Off With Friends

Eddie and I are off today for a long week-end with friends at a Lake House they own in Michigan. It should be great fun.

During this visit I will try not to focus on the bad in the world.

Speaking of bad. I heard something on a podcast that i thought rang false, but the more I live, the more truthful it sounds. It is legal in this country for police to kill black men.

THIS WEEK:

Louisiana police were shown dragging a black man out of his car: beat him, handcuffed him, tased him3 times (twice while handcuffed and on the ground) turned him over with their feet when he tried to move to the side to breath and then lowered themselves on his back. He died at the hospital. Cause of dead per the police - car crash from the high speed chase. He spent his last few moments apologizing to the officers for the chase, said he was afraid for his life and begged them to let him live. Dead. We only know this because someone leaked the body cam footage.

Tennessee police in a jail piled onto Willam Jennette, who was in custody. They beat him, piled onto him. knelt on him until he died of asphyxiation with multiple broken ribs. As he died he said he couldn't breath to which a female office answered:  “You shouldn’t be able to breathe, you stupid bastard.” (link) the cause of death (per the autopsy) was homicide. A Grand Jury declined to bring charges.

So next time you judge a black man or youth, remember - you have the right to live. They literally do not have the right to live if the police choose to kill them regardless of reason. Imagine how hard their life is, or the lives of their relatives. They can literally be killed by police for any reason or no reason and that is legal (or at least, not illegal).