The killing of Oscar Grant III, an African American, by a white Oakland police officer is startling in many respects. For one, the question of responsibility in the vast majority of such killings is murky at best, and never has there been video that so clearly captures and validates the claim that is made by so many people of color, especially black people — that police regularly mistreat people of color and sometimes kill people in cold blood (and then receive immunity for their actions). Even the case of Amadou Diallo had some gray shadings in the middle of the facts — the police thought that he was reaching for a gun when he was reaching for his wallet. In Oakland by contrast, it certainly seems to me that there was virtually no possibility that the police officer could have imagined that Grant was a danger to anyone, not even himself. In fact, the video makes it look like an open and shut case of cold-blooded murder.
Let’s comment on this — but do so in light of the following six statements:
1. The only police officers in this country who are NOT appalled by Grant’s killing (aka: “murder”) are likely those who are members of some underground white supremacist organization for cops or the police officers who are just plain psychotic. So don’t t say something like “the police are racist” unless you are also willing to stand behind some other stereotype such as “Mexicans are lazy” or “Irish are drunks.”
2. The vast majority of murders of young black and brown men in the United States are committed by other young black and brown men and NOT the police. That many of these murders are committed for inane reasons (e.g., “he called me out”) seems to me to be an excellent reason to riot in the streets and call for and end to the violence.
3. Racism allows people to act toward people from other groups in ways that they would not otherwise act — and we have to imagine that the officer did not see Mr. Grant as one of his own people (i.e., his nephew, his brother, or even a version of himself).
4. It’s not easy being a police officer in neighborhoods where large numbers of people hate you until they need you (and therefore call 911 and expect you to help them in some way). It’s a very stressful job and one that operates on fear and suspicion. It’s not a reason to commit cold blooded murder — but it is a point to reckon with and one that few people ever take the time to entertain, until they become a cop.
5. This killing happened three weeks before the swearing into office of the first “black” U.S. President.
6. Because you rarely hear about violence committed by the police it doesn’t mean that this is an isolated case. Watch this if you don’t believe me:
So what do you think? What do you make of these two killings? And why haven’t we heard more about the second shooting at the hands of the New Orleans Police Department? How many more egregious acts of violence and hate do law enforcement personnel commit against innocent people that never make the news?
If your first response is “I can’t believe that this could happen in the U.S.,” then what do you think actually does happen out there on the streets? I mean, what do you think is REALLY going on? What might you not be seeing?
After watching two videos of polices’ violence action, I feel very emotional and sad that this thing still happening in real life. I mean we see it in the movie all the time, but when I watched the first clip, it was real situation and really scary. I think what the officers did was unnecessary actions. They have no right to just shoot people that they thought were armed without proof. This is crazy and especially when this case is a black person makes it more even interesting to the media and people.
I used to live around that area and took BART all the time. Honestly, it was really scary. There always some poor people come begged for money and I’m not talking only about black. I’ve experience it myself. Even some white people scared me. I am not a racist person at all but I think it is common for people to stereotyping others. My cousin has a Thai restaurant in Oakland which is one of the most dangerous cities in the states. About 3 years ago, there was really sad incident happened in his restaurant. Around night time, there was a black guy came in and robbed his restaurant. This guy came with a gun but the cashier refused to give him money so he was shot and died. After that incident, he became, I have to say, almost racist to black people. But I do not blame him at all. I think it’s about personal experience that makes us see the world the way we see it. I can’t even imagine if I was in situation, how would it affect me.
I personally, don’t hate cops and I believe there are both good and bad cops out there. This is not only about racism, but it’s about how brutal they are. No one really knows if it’s because he was black or other reasons. The most important thing for cops to have is justice. They have to be fair and don’t judge people by color of skin. They need to stop racial profiling and prejudice. I think something need to be done in this kind of case to prevent it in the future but unfortunately, there will always be a case like Oscar Grant .
[Reply]
Police brutality and racial profiling are two separate issues that are sometimes mixed. I believe every situation is different so it is hard to distinguish between motives and causes. These two situations remind me of a skit I saw a while ago by Michael Moore. We all know Michael Moore as perhaps sometimes an extreme liberal, but I often agree with at least some of the idea or messages he points out. He used to have a television show and I was watching a clip of one on youtube some time ago. The sketch was in response to several recent stories of police shooting black men in events that seemed to be unnecessary and cruel. A common response of police was that they shot a black man because they thought he was pulling out a gun when in fact he was pulling out a cell phone or a wallet. Michael Moore had a number of black man turn in their black, leather wallets for bright orange ones so when police saw the bright orange wallets they could not mistake them for guns. Of course, I believe racial profiling and police brutality are wrong. But, depending on the case, it is so hard to tell if either factor was a cause of the result. Yes, there are certainly racist cops out there. Yes, there are events where innocent black men are injured or killed unnecessarily because of their race by police. But does or should the actions of a few bad cops undermine the hundreds of acts of courage and protection of good cops that happens every day? Would the same result have happened in these two cases or other similar to them if the victims were white or Asian or Hispanic? This all goes along with what we have been discussing and learning in class about the differences between races and ethnic groups. I have often wondered why there are so many more blacks in jail than whites- or why the majority of crime reported on the news involves black perpetrators. Is it because blacks are really committing that much more crime than any other race? Is it because the media only reports on crimes committing by blacks? Is it because police are arresting more blacks that other races? I’m not sure what the answer is, or how we can find it. But all these questions are arguments in no way excuses the actions of police in these two cases or any other cases similar to them. I find it absolutely appalling if the police shot and killed these two men for no good reason if they were innocent. I find it horrible that there are many cops out there who are racist and will arrest or kill a person based on his or her color. But I also thank my lucky stars that policemen and women are out there to protect us. They put their lives on the line to save ours. We can only look towards the future to try to come up with answers and solutions to prevent such events in the future such as better police training.
