For bds,
Let's review what Stewart said and then take a look at what Joel Shulz (in gatorfan's link) said.
First Stewart...
"An unarmed black teenager gunned down in the streets under suspicious circumstances"
"white cop shoots unarmed black teen does sound terrible"
"life in this country is inherently different for white people than for black people"
Then he points out all the racial inequality in Ferguson. The race ratio of the cops, the financing of the city with court fees, and finally the case of the innocent black who was beaten by cops and then charged with spilling his blood on the cop uniforms.
"Here's the problem with everything that's going on in this conversation. This isn't all about one man being killed in one town. It's about how people of color, no matter their socio-economic standing, face obstacles in this country with grace.
"Imagine that, on a pretty consistent basis, you can't get a cab even though you're a neurosurgeon, cause you're black. I guarantee you that every person of color in this country has faced an indignity. From the ridiculous, to the grotesque, to the sometimes fatal.
Race is there, and it is a constant. You're tired of hearing about it?
Imagine how fucking exhausting it is living it."
Now let's take a look at what Shulz said...
"facts will define the truth in our courts and the truth is that physics and anatomy make sense of a shooting like Officer Darren Wilson’s encounter with Michael Brown. While I don’t have unique access to the details of that deadly encounter, I am familiar with the science of officer-involved shootings. Based on that science, I can confidently dispel some commonly held beliefs about law enforcement and use of force that have colored the debate around Brown’s death."
"No gun doesn’t mean no threat. FBI murder statistics consistently show that more people are beaten to death with hands and feet each year than are killed by assault rifles. In Missouri, nearly a third of the 386 murders that occurred in 2011 were committed without firearms. A person’s size doesn’t mean that they are aggressive, but one’s stature is clearly a factor in a fight."
"Brain processes take time and often move slower than reality. A study published in 2003 showed that it takes a shooter about one-third of a second to recognize a threat, then each trigger pull takes one-tenth of a second. But the mental process of deciding to stop shooting takes longer than the decision to shoot. The result is that another two or three shots can be fired as the senses, brain, nerves, and muscles put on the brakes. In other words, an officer can execute several trigger pulls after a visual input indicates a subject is no longer a threat.
Further, multiple shots don’t guarantee that a person will not continue to advance or attack. And it can take over a second for a body to fall to the ground after being fatally shot. This leaves even more time for shots to be fired before an officer’s finger stops pulling the trigger.
In total, whatever happened in Ferguson likely happened in the time it takes to sing the first four words of the national anthem – and the officer was forced to make quick decisions to keep up."
"Commentators like to infect sentences with phrase like “increased police violence” and “all these brutality cases.” A society in which children will see 16,000 murders as entertainment on television by the time they are eligible to vote will find it quite easy to believe that the police are shooting up their cities just like on their favorite cop show. But reality is much tamer than popular belief. Police use of force is rare.
A study cited by the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics shows that out of a reported 45 million face-to-face contacts annually between citizens and the police, fewer than 1 percent of those citizens reported any use of force. Of those who did report use of force, 74 percent self-reported that their own behavior instigated the force.
The most recent FBI crime report cites 410 people justifiably killed by police in 2011, the most recent FBI reporting period, 310 people killed by citizens acting in self-defense, and a 10-year average of 54 police officers killed in the line of duty. A study reported in 2012 in the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin shows that 70 percent of police officers will face a deadly force decision an average of four times within a career. Just 20 percent shoot, and few kill."
Stewart is implying that the white cop is guilty because there is racism in America.
Shulz argues that Wilson is likely innocent because cops are usually justified in what they do.
My own position is that it's unfair to try to place blame on either party in this particular incident without knowing exactly what went down in that confrontation between Wilson and Brown. And at this point I don't have that information.
I can't side up with Stewart only because there is racism in America.
And I can't side up with Shulz only because other cops have been justified in the use of deadly force.
If I side up with Stewart then to be consistent I would have to always side up with a black person whenever he's shot by a white cop.
And if I side up with Shulz then to be consistent I'll have to always say white cops are justified whenever they shoot a black person.
In the words of that robot in the movie Short Circuit, "I need more input".
Does that make me a "fence-sitter"? Yes in this case it does. Why? Because if I myself am ever charged with a crime, I want the justice system to be on the fence in that case too. I don't want to be judged guilty or innocent either one until ALL the facts are known. And I surely don't want to be judged guilty or innocent because of what a comedian or a blogger has to say about it. Or what sean hannity or al sharpton has to say about it.
Message [Page 1 of 1]
Home