Is this Rodney King Round II? While taping another interview in Stockton California, a news crew was suddenly interrupted by a black man (Bariki Wiltz) being beaten by the police in the middle of the street. I mean in the middle of the day with people watching. It was almost like they didn’t think twice about retrieving their batons as they swung at every angle possible at the man’s limp body.
Apparently prior to the beating the man was publicly drinking on a park bench. He was approached by an officer and asked to move. The request then turned into a scuffle between him and the cop. During the scuffle the man attempted to grab at the officers firearm. After fleeing the scene the man was identified walking down the street and was attacked by two white police officers. The brutally beat him until he surrendered on the ground.
I am not clear on Police procedures and protocol. But I can imagine it may be time for them to reevaluate their techniques. Proper training and education on how to properly capture and arrest a criminal could prevent such incidents from occurring in the future. It is imperative that as a society we address these issues so that we can continue to progress and not regress ( Rodney King Incident).
Questions to ponder??
- I wonder how the Stockton Police Department will resolve this issue?
- Were the police officers right in this situation?
- How could this incident have played out differently?
- Would you rather by beaten or shot at?
The issue here is White Officers in America feel really free to just openly beat Black Men in the middle of the street. My question is, “What if the Black Man had even attempted to shield or defend himself. He would probably be dead. I am sure that not many days hence, we will be in a Civil War. It appears that there is now no holding back on the assaults on Black Men in particular. After a while, young Blacks are going to lose the rest of the respect they have for Uniformed Officers. Could this be contributing to the increased crime statistics?
After doing an analysis, I can see a few things happening in the future;
- Increased crime statistics in major cities.
- Disregard for officers of the law.
- Fear and therefore lack of trust for men/women of the law.
- Decrease in number of Blacks applying for jobs in law-enforcement.
- Decrease in number of Blacks signing-up for military service.
After a while, if we don’t get a handle on some of this stuff, America will be in even more trouble. I fear the police but not because I am breaking any laws, I just fear “police brutality.” It just appears that the further America goes forward, the more she moves backwards. Do you feel like police brutality is getting out of control? Do you believe that after while a Civil War could start here in America? Are you tired of the many videos and blog post revealing this issue? Have you been a victim of racial profiling or behaviors that made you less than comfortable? All I can say is “Hands Up!”
I am hoping that some of you will share your thoughts on this issue. It is important that we began dialogue and discussion about this serious issue.
Once again thanks for stopping by,
Dr.O
Concerned Citizen,
Dr. O
