10 though), but there are plenty of dangerous jobs out there where people know and understand the risks. If you can't handle the risk of being a police officer. If you can't do your job without killing someone while doing it, maybe it's not the right job for you.

[Morkle]

So did we just circle back to being OK with this guy being shot in the back 6/7/8 times?

Why didn't the police just tackle him before he went to his vehicle?

I understand that the taser failed, but there was more than one officer on the scene, why didn't they do another taser, or at least have one ready?

[NailedPenguin]

At what point after the cops get called on YOU because you wont leave a place you're not supoosed to be, and you've already been tasered with guns drawn on you, that most people would realize they're not in control of the situation?

For all that the bullshit artists tell us how terrified they are of police and scared to walk down the street, I see a hell of a lot of the opposite going on. Protesters havent seem to have any problems verbally and physically assault officers and intellectual giants like Mr Blake sure dont seem like they're afraid.

[obhave]

Cops shouldn't kill people... people should obey cops orders... he was unarmed.... how could they know that...

Rinse. wash. repeat.

I still stand by my original assessment: cops shouldn't kill innocent or guilty people. They should not be in the business of killing anyone. I understand it's a dangerous job (well... it makes the top 25. Certainly isn't in the top 10 though), but there are plenty of dangerous jobs out there where people know and understand the risks. If you can't handle the risk of being a police officer. If you can't do your job without killing someone while doing it, maybe it's not the right job for you.

And give cops the tools and training to handle tense situations better.

[shafnutz05]

Why didn't the police just tackle him before he went to his vehicle?

I understand that the taser failed, but there was more than one officer on the scene, why didn't they do another taser, or at least have one ready?

I agree with you on these two points. There is a legitimate beef to be had that they should have just gang tackled him before he ever got back to the car.

Looking at the shooting individually, however, the fact that they shot him in the back is not as relevant in this scenario, IMO. If he is reaching into his vehicle despite orders to the contrary, and they have reason to believe (from the 911 call or through his own admission) that he has a knife in there, then his back is going to be turned to the officer. This is a lot different than a suspect running away from police and getting shot in the back.

The police were called on this guy for a domestic call, he had children in the backseat, and they believed he was reaching for a knife in his car based on the information they had. Blake was clearly mentally disturbed or aggravated, or else he would have been listening from the beginning. At that point, you have no idea what he is going to do with a weapon he has in the car. Go after the cops? Or worse, the children in the backseat?

[count2infinity]

And give cops the tools and training to handle tense situations better.

Agreed, 1000%. That's part of police reform that I think anyone can and should get behind.

[MR25]

Maybe cops just shouldn't be killing people, and should be taught how to properly defuse a situation.

It would go a long way.

Keep moving the goalposts. Your initial narrative about Blake was shot to shreds. For ****'s sake, they tried to tase him, asked him to comply multiple times, etc.

Here's a concept--maybe at some point, domestic abuser/sexual assaulter Blake should have....I don't know, just stopped and put his hands up? God forbid you put *any* onus of responsibility on the abusive guy that the police was called on.

Maybe we should have sent a social worker instead, as many of the BLM/Defund the Police crowd think would solve the issue. Or maybe the police could just carry wooden clubs instead of guns. It's one thing to agree with common sense police reform (which I do), but not every police-involved shooting is created equal.

It's easy to say "they should have properly defused the situation", when you aren't the one trying to talk down a guy wanted for rape and domestic abuse with a knife and small children in the car.

All I said today was cops shouldn't kill people.

You don't see me sitting here arguing about the rest of that, do you?

I'm not arguing with you on this. My initial assessment was wrong. You happy?

Cops still shouldn't be killing people. They shouldn't be judge, jury, and executioner. Doesn't matter who they are, or what they have done in the past (prior to the reason police were called). There's a reason the court system exists.

FOH with the rest of that. I've moved on from my original argument because more information came out. You should move on, too.

[shafnutz05]

And give cops the tools and training to handle tense situations better.

Agreed, 1000%. That's part of police reform that I think anyone can and should get behind.

I could not agree more. Training, training, training. And selectivity when hiring officers.

I just think that imagining a world in which police officers never have to shoot someone is unfortunately a pipe dream. There are a lot of violent, desperate, bad people out there that in many cases, cannot be reasoned with. And most of them tend to live in the cities where most of the violent crime/murders are anyway, which is why stuff like this is always going to come up.