[Reply]
Goodness gracious! I remember when police were just beating the shit out of people for no reason, but now they are murdering people who have done very little wrong. What can we onlookers really say about incidents like this though? I mean, to us it looks like the victims were cooperating with the police, but we were not there. We only get what the media gives us. We don’t get to hear the words that were exchanged or know what each party was thinking. Still, despite all that the way the officers decided to finally get compliance was far too extreme. You would think they had no regard for human life. To shoot someone in the back 12 times, how can they explain that? I don’t think shooting someone once in the back is ever justifiable let alone 12. It’s cowardly in most circumstances. However, the usual answer in a police shooting is that the suspect had a weapon. But if that’s the case why shoot to kill? Shouldn’t they just shoot to disarm so that if there is a chance that the police were wrong then there wouldn’t be such uproar when an innocent, unarmed person is slaughtered? Perhaps the officers are just scared. Is there an underlying racism? Maybe they are using stereotypes and assumptions of inner city minorities as their motivation while on patrol or when called to a scene. “They’re all druggies who carry concealed weapons. So let’s shoot ’em dead before they shoot us.” I really do hope that’s not what they think in situations like that because it is simple minded and dangerous probably more dangerous than shooting someone to death without cause.
The number one reason why people are so outraged is because no one expects this kind of disturbing violence from the police. You expect the police to do whatever they can to protect the public and themselves but from our point of view it only looks like they protected themselves. The tactics that the police displayed in these shootings seem very much like what you see on the streets- shoot first ask questions later. In general, we don’t expect that gang mentality (or should I say solidarity since it is the police) to be used by law enforcement. These incidents are even more of a slap in the face to the victims and their families and even the surrounding community when the officers involved are not prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law as would a couple of civilians who slaughtered a cop by shooting multiple times. Why is that? Do their badges and connections within the judicial system give them special privilege after killing an unarmed “suspect”? That doesn’t say much for the system if that is that case and it certainly will not ease tensions that people have with the police already.
[Reply]
Judging by the video footage on the website, there was no reason why Oscar Grant III and Adolph “Chris” Grimes have been killed, let alone have a gun pulled out on them in the first place. Sam stated that the majority of murders of black and brown people are committed by other black and brown people. Sam also says that these murderers are for ridiculous reasons. Now although this is may be true, the two shootings of Oscar Grant III and Adolph “Chris” Grimes were committed by police, and were absolutely no reason. I can believe that these types events still occur here in the United States. (Especially among disciplinary figures) Their authoritative positions give them so much leeway.
In the first video, I do not know if the police officer felt hate toward the man because he was of a different race. He might have just been protecting himself. However, his actions were unjust. There was no need to pose such violence on this innocent man, leaving him shot and killed. Judging by the video footage, it appeared as though the police officers were in no danger. One of the friends of Oscar Grant III stated that Oscar was following all of the officer’s directions. Looking back, I do not even know the background story. Why were the officers even holding up those people in the subway? There were so many people watching this horrifying and gruesome event take place in the first video. No matter what the case was, if anything, the victim should have been handcuffed and taken to the station, and matters should have been dealt with in another location. Luckily, someone videotaped this happening, and Oscar Grant’s family was able to get justice.
And in the case of the second video, I also do not know what led the police officers to shoot a man, fourteen times in the back! This is such a tragic event and one that should receive justice. But the family did not receive any attention and are left helpless. The family has a right to know what led to the murder of their son. But facts are vague. Maybe the media does not want to show policemen in this kind of light. If you do not broadcast it, it is almost as if it did not happen. But it did. And this man’s family will live with this horrifying tragedy for the rest of their lives.
In both these cases, racism is suspected. I would truly like to hear what these police officers have to say about their actions. What was their excuse for pulling their weapons on such innocent people? These victims deserve justice and so do their families.
[Reply]
I was shocked when I watched the two videos about the wrongful murder of two innocent civilians by a couple of cops. It brought a lot of thoughts to mind, but initially I was thinking that I couldn’t believe people in authority would behave so sloppily. Their actions seemed impulsive, ignorant, and unfair. I’ve taken criminology before and been presented with similar videos that deal with the mistreatment of minorities by police officers. It does not seem to be a problem that is being sufficiently dealt with. Even in the first video, it did appear to be a pretty clear-cut case of murder, yet reporters were saying that there was still a lot of evidence that needed to be worked out. In these cases, I feel as though the court tries as much as possible to work in favor of the police officers involved so as not to tarnish their reputation. The image of the police force in America is almost considered a priority over fairly compensating the victim or the victim’s family for their losses.
The second video was even more disturbing, after seeing how many bullets were actually shot at the victim. This particular case made me wonder if police officers that join the force are already racist or become racist as a result of years on the job. Becoming a cop would seem like the fitting career path for someone who already possesses racist tendencies. They are handed power and authority, and although they are not supposed to abuse this or use this to their advantage, in many cases they do. Often times no one is watching and the cop can act on their racism because they are the ones wearing the blue uniform.
A different perspective would be that officers become racist after serving so long as an officer. This issue was addressed in the movie “Crash,” in which one overtly racist cop says to another rookie cop, “Wait til’ you’ve been on the job a few more years.” The older cop is saying that after seeing so much crime and brutality, you can’t help but develop these feelings. Consider this viewpoint -many of the crimes committed in the United States are by minorities, and this can cause paranoia or racism towards these groups. However, I think this view causes cops to victimize and go after minorities much more frequently than Caucasians, which in turn causes an increase in the crime statistics for Blacks, Latinos, etc. It is almost like a repetitive cycle.
In conclusion, cops must be aware of their actions instead of behaving simply on impulse. This creates negative consequences for everyone and builds skepticism towards the police force. If minorities are afraid of dealing with the police due to racist acts like the ones we have seen in these videos, they are going to refrain from calling the cops. We need the cops to maintain order and prevent violence from being taken into the hands of gangs or regular civilians, and so we must address this issue of police brutality before it goes any further.
