THOUGHTS from The HEADoc

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