Slashdot Mirror
The Courage of Bystanders Who Press "Record"
HughPickens.com writes Robinson Meyer writes in The Atlantic that in the past year, after the killings of Michael Brown and Tamir Rice, many police departments and police reformists have agreed on the necessity of police-worn body cameras. But the most powerful cameras aren't those on officer's bodies but those wielded by bystanders. We don't yet know who shot videos of officer Michael T. Slager shooting Walter Scott eight times as he runs away but "unknown cameramen and women lived out high democratic ideals: They watched a cop kill someone, shoot recklessly at someone running away, and they kept the camera trained on the cop," writes Robinson. "They were there, on an ordinary, hazy Saturday morning, and they chose to be courageous. They bore witness, at unknown risk to themselves."
"We have been talking about police brutality for years. And now, because of videos, we are seeing just how systemic and widespread it is," tweeted Deray McKesson, an activist in Ferguson, after the videos emerged Tuesday night. "The videos over the past seven months have empowered us to ask deeper questions, to push more forcefully in confronting the system." The process of ascertaining the truth of the world has to start somewhere. A video is one more assertion made about what is real concludes Robinson. "Today, through some unknown hero's stubborn internal choice to witness instead of flee, to press record and to watch something terrible unfold, we have one more such assertion of reality."
"We have been talking about police brutality for years. And now, because of videos, we are seeing just how systemic and widespread it is," tweeted Deray McKesson, an activist in Ferguson, after the videos emerged Tuesday night. "The videos over the past seven months have empowered us to ask deeper questions, to push more forcefully in confronting the system." The process of ascertaining the truth of the world has to start somewhere. A video is one more assertion made about what is real concludes Robinson. "Today, through some unknown hero's stubborn internal choice to witness instead of flee, to press record and to watch something terrible unfold, we have one more such assertion of reality."
You know what.....all this would stop if "those people" would actually listen and respect authority. Stop means stop and get on the damn ground. If I was a cop - I'm not sure I'd shoot him in the back as he ran away - as he's no threat. But seriously, this could have all been avoided if the thug would have obeyed the officer's commands to begin with!
Stop being thugs! How about being a productive member of society like the rest of us!
It's pretty obvious to me that this cop is in serious trouble here as the video makes that very clear. I am a staunch liberal and oppose this racist police brutality but at the same time I know that we need police to enforce the laws that we cherish like gun control and making sure taxes are paid and unfortunately that requires police with guns and military gear now due to the influence of the NRA. It's great though that this was caught on video because we have to weed out these corrupt racist cops.