[Reply]
These instances which occurred to me are honestly completely appalling. However, I am not particularly shocked by them happening, as I feel that things like this happen every day. Because Sam wants us to take a “neutral” view point on these topics, and try to “put ourselves in other shoes”, I started to think about instead of immediately condemning the officers, that I should in fact put myself into their position and think about the possible factors which went into this situation. Thinking of this kind of reminded me of two movies, one being “Crash” starring Matt Dillon and Sandra Bullock and Training Day, starring Denzel Washington. In “Crash” it starts out with a young idealistic cop, played by Ryan Phillipe. He starts by being completely repulsed by Matt Dillon, who is an older cop and has seen the ins and outs of the streets, and seems to be completely jaded. Matt Dillon goes around and treats blacks different because he claims once you see how the street really is, you can’t help but be prejudice. To try to stay away from giving a full out movie review, in the end Phillipe’s character shoots a black man because he feels he is reaching for a pistol, but actually is reaching for a religious item in his pocket. As terrible as it seems, you really begin to feel for the character, and if you do catch the meaning of the movie, you see how dangerous prejudice and racism is, but you almost can sympathize and realize you don’t have to be a card carrying member of the Ku Klux Klan to be racist. As with those cops, they may not have been undercover white supremicists, but in the heat of the moment they could have let their instincts take the best of them. In my opinion, police officers are just like anyone else. Just like an accountant or a doctor. They make mistakes, but unlike with an accountant, if a police officer slips up once, it could cost them their lives. That is, regardless of how long you’ve been on the job, a huge burden to carry. I personally know a police officer from my home town, who is a family friend. After talking to him, even though I live in a decent middle class town, he still says every time he makes a traffic stop, he gets nervous and uneasy about what could happen. Hearing that from an officer who patrols a suburb, I can’t imagine the emotions and pressure that is on an officer in a huge city filled with criminals, like New York or Los Angeles. Now, I am in no way saying what this person did was write in the killing of Grant. It was nothing but murder, and no matter how you look at it, it will remain murder. But I feel in other situations, police brutality is a term tossed around too often, and they deserve much more respect for the job they do, and for all the pressure they must carry. The question I’d like to ask, to which the answer I feel may be rhetorical, if the victim was white, would there be such outrage? Especially with the note of it being 3 weeks prior to Obama’s inauguration, it seems like they are trying to draw racial parallels which are not even there, as his presidency is completely irrelevant.
[Reply]
These instances which occurred to me are honestly completely appalling. However, I am not particularly shocked by them happening, as I feel that things like this happen every day. Because Sam wants us to take a “neutral” view point on these topics, and try to “put ourselves in other shoes”, I started to think about instead of immediately condemning the officers, that I should in fact put myself into their position and think about the possible factors which went into this situation. Thinking of this kind of reminded me of two movies, one being “Crash” starring Matt Dillon and Sandra Bullock and Training Day, starring Denzel Washington. In “Crash” it starts out with a young idealistic cop, played by Ryan Phillipe. He starts by being completely repulsed by Matt Dillon, who is an older cop and has seen the ins and outs of the streets, and seems to be completely jaded. Matt Dillon goes around and treats blacks different because he claims once you see how the street really is, you can’t help but be prejudice. To try to stay away from giving a full out movie review, in the end Phillipe’s character shoots a black man because he feels he is reaching for a pistol, but actually is reaching for a religious item in his pocket. As terrible as it seems, you really begin to feel for the character, and if you do catch the meaning of the movie, you see how dangerous prejudice and racism is, but you almost can sympathize and realize you don’t have to be a card carrying member of the Ku Klux Klan to be racist. As with those cops, they may not have been undercover white supremicists, but in the heat of the moment they could have let their instincts take the best of them. In my opinion, police officers are just like anyone else. Just like an accountant or a doctor. They make mistakes, but unlike with an accountant, if a police officer slips up once, it could cost them their lives. That is, regardless of how long you’ve been on the job, a huge burden to carry. I personally know a police officer from my home town, who is a family friend. After talking to him, even though I live in a decent middle class town, he still says every time he makes a traffic stop, he gets nervous and uneasy about what could happen. Hearing that from an officer who patrols a suburb, I can’t imagine the emotions and pressure that is on an officer in a huge city filled with criminals, like New York or Los Angeles. Now, I am in no way saying what this person did was write in the killing of Grant. It was nothing but murder, and no matter how you look at it, it will remain murder. But I feel in other situations, police brutality is a term tossed around too often, and they deserve much more respect for the job they do, and for all the pressure they must carry. The question I’d like to ask, to which the answer I feel may be rhetorical, if the victim was white, would there be such outrage? Especially with the note of it being 3 weeks prior to Obama’s inauguration, it seems like they are trying to draw racial parallels which are not even there, as his presidency is completely irrelevant.
[Reply]
“And why haven’t we heard more about the second shooting at the hands of the New Orleans Police Department? How many more egregious acts of violence and hate do law enforcement personnel commit against innocent people that never make the news?” I feel like we haven’t heard anything about the second shooting in New Orleans is because the government and media are trying to protect the name of the city. After hurricane Katrina, the city united as a whole to try and preserve what is left. They want the world to know that the spirit is still alive. This shooting (and other police acts of violence from the police) was covered up because New Orleans doesn’t want that spirit tainted. The city wants to be seen as anew…like they are all still united and work together as one to make the city even better than before. And police acts of violence such as the killing of Adolph “Chris” Grimes would give New Orleans a bad reputation. I also find it heartbreaking that the family still does not know why the police acted this way and killed Grimes. I would also like to point out the one reporter in the story; at the 3:10 minute mark he asks, “You know, you hear this family and they seem angry and frustrated, what is the source of that?” Its like, are you serious? Why do you think this family is frustrated? Why do you think they are upset? They lost their son and received no explanation why he was killed. I know that people think there is no such thing as a stupid question, but honestly, just think how you would feel in this situation and there is your answer; no need for the media to investigate who was right or wrong in this matter.
