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I learned of the fatal shooting of a 22 year old man in Greensboro
during a traffic check. The family of this young man is well known
and close to my family. He was unarmed but shot 6 times in the
chest by an officer. Seventeen years ago, at age 29 his father met
the same fate but only received 4 bullets to the chest when the
police arrived at the scene of a domestic disturbance. Those not
intimately involved with such a case seem to have little difficulty
making such comments as "they got what they deserved" or that
"the officers had no alternative than to kill them." I wonder if these
people would make such comments were it their relative or friend
who was executed. I feel justified in this stance because I know that
neither of these young men were killers and did not necessarily have
to die in the way they did. True, there was a problem with anger and
defiance, but does that warrant death?
I wish that race weren't a factor but race is always a factor.
Traditionally, the police in most metro areas are perceived more
as a threat than a friend by the average black man. This often adds
to the frustration the subject might already feel. Being a black man
in America is itself a risk factor to developing mental instability,
in my view. One must learn over time to become desensitized to
the expectations or prejudices of many of the majority culture.
Critics of my words here will be out of touch with the reality I
experience each day and see me as being wrong in a sense. I
have learned to try and enjoy the dual role that comes with the
territory of being a doctor and being black.I think it's even quite
different from being Asian, Latino, or another ethnicity. In general,
other such ethnic groups don't quite have the same built in stigma
to overcome. The treatment received in stores, restaurants, banks,
from real estate agents has been quite frustrating at times. My
situation is unique in that I do get to experience the good side of
things in my other life as a doctor. So I reallycan't complain about
my life.
I do understand what many other blacks who don't
have the luxury of being more than black may experience. I also
understand well what Senator Obama faces in trying to win enough
support to win the Democratic Nomination and the Presidency.
There will perhaps never in our lifetime be a Black candidate
and few non-black candidates who are any more capable of
doing good things for America. But because of his race, some
people are willing to do anything to block his progress. McCain
can make gaffs all day without consequence but Obama's every
word is scrutinized to find anything to use against him to cause
more fear and confusion among the impressionable. After GWB
the qualification card is a moot point. The time is right for us to
finally start to move beyond race.
Back to my original point... Many people are affected when
a life is taken. I read where the officer who shot the young man's
father 4 times developed emotional problems afterward. I know
personally how deeply the family of the deceased were affected
from that fatal intervention in 1990. I hoped that maybe such a
tragedy would at least never happen again. But it has. I went to
school withthe father and I believe there was some mental illness
and probablysome self medicating but I do not believe for a minute
that he was a killer. In essence he did commit suicide by cop. Was
this his intent? We may never know. Was this the intent of his son
last Friday? Should cops have alternatives to lethal force when
placed in situations where they might be used in an impulsive
suicide attempt by a mentally impaired individual? Will this officer
suffer from emotional guilt or is he one of the cops who lack a
conscience after ending a life by choice? I do know that this was
a family of good people and they hurt. They hurt even more because
of the unanswered questions. I don't think people should judge or
make smug or insensitive comments about the situation unless they
have been in that situation themselves.
  
Reference: The Trouble Maker Blog | 
