Just because other people commit a crime protesting something that happened does not mean that citizens of good conscience should not be MAD and demand immediate and drastic change when government is doing something wrong.
I wonder what the actual numbers of peaceful protesters to rioters were.
As with the Eric Garner case, I really have little sympathy for anyone who doesn't comply with a police directive in public; if the say put your hands up or ‘STOP’, no doing so is very dumb and dangerous. However that has *NOTHING* to do with the fact that some cops are out of control and the bigger problem that supposedly ‘good’ cops won't stop them or report them.
Rioters should be shot, but we citizens have every right to demand that each and every use of force against a citizen by any government agent, anywhere in the USA be independently investigated by some entity that has no connection to the police or any motivation to whitewash facts.
Just a cranky .02
We are of like mind.
I agree with you totally. The cops, if they indeed caused Gray’s death, are no less guilty regardless of the behavior of the rioters (I won’t call them protesters), the length of Gray’s rap sheet, whatever crime Gray did