The killing of these two men is extremely disturbing to me. And what I find even more disturbing is that the government is going to give them a large sum of money in what seems like a “cover up,” or to get the families to drop the situations. Well honestly I feel that no amount of money could possibly be able to account for the loss and emotional damage these two families must go through. A family member was killed and that’s not something that can be bought off.
[Reply]
I would like to start off by saying that when I saw the first video of the murder in the Bay area I was shocked. What was not shocking was that right after the shooting, the police officers then tried to confiscate everyone’s phones and cameras. That is deemed unconstitutional and they had no right to do it; they just wanted to limit the evidence that could be used against this case. After watching the video, I cannot say that it shocks me, but I do understand why it has not received the same airtime as the Bay area shooting and that was for the lack of video. The American people want to see these things happening. Having video proof actually shows that what some police are doing is wrong, without speculation. The people can see it for their own eyes. I do not believe the police as a whole are racist. I do believe that some have a skewed perception of certain races because of what they have encountered in their duties, not that it is right, but it happens. Going with point 2, that most of the murders that happen in the U.S. of young black and brown men, are committed by young black and brown men is something I entirely believe is true. I have had two friends that were black/brown be shot and killed by other people who were black/brown. My one friend Ahman Fralin was a passenger in a car that tapped another car at a red light, in April 2006. In retaliation the driver of the other car got out and aimed for the driver, but hit the passenger instead. Just because the two cars tapped, Ahman was shot, paralyzed, and then died six months later. His killer was just captured on the 20th of this month. Only four days ago. Another friend Antonio Johnson was leaving his girlfriend’s house in South Philadelphia in October 2006, and was shot and killed because his cousin owed a gang money. Both black men were killed by other black men, because of “street cred” or street credentials, and it’s appalling that they had to die for other people to feel better. Getting back to the subject at hand, I believe some police officer’s get in to this position of power, and use it to the fullest extent. I am a white woman, and I recently got pulled over by a police officer for going seven miles above the speed limit (72 in 65). The cop’s reasoning is that I passed him and that was just unacceptable which I find to be a ridiculous excuse, but it happened. The cop was not white, and I can not say for sure whether he was black or Hispanic of some kind, but when I did attend court, every single person there waiting for him was white. I’m not calling him racist, but just pointing it out that cops might be racist even if they are not white.
[Reply]
The article about the police officers killing the innocent African American people was really startling to me. I think there is probably more corrupt police departments than I have ever realized. The shooting in New Orleans was the most disturbing to me because they hardly had any information about it. I feel so terrible for the family because they have no explanation as to why this happened to their song. I do think it is ridiculous that the cops shot the boy 14 times 12 being in the back. Obviously, if they really felt they were in danger one shot would have wounded him. It is upsetting to think the boy had a child, had no record, and seemed to be a good man from what his parents were saying. I would like to further investigate this story because I am wondering why the cops were even looking at this boy if he is from out of town, and the only reason he was around was to spend New Years with his family. I could understand if they had been watching him and they thought he was a danger, but the police didn’t even know this boy. It does make you wonder if this was about race, but then the lead investigator was black so I just don’t understand what happened this night. In the first video you don’t see anything suspicious. They shot the man in the back after having him restrained. People were watching this all happen. I understand police need to be aware of everything and protect themselves, but I think that the police are taking it too far. It seems to be a racial issue more than anything else.
This article brought me back to class when we talked about the police officers targeting people of race to pull over for no good reason. I was shocked at that lecture because I have relatives in the police and I cannot imagine any of them targeting because of race. I can’t believe there are actually police that are so corrupt. What shocked me even more was that the police can confiscate money just because they are suspicious. I can’t believe they can get away with technically stealing money. That’s bad, but worse yet is that they use the money on themselves to get new cars or computers. I don’t understand why the police wouldn’t be required to hand the money over to government officials. It makes me sad to think that many of the people lose their money even if they are innocent. They can fight it in the court system but they are probably going to spend more money for an attorney and court costs that it isn’t even worth it to fight.
[Reply]
It is a known fact that police look for and arrest more people of color proportionately than they do white people. It is also a known fact that sometimes people of color are verbally and physically abused by police more than are white people. This is not to say that all policemen are racist or abusive towards minorities. But enough policemen are racist and corrupt that it has become a generalization and a stereotype than many people in the United States truly believe. Most of the people who do believe this, of course, are minorities themselves. As Sam was talking about in class, white people are often blind to these horrendous situations and unfair arrests or traffic tickets because since it does not happen to them, they just assume that the police are being fair and punishing only people who deserve to be punished.
The second case in New Orleans is even more shocking to me than the first story. Chris Grimes didn’t even have a police record. He had a good job and a loving family. His family was not even informed as to why he was killed at the time when this interview was conducted. The story is especially horrendous because Grimes was not just shot once; he was shot fourteen times, twelve of which were in his back. What could he possibly have been doing to make the police think that it was necessary to repeatedly shoot him until he was dead on the ground half a block away from his grandmother’s house?
I hope that the police officers in both of these situations are fired from their current police forces and are never able to find work as police officers again. In addition, I think that they should face serious criminal charges and be put in jail. In fact, I think that they should be put in jail on murder charges and possibly stay locked up for the rest of their lives. Because what they have done is murder. There are not really other ways to look at what they did. I mean, yes, police have the right to fire a gun at someone if that person is resisting arrest and has a weapon and is threatening the lives of others. I am not exactly sure of the exact rules that police officers are supposed to follow regarding the shooting of criminals or criminal suspects, but I do know that whatever these two men were doing did not warrant being shot down and killed. In the first video, a friend of the man killed who witnessed the killing even noted that they were following all of the cops’ instructions and not resisting arrest at all. If the officers involved are not seriously punished, then the judicial system is very, very flawed.
