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I watched the video of the Tulsa officers shot by a non-compliant driver during a traffic stop. I'm tired of pretending like this type of "things quickly go bad because some jackass doesn't want to get arrested" isn't exactly why I don't feel bad for Jacob Blake.
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THREAD:
I don't know what the officer saw before he shot an irate, non-compliant Blake as he stormed toward his vehicle. But I know what flashed through my mind the first time I watched the video.
I saw Deputy Kyle Dinkheller being executed. I heard his screams.
I saw Deputy Kyle Dinkheller being executed. I heard his screams.
I saw Daniel Clary grabbing his gun through his driver's side window and almost two Pennsylvania state troopers.
I saw Mario Hobson so desperate to avoid getting arrested on felony domestic violence warrants that he opened fire on officers from a car filled with children.
I saw this Arkansas officer getting shot at point blank range by a guy in the back seat.
I saw Officer Quincy Smith somehow surviving getting shot in the face by this guy, a friendly reminder why cops tell you to keep your hands in plain view.
I saw Deputy Riley Jarecki going from "guy being difficult" to getting shot at in a fraction of a second.
I saw these LAPD officers getting shot out of nowhere by a guy on probation who really didn't want to go back to jail for being in illegal possession of firearm.
I saw these Tulsa officers getting fired on by another man who really didn't want to go to jail that day.
I saw this punk reaching back into his car to grab a gun. Thank God that officer was on his toes.
I saw all of these images flash in my mind and a hundred more. And now I will see the video of those Tulsa officers being gunned down.
I'll see it every time I have to watch a video of a non-compliant, angry person ignoring clear police demands.
I'll see it every time I have to watch a video of a non-compliant, angry person ignoring clear police demands.
This matters. I'm tired of people pretending that every police shooting victim is Breonna Taylor sleeping innocently in her bed. I'm tired of a one-sided conversation on policing where the civilian's actions aren't scrutinized, or the officer's legitimate fears acknowledged.
Of course I want a world with well-trained cops who are held accountable for their unreasonable or unjustified actions. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't also understand how our own actions provoke a certain - and often not unreasonable - sense of heightened alert by officers.
So please, if you can stomach it, watch these videos. Watch the Tulsa video. And then never again try to tell me that Jacob Blake's own actions didn't play a significant role in getting him shot, regardless of whether you think the decision to shoot was ultimately unjustified.