[NailedPenguin]

I wish they would have made sure he didnt get back to his car either. Then maybe this all could have been avoided. But you have to think there are reasons in these situations, esp DV scenarios where police dont want to just walk up on a suspect. Which is where drawing gund comes into play and most people wake up and realize they're not running the show.

As far as physical tackling or stopping him. Man, fighting or wrestling someone to the ground for even 60 seconds is an eternity. Even if there are 2 or 3 cops. There just isnt a situation where physically restraining him was going to make the cops look amy better. People would have been irate when they see 2 guys tackle 1 guy. Or a cop use a choke hold to subdue him. So the only other option left to make people happy is for the suspect to listen and not put up a fight.

[count2infinity]

Zero should be the goal. Is that attainable? I don't think so. I understand there are extenuating circumstances and there will be the rare killing here and there. But that should still be the goal. Seems as though that isn't the case at the moment.

[MR25]

Failure to comply is not, and should never be, a death warrant.

[NAN]

Criminals shouldn't kill cops and cops shouldn't kill criminals. There, we live in a perfect world with hugs abound!

[Troy Loney]

Failure to comply is not, and should never be, a death warrant.

This should be a black or white thing. Because there is a plausible explanation for why the cop used his gun there, people think it's a gray area.

Seeing that video, and thinking this is a gray area issue makes me think that our ideas of policing are **** as whole.

[NAN]

Failure to comply is not, and should never be, a death warrant.

If they have a weapon and are going to or are using it, the cop (or anyone for that matter) has every right to defend themselves.

(not specifically talking about this instance)

[NAN]

BTW, the NHL is getting absolutely railed on for not cancelling their games yesterday. I guess you have to follow everyone and take the extreme measure in order to be viewed as someone that cares.

I'm just wondering if the NBA does cancel the rest of the season, if MLB, NHL, tennis, soccer, or whatever are expected to do that same.

And quite honestly, I wonder if this was "normal" times and COVID existed if this would be occurring if there were fans in the stands (the boycott, strike, or whatever you want to call it). It's a lot easier to do it right now when everyone is in the same place in a bubble.

[Morkle]

Why didn't the police just tackle him before he went to his vehicle?

I understand that the taser failed, but there was more than one officer on the scene, why didn't they do another taser, or at least have one ready?

I agree with you on these two points. There is a legitimate beef to be had that they should have just gang tackled him before he ever got back to the car.

Looking at the shooting individually, however, the fact that they shot him in the back is not as relevant in this scenario, IMO. If he is reaching into his vehicle despite orders to the contrary, and they have reason to believe (from the 911 call or through his own admission) that he has a knife in there, then his back is going to be turned to the officer. This is a lot different than a suspect running away from police and getting shot in the back.

The police were called on this guy for a domestic call, he had children in the backseat, and they believed he was reaching for a knife in his car based on the information they had. Blake was clearly mentally disturbed or aggravated, or else he would have been listening from the beginning. At that point, you have no idea what he is going to do with a weapon he has in the car. Go after the cops? Or worse, the children in the backseat?

Oh I agree. The second he walked back to his car, it was over for him.

My frustration is that the cops simply let that happen and let it get that far. In this case, I don't dispute that the shooting wasn't justified, I dispute that it was allowed to get that far, and was a major failure on the part of the police.

[Morkle]

I wish they would have made sure he didnt get back to his car either. Then maybe this all could have been avoided. But you have to think there are reasons in these situations, esp DV scenarios where police dont want to just walk up on a suspect. Which is where drawing gund comes into play and most people wake up and realize they're not running the show.

As far as physical tackling or stopping him. Man, fighting or wrestling someone to the ground for even 60 seconds is an eternity. Even if there are 2 or 3 cops. There just isnt a situation where physically restraining him was going to make the cops look amy better. People would have been irate when they see 2 guys tackle 1 guy. Or a cop use a choke hold to subdue him. So the only other option left to make people happy is for the suspect to listen and not put up a fight.

2 things.

1) Cops should be fit enough to handle the situation and be able to sub-due someone without the use of lethal force. For me though, this falls into the not enough training, not paid enough territory, but seeing this - really makes me believe it's been justified by all kinds of people and why the pulled a gun on the guy and shot him.

• What is UK doing in situations like this? Surely not everyone complies, and they're able to handle it without guns (UK has a vast majority that don't carry guns, right?)

2) The simple answer to the video of seeing 2 cops tackle one person is about 10000 levels lower than seeing a cop shoot someone 7 times in the back, in front of his kids.