[Reply]
I think that putting yourself in the cop’s situation doesn’t really give justice to why the police did what they did. Shooting someone in front of his friends and all those people just because you are overwhelmed with the situation you are in does not give any person the right to straight up murder someone. There is just not really any other word for it. Those cops in those situations murdered those people and sure it is wrong to assume the cops are racist because of their actions, but what else do you call it? I am positive many people would agree that a white person in the situation of either of those black men would not have been shot. The videos in class just further prove that assumption, when cops let white people drive away but charge black people and take their money and have to search their cars. I honestly think it is so pathetic. My dad is a corrections officer, and while he may not work on the streets, he is working in a jail all day long with the prisoners, but he never comes home to complain about anyone of any certain race. In fact, the only black man that is part of our family is the person who my dad considers his dad. So, no, I’m not calling police racist, but I do think that was a racist act. You can have sweat dripping down your forehead and people yelling in your face all day, but in no way does that give you the right to shoot them simply because you get to walk around with a gun. Part of being a cop is being able to handle situations like that and handle them properly. Guns are used for protection, and the cops were not being harmed at all by either of the two boys that were shot. If it came down to the point where they were being threatened then it comes time to use the gun, but still, fourteen shots? And twelve to the back? That’s an outrage and there is no excuse. But the point remains that the boy who was shot was causing no harm to the police. It worries me that people who have any sort of power in the world can make such rash and consequential decisions that affect the lives of so many people in such a deep and negative way and it can go unnoticed by the world. This is just two instances that I honestly was so oblivious to and they probably happen all of the time. It kills me that people are still judging people by color and that things like this can come about because of it. Not just white people judging black people, but black people judging white people or any race. No one can really prove that either of these circumstances are directly related to color but anyone who watches the videos has to wonder and it probably leads most to believe that it is in fact related to racism in some way. Hopefully this presidency will have a huge impact on people who still can be so racist because something really needs to change.
[Reply]
I am fully aware that police often acquire an uncalled for bad reputation through the actions of just a small portion of their numbers, but in watching these videos, I can also see how it is hard not to let this happen. The day we watched the video in class about the cops taking money from people they randomly stopped on the highway in Florida, I left class with the images of those cops in my mind. A few minutes later as I was walking to the bus, a police car drove down the street I was walking along. The officer in the passenger’s seat was looking out the window casually at the students, and when the car passed where I was walking I noticed myself giving him a pretty nasty look. Then I realized, those were not the same cops from the video, so why had I frowned at them like they were? I was able to catch myself discriminating against the cops and realize I was wrong in doing so. This might be a harder thing to do for people who have been more directly impacted by racist police acts, such as the family members of the boy who was shot at Bart Station, or the boy who was shot numerous times in the back without explanation. I think these people have a right to be angry. That does not mean that they should hate all law enforcement officers as a result, but I can’t say that I wouldn’t in their situation. When a life is taken in a deliberate act of violence, I think that someone needs to suffer consequences, mainly the killer. Watching these videos, I would be surprised if I found out that the cops involved in the shootings were not white supremacists. This is the only thing that I can imagine would cause them to act in killing these boys. This type of crime should not be tolerated, especially in America. If we allow these policemen to get off with no punishment simply because they are higher in power, then we are no better than the tyrants who ruthlessly kill slaves in the countries mentioned in the Disposable People book. I was angered by these videos, but I know the cops shown only represent a fraction of our law enforcers. Sam makes a great point in saying that people hate police until they need them. I think this is something that could be improved by the citizens, while police officers should work towards targeting and removing the few corrupt cops that give them all a bad name. It will take effort from both sides, but I think there will come a time when police officers are more appreciated for the important roles they play in society and citizens will feel less threatened by the potential of encountering a racist cop.
[Reply]
Between Adolph Grimes and Oscar Grant, it is hard not to be appalled by what happened to them. I continued to look for more videos on the two cases and have come to the conclusion that we cannot know exactly what went down or make a solid determination on the cases until they are thoroughly investigated. If I were the family of either of these young men, I would certainly not be comfortable with the police department responsible for my son’s death investigating and drawing a conclusion on the case as well. How are these families expected to comply and work with police when it was the police responsible for the lives lost?
It’s a shame that these stories show little evidence of the necessity of guns, yet they led to the seemingly atrocious deaths. In one of the other Oscar Grant videos that I came across, it displays a police officer viciously punching Grant in the face, knocking his head back, and from there Grant slides into a sitting position on the floor with his hands held out in front of him, clearly demonstrating his willingness to abide. Unfortunately, I was not a witness to this crime, therefore, I do not know if Grant posed a serious threat to the police. All I can gather from the videos that I watched is a seemingly unaggressive situation escalating into the death of a citizen.
As for Adolph Grimes, the story is not clear. The family has not even received information on their son’s death. The police shot him 48 bullets, hitting him 14 times, 12 of those bullets in the back. He drove from Houston to New Orleans to fulfill a New Year’s family tradition and wound up dead hours later. So far as the public knows, Grimes was not committing any crime when he was shot, but rather, the police had descended on his vehicle as he was waiting for his cousin.
It is heartbreaking to learn of these lives lost and sit waiting for an explanation. Especially for the families of these young men, I cannot imagine whom they feel safe putting their trust in at this point, for the criminal justice system is responsible for the injustice they are suffering. The police department is supposed to settle the unsettled, but I could not imagine being the mother of either of these boys and feel even slightly assured that his case was in good hands. Where do you go when the people responsible for the death are also responsible for investigating the case? It is tragic that these families are left to wonder if the men responsible for their children’s death will be held accountable.
[Reply]
My first reaction to watching the video of Oscar Grant II was “Oh My God” I can’t believe this happened to this man. Then I became angry and pissed off. Actually in almost infuriated by this story. This story is just strait bullshit and I’m in pure disbelief that these “Pigs” are at home with their families still living their normal lives. I’ve never even heard of these stories until I read the blog. How come I never saw these stories in the news, how come I never heard any of my peers speaking about this subject matter???? I honestly believe it’s because the cops try there damnest to keep their dirt under wraps and there sure to keep a low profile when the wrong doings are in their hands. In lieu of the six questions: (1.) If a law enforcement personal don’t feel some type of disgust and anger about this story, then I’m lead to believe that if in the same situation they wouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger also. I think its game to them. They know they can get away with this shit, so why not take some people out while there at. I mean come on “They have reason to believe… we did what we had to do. Someone should beat there asses. (2.) I don’t think this question has anything to do with the killings of these two men. Their lives were taken by some corrupt cops; it was not an act of black on black crime. Does this give the officer the right to partake in murderous ventures just because black men do it to? I mean come on I thought the cops are there to protect us from all the bad things out there in the world. When you hear stories like this, it doesn’t put faith in system. It taints their image and reassures the negative stereotypes that are held when speaking about cops. Not only do you have to watch your back for perpetrators, but you also have to watch out for the corrupt cops that would put a bullet in your ass if they felt like it. The justice system is supposed to make us feel safe, but I’m more concerned about them than the mysterious man on the corner. (3) Yes racism does allow people to act in ways that they wouldn’t normally act, but this doesn’t justify them. There are a lot of things I don’t like in this world, but I know better than to go and act in an unruly manner no matter how much I think I’m justified. People must look at other people as just that, people, Black, white, Puerto-Rican, or Haitian, but in the real world that doesn’t happen. Some folks just see color when it comes down to it. And I believe that’s what the officers of both these stories saw: A black man= Armed Dangerous=Bring em’ down, Bring em’ down, Boi ya goin down! (Fthem)(4)Cops must understand the reason people don’t like them is for them same reason “we” don’t like them, negative stereotypes. All’s it takes is one A-hole to mess it up for the rest of them. (5) I think that this comment is irrelevant. If John McCain was to be appointed president the same crimes would have been committed, they would have not been in the lame life, and these poor men’s lives still would have been taken at the hands of law enforcement. (6) Just because we don’t hear about it doesn’t mean that it’s an isolated case, it just means that people weren’t quit quiet enough for this case. I’m sure this happens ALL the time. But why would anyone want to publicize this, it only makes the cops look bad. And what it does is expose the real truth about the dirt they are guilty of….Overall I hope these families see justice and I hope any one affiliated with the wrong doings of these men rot in hell!
[Reply]
Wow! Police Officers are notorious for abusing power, but shooting someone in the back 14 times from several officers is insane. I am going to deal with this case first as I feel it is more ridiculous than the other. Under no circumstance should clips continuously be unloaded on one person, whom may not even be armed. I know that Police Officers have an incredibly difficult job in judging situations, and always should caution on the safe side, but this is taking it too far. “Self-defense” is a term that police have in their back pocket and pull it out all the time in instances similar to this case. Although they clearly were protecting themselves I find it very unlikely that they will get away this forcefully brutal murder. As for the other case, though not as violent it may be even more out of line. As far as we can see and are told by witnesses the victim was 100% cooperating. The victim was on his knees and was in no way threatening these officers. Self-defense can defiantly not be used in this case of what I perceive to be clear cut murder. This officer who shot the victim and the other officer who kneed him in the face while he was defenseless are un-called for. These officers should be prosecuted as far as possible, to not only punish them, but to make an example out of them. Police Officers around the country have to get reminded that they are not gods, and have unlimited threatening power and control. If Police officers such as these got prosecuted very severely, and more cases got prosecuted severely, we would see less abuse of power from Police Officers all around. Just watching these videos makes me furious. I can’t believe that these officers are not instantly punished. I feel bad for the families of the victims in both instances and in all instances of Police abuse. I hope that they win all the cases involved with these murders. Also the fact that both of these victims are black does not help racism and prejudice stereotypes in our country. This makes the white race look terrible, and more sympathy to the blacks, but the main problem is that it just further separates and stereotypes the two races. Racism is still a big problem in this nation. Many steps are taken every day in the right direction to break racism, but instances like these effect families and their friends and neighborhoods for a lifetime, and really hurt the general direction of getting rid of racism. In conclusion I wish the victims families the best. I hope they crush the court cases and punish, prosecute and make an example of these ego driven and power abusive Police Officers.
[Reply]
It’s hard to see and hear stories like this happening. When I think of police officers, and I’m sure most other people feel the same way, but I think of protection, honesty and trust. Maybe I am naive to put so much of MY faith and trust in these individuals who hold so much power over our lives. But is it really that wrong of me to be thinking this? When one looks at a description or definition of a police officer, would the officers involved in these two shootings say that they fulfill, and were fulfilling these duties? Would other officers in their county, state, or country think that they do? Police indeed to a lot of good for society, but when things like this happen, it overshadows all the good they do.
I this that these two killings are so disgraceful, and even if these individual’s whose lives were taken were in the wrong, they did NOT deserve to be taken from this world in the way they were. Taking the life of someone, to me, is unacceptable in almost every situation. These officers did not only kill these two men, they killed a part of each family member, and they killed the dreams of their children and people they loved. In the circumstance, these officers do not think of the power they hold in their hand, or on the side of their belts.
The fact that these police forces or whatever you call them, are not giving the media, let alone the poor families any information, it blatantly saying that they know they fucked up and are trying to either, skew what happened to make it seem like what happened was justified, or make things up to put themselves in the right. It makes me sick to think how much power these people have. They have the power to take innocent lives, to me, the greatest power one could have. They don’t have the right to play God and decide when a person should die.
I know that there has to be SO many more instances like this that happen each day, everywhere. Not all are publicly happening in train stations with a train full of people watching the whole thing unfold. The fact that it happened in this way I’m sure makes covering it up or justifying it impossible. But, they seem to have the power to go against what any person says or sees, so that would be interesting to see how it turns out.
Another thing I am wondering, is if when that first police officer, who pulled the gun out and shot the handcuffed man in the back, killing him, what did his fellow officers think? Did they think “shit, that shouldn’t have happened” or “alright I’m glad he did that so I didn’t have to”?
[Reply]
When I first saw the video of Oscar Grant III being “murdered” by Oakland police officers, I was suddenly overcome with sorrow. I just could not understand how men−white, black, Latino, and any other ethnicity−could just point blank end someone else’s life the way these cops clearly did. After getting over the grief I had felt, my emotions quickly turned into anger. I was angry because it frustrates me when I see so many of these cases occur where innocent black men are “accidentally killed” by police officers.
As a black person myself, I rarely like to use racism as an excuse for something because I generally know that there is always at least one small part of the story that is being left out. However, I have no doubt in my mind that these two killings were due in large part to the fact that the victims were Black men. Even if, in the case of Aldolf Grimes, the victim was guilty of a crime and he shot at the cops, there is absolutely no just cause for 48 shots being fired at one person. Where is the just cause in that? And then to be shot in the back 12 times? I just can’t seem to grasp the concept where that could be acceptable to the cop who was shooting. Being from New York, I have dealt with the cases of Sean Bell and Amadou Diallo and have seen all the cops that did the shootings all be acquitted of their charges, which is just an outrage. However, some people like to think that it is just white cops who are doing the case. In the Sean Bell case, two of the cops in the incident were African American themselves. So people can’t just say that it is a racism that is playing a part in the shootings. Although racism does play a part, it all deals with how people profile a person just from seeing them. Even though the men were innocent, it does not help that they were Black men walking at night in areas that are not that safe. As sad as it is, Black men are always at disadvantage because people of all races look at them sometimes as they are just another “gangster”. I would be lying if I never judged another Black man just by looking at them and then feeling a little safe.
With all this said though, it still does not excuse the actions. And the fact that these cops get away with it shows that justice system needs to be looked at because it is unacceptable. I hope that there will one day be a time when everyone can look at each other without judging, but I don’t think that is possible. I just hope events like these don’t have to keep happening before someone really takes notice.
[Reply]
When I first saw the video of Oscar Grant III being “murdered” by Oakland police officers, I was suddenly overcome with sorrow. I just could not understand how men−white, black, Latino, and any other ethnicity−could just point blank end someone else’s life the way these cops clearly did. After getting over the grief I had felt, my emotions quickly turned into anger. I was angry because it frustrates me when I see so many of these cases occur where innocent black men are “accidentally killed” by police officers.
As a black person myself, I rarely like to use racism as an excuse for something because I generally know that there is always at least one small part of the story that is being left out. However, I have no doubt in my mind that these two killings were due in large part to the fact that the victims were Black men. Even if, in the case of Aldolf Grimes, the victim was guilty of a crime and he shot at the cops, there is absolutely no just cause for 48 shots being fired at one person. Where is the just cause in that? And then to be shot in the back 12 times? I just can’t seem to grasp the concept where that could be acceptable to the cop who was shooting. Being from New York, I have dealt with the cases of Sean Bell and Amadou Diallo and have seen all the cops that did the shootings all be acquitted of their charges, which is just an outrage. However, some people like to think that it is just white cops who are doing the case. In the Sean Bell case, two of the cops in the incident were African American themselves. So people can’t just say that it is a racism that is playing a part in the shootings. Although racism does play a part, it all deals with how people profile a person just from seeing them. Even though the men were innocent, it does not help that they were Black men walking at night in areas that are not that safe. As sad as it is, Black men are always at disadvantage because people of all races look at them sometimes as they are just another “gangster”. I would be lying if I never judged another Black man just by looking at them and then feeling a little safe.
With all this said though, it still does not excuse the actions. And the fact that these cops get away with it shows that justice system needs to be looked at because it is unacceptable. I hope that there will one day be a time when everyone can look at each other without judging, but I don’t think that is possible. I just hope events like these don’t have to keep happening before someone really takes notice.
[Reply]
Even though Americans would like to believe that their government and the police officers employed to protect and serve is all fair and equal, it would be ignorant to think that is always the case. Everywhere in this world there are accounts of injustice where people in power abuse their authority and let their personal feelings and thoughts interfere with their jobs. Police officers are no different. I do not think that all policemen are corrupt or racist, and the sampling of them that are is probably the same as you would find in the general population.
It makes sense that people try to keep these acts of violence and brutality out of the news. They are isolated incidents and very tough to watch. Even though I know it is only that one officer and not all policemen, it still made me feel completely horrified that it ever occurs.
Being a police officer is a very hard job, especially in urban areas with lots of crime. My cousin’s husband is a policeman in Reading, PA, which is a only small city but it has a very high murder rate per capita. In his five years working for the city, five of his fellow officers died in service. It is a dangerous line of work and true that they are not usually appreciated by the people they protect until those people need them. It insults every honest police officer to be compared to the select few that are dishonest.
I’m not sure that the murder of Oscar Grant III is related to Obama’s first day in office happening a few weeks later. Although, other blogs and articles have shown that his election as president of the United States angered some white power groups. It is possible that these few police are a part of one of those racist, white supremacy groups. To me it seems more like an event that occurred at the wrong time. These terrible things happen every day, so it seems to be more ironic than it actually is.
