|
Before I share those ideas with you, isn't it amazing
that whenever there is a post mortem on what happened on a
"shoot" it invariably shows that the first line of "defense"
is for the officer to use his gun even in situations where a
gun should be the means of last resort?
I mean, whatever happened to the use of the billy club
or the Taser or shooting someone (if it comes to that) who
is unarmed in the leg or arm? Why is it always deadly force
even when the officer is not in any danger whatsoever?
Remember the shoot in Chicago where the young and walking
black man was shot 16 times while on the ground! Yes, while
on the ground. But yet, somehow, the shooter cop was going
to go with the tried and true bogus explanation of, "I felt
threatened or he posed an imminent threat to me or to my
colleagues."
How can a person, who is unarmed and is on the ground,
pose such a threat that you continue to pummel his body with
16 gunshots?
That, my friends, is pure evil and hatred. That is not
defensible police work. Now, we have a shoot in Tulsa where
apparently the chief of police is reworking the police story
to say that maybe no gun was involved.
So, if not a gun, why was the black man executed in cold
blood?
My theory? Simple. Too many cops have been inculcated
with the image that black men are animals and are
unpredictable and only by the use of brute force are they
able to be contained. The defective training that some cops
get in the academy and from the urban legends coming from
their cop pals seemingly supports a police worldview that
when you meet up with a black male, it is, "either you or
him!"
In the Tulsa shoot, even the cop in the circling
overhead helicopter was using the phrase which was heard on
the airwaves, that he was a "big bad dude."
Again, a "dog whistle" quote to say that this guy was a
savage darkie who needed to be put down.
There have been other publicized shoots of black males
that have shown that either the accosting police officers
are either hyped up race killers looking for an easy mark or
they have a phobic fear of black males; and the slightest
indication of protest or resistance from the stopped black
male requires his immediate death; and with the belief that
your cop brothers and sisters will cover you and you will be
exonerated by a sympathetic white grand jury.
Driving while black is becoming a dangerous thing to do
and especially at night when the accosting officers, fearful
of black men to begin with and now with the cover of
darkness, are even more prone to shoot first and ask
questions later.
Until the judicial system, including fair and impartial
grand juries, begins to prosecute guilty police officers for
murder for their bad shoots, this travesty will continue to
plague America and it will reap a harvest of bitter distrust
of anyone wearing a badge.
Now, for my solutions to hopefully reduce the number of
bad shoots of black men while driving a car in America:
(1)
When driving alone, drive naked. Yes, you heard me right.
Take only your driver's
license and insurance card and some money. Put your clothes
in a see through plastic bag and carry it with you to your
destination. Don't let false modesty get you shot!
This way, when you are stopped and exit the vehicle,
the police will not have the excuse of we could not see
where his hands went and that is why we killed him.
Being naked as a jaybird takes away one of the cops’
favorite arguments about places you could hide a weapon.
Don't even wear shoes when you drive! That way, they can't
say that you had a small derringer hidden away in your Air
Jordans.
(2) Install a 360-degree camera in your car that records
both images and voices when you are stopped. Don't tell the
cops about this camera because they will disable it and you
will lose your advantage.
Have the camera automatically go on when you see the
first blue and red flashes of a police car. Make sure the
camera has fresh batteries at all times since the stop may
last a while. Make sure you say out loud, many times, "I am
unarmed and I want to live!"
(3) When driving a long distance arrange, for a fee, to
have two other vehicles shadow you with at least three
occupants in each car. Make sure they are drug free, no
warrants and have their video cameras ready at all times.
Make sure they stay a short distance away from the scene of
the action so that they are not accused of obstructing
official business, aka: making sure that you are not shot!
(4) If you have too, take a bus wherever you go. It may be
cumbersome and not cost effective but it is better than you
lying on the ground with bullet holes in your chest.
You will notice that the police are not in the habit of
stopping buses to search out black males for a cheap shot.
Too many gawking witnesses with cameras on a bus!
So, make friends with Greyhound and become a frequent
bus traveler and rack up some mighty impressive bus points
for later use.
(5) Cabs...cabs...cabs! I know...I know...It is very
expensive to take a cab to go to the local grocery store,
church, gym, barbershop, restaurant or park...but.
Don't you want to live! If every black male who drives would
start taking cabs everywhere, there would be more employment
for cabbies and you would arrive safely at your destination.
It is a no brainer! Plus...no car note and upkeep!
(6) At least consider this! When you drive, have your pastor
ride with you dressed in his cleric collar and a large, open
Bible in his lap in the front seat. Make sure you are
playing a CD of Mahalia Jackson or Kurt Franklin.
When you are stopped and the officers approaches the
car, have the pastor smile and say in a loud voice (for the
camcorder), "Praise the Lord!...is there a problem officers
with my parishioner?"
This stratagem is a sure bet that the officer will
think twice before he pulls the trigger since he will have
to testify at a grand jury and against the testimony of a
Man of God!
There! I got you covered. So drive in peace but... have
your will made out just in case none of the above ideas
work.
Contact Lafe Tolliver at tolliver@juno.com
|
