First I want to say, there was another to end that incident than death! Plain and simple. There are NUMEROUS known cases of other races of men that have attacked, threatened, tased, shot at, been known criminals resisting arrest of police officers and they are simply arrested and detained. They live to tell their stories not have news outlets, strangers, and family members tell their story for them. Below are some of those instances for those bigots that want a debate they definitely won’t get from me:
It’s insane to think that the sensible conversation they were having with this man turned into his death. He pleaded; “I don’t want to be out of compliance.” “I can walk to my sisters house.” “ Could I call someone to come and get me?”
I’ve heard both sides. The legal side and I’ve lived the human side. The legal side said that if their superior would have seen on the body cam that they allowed this man to “go free” knowing he was intoxicated they would have been demoted or fired. The human side of me has seen MANY instances where a ride home was offered, waiting on someone to pick them up...simple human decent leniency. How about just speaking to him and explaining the part of their job that they have to be safe for each of them and assist him further instead of having him, willingly take a breathalyzer test, after he told them he had been drinking, then attempting to place handcuffs on him.
This type of incident just vexes me because I can remember many times when myself and two other college friends would ride home together for the weekend on a Friday after (not mine but someone’s) 8am or 9am class. We’d get on the road and, yes there were three of us, after stopping a little less than half way at this Whataburger that was close to this busy truck stop, we would go through the drive thru, eat our food, talk and then after being full decide instead of getting on the road and risking being too tired, an accident or worse; we would take about a 15-30 minute nap. This was our ritual. It wasn’t done purposely, but it was done, almost EVERY Friday mid afternoon.
We were three young (skinny Minnie) college students asleep in a car that was owned by us in a public parking lot dosed off after eating food we paid for in full. I would hate to think what two officers would have thought had they come up on us. I would hate to think what frame of mind we’d have been in woken up out of our sleep by police officers “questioning” our motive for being tired and thinking we’d made a good decision.
I hate to think of the calculating moves we would have had to make in order for the POLICE to FEEL SAFE while we got our bearings, reached for the door knob and had gotten out of the car, possibly cross.
In my opinion Rayshard Brown was absolutely wrong for resisting arrest, even more wrong for scuffling with those men, and wrong for grabbing or using the taser. I can’t speak for what went through his mind during that time that he obviously felt and actually was fighting for his life. I can’t tell you how the past few weeks since the recorded and constantly streamed video of George Floyd’s murder may have done to his psyche which caused his reaction when they attempted to place cuffs on him.
I can’t tell you what his relationship in the past has been like with the police. I can’t tell you if his experiences, whether positive or negative could have been a determining factor in the way he responded and reacted to the police officers and the events that led to his death.
What I can say, again and again, is that night for Rayshard Brown should have and could have ended in another way. A way that he would still be alive to see his children grow. A way that his children would still get to see their father again. A way that the officers can go to bed peacefully at night. A way that this man’s death isn’t broadcast on news outlets and social media posts. It’s difficult and it’s trying times but there has to be a better way to disarm and detain (black) people without them dying.
If equality were PRESENT for black (men) people I wouldn’t have had those other headlines to post in my blog and I wouldn’t even have a perspective about this “issue”. But because there’s a systemic way that causes black men to pose a more dangerous threat than other nationalities and races WE have to have this discussion. WE have to have change. WE have to be upset, mad, unruly, demanding! We have to fight for EQUAL justice. EQUALITY in ALL things. People don’t have a problem following the laws when the laws are set up for ALL to WIN...or at least come out ALIVE!
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