It is unfortunate that because of a select few racist police officers the rest receive a bad rap when instances such as these occur. Racism is a difficult concept to understand and when people are racist their actions can be very scary. Sam’s blog brings up an interesting point: that when people are racist they do not view the other individual as a person. Instead they see the person de-individualized and look at them only as a member of the group they hate. Every person is a just that a person- equal to every other one. Until people can see each other in that way, racism will never be overcome. We are a long way from that in this country and terrible events like that demonstrate it.
[Reply]
Prejudice in the Law?
Sure, these can be incriminating evidence, yet do we truly know what the entire story is. Or is this the distortion of the situation due to media bias and the need to create news that sells? We don’t know the true story behind this story, so we don’t particularly understand the situation. Who knows what happened before the situation, and there may have been hidden circumstances that are being gleaned over. Though, even to me it seems cruel and unusual.
We have to take into consideration the stress and paranoia of the police. They work in a city that doesn’t appreciate them, and the people they try to protect are constantly out for their lives. It’s an extremely dangerous profession, and you don’t know who has a gun or not, and if today may be your last day. There are so many factors that could have determined what happened and whether or not this was completely unjustified.
Though, I cannot argue that something is wrong when the need to use so much excessive force is needed. I cannot say whether it is racism or not. If it was a white person would it be the same? Who knows? Also, in the other shooting there were black cops also, so if it is racism then is it racism from black people to other black people also? It’s all a really confusing concept, since we truly do not know what is going on in these cops minds.
An interesting solution to this could be to train the police cops into better analyzing situations of distress and to better predict more favorable outcomes. This is an important step into figuring out the underlying problems within the police stations. Also a study of the suburbs or areas with high black populations outside of the city would be a great idea, to determine whether or not the pressures of the city affect the law enforcement. The city itself is a very stressful environment and it provides many risks, so that may create cops that are trigger happy.
You know what? What happens if it really is racism? What can you do about it? If even people of the same race do it to each other is there any possible answer, or are you completely screwed and doomed to keep watching other atrocities such as this occur. The policemen should still be persecuted because of their actions though. Getting off without any penalties is terrible and detrimental to society. If they get trigger happy they have to understand the impact and consequences of the decision, plus they should have to meet and apologize to the families who have lost loved ones. The distressing part is no one is doing anything about it, and we need to do anything we can to resolve this issue.
[Reply]
I watched the videos over and over again to make sure I was actually seeing this and not getting my own view of what my black friends would perceive it as. It’s true, that was my first thought but then I went back to what happens next? I had the same feeling I felt in the past when I heard of discrepancy or inequality towards any race. I had this feeling of discomfort and remembering that this world is unjust but after about day my life went back to its normal course. So how much did it really affect me? Of course I prayed for the two families and was sadden by hearing about it but only for a day. The two shootings were definitely sad but not a total shock to me. Not because I do not have a heart or that I am siding with The Burt police but because I’m not disturbed by it anymore. In America when you’re a part of the black community things are in a very different perspective than the next white person in denial. The truth is that I’ve heard it too many times for it to shock me, but to add to that, nothing I’ve seen or heard could compare to these two particular cases because these are to the extreme. Many people do not understand that many instances like this have shaped the way Blacks, Latinos, Asians or any other minority live their normal lives with hypocrisy and slander, so after a while it merely becomes another normal incident. How about the fact that there are hardly any missing victims who appear on T.V. who are black, 99% of the time they are white. It’s not that missing cases only involved white children but those are the only ones to hit the media or catch anybody’s attention. It’s not that people do not notice the lack of attention and energy put into black missing children’s cases but it has not become that important to them yet. Then again we can go back to how could racism or slavery of any kind happen without anybody speaking up and we go back to no answer at all. So, injustice will always happen in my opinion but it’s sad that murder has to be the crime but nobody serves the time. Being the other race or inferior to another can hurt but over time you deal with it and that’s how I’ve gone about it for years now. I guess you stop thinking about it after it’s instilled into your mind for such a long time. It gets to the point where you accept racism or brutality towards minorities. It’s definitely not right but then again its life.
[Reply]
Hello!
[Reply]
pressed sdes hurt erasure boundaries solveig ashwell drew weaker tens originally gazetted
[Reply]
industrys nielsen countercheck rabbit invisible schierholz blew zhangjiang ayurvedic corn primarily stationary
[Reply]
cutler paho ideology performers workable rapid felony shuttle vkids reductions photograph
[Reply]
singhit mobilize cksmz calicut surfaced wind saved palem comparison compilation merely
[Reply]
halt printing pollution shore liedel centurygreat trafficking paranoia avenuenorth desires clean
[Reply]
consisted brewster shortening warranted hatched herbaceous snapshot vendor roundtable commodity symantec
[Reply]
notices dgft limb infoskills googles avid poages whoever living indefinite liturgies
[Reply]
suggests bush bryan yxkbz riverside wong recruit engaging shreya stahl cassette
[Reply]
copa stretched organisation byrne nbsig holiday plough directorof unlocks fdlp livelihoods
[Reply]
withdrawing unviable acquiring institutes whisker chandighar electric grademusic monographs motorcycle projected
[Reply]
legalissues melodic major edus weeks user connected prediction licensed discourse associationc
[Reply]
mtentrydate ophthalmol dcddab ogue collect mumford dhamtari precludes severity undecanoate harder
[Reply]
patent soap parentheses sleeping shaped managerby statesberlin preps script berridge copula
[Reply]
generated sikandrabad hazel offset recent tenure disruptive tekara phases legitimately chauhanen
[Reply]
realise prospects location elastomer repeats useful graphing bailing healthcares tradimport emanating
[Reply]
senapati sharpens responder companys homepages leap pregnancy framed severity francetitle founded
[Reply]