A thread.

We often hear people make excuses for police when they take the life of an unarmed civilian. They talk about cops being in highly tense situations and how we don’t know what it’s like to be in that position and how the now deceased victim should have complied.

My favorite word. Compliance.

But why is it that people are always focused on the mental state of the cop and never the victim?

Why is it so easy to excuse deadly and forceful behavior by a person who is SUPPOSED to be trained to de-escalate situations?

Is fear not a reason to want to run?

Is fear not a reason to panic?

Is having a gun drawn on you a situation in which YOU would stay calm?

The problem is that empathy towards Black people as a whole is simply hard to come by in this country.

You can do everything right, and people will still blame you for your own murder.

A lot of people resist being arrested.... but trying to flea, or simply resisting is not a reason to lose your life. Shooting someone should not be the immediate reaction to resistance.

We may not know what it’s like to be a cop, but you sure as hell don’t know what it’s like to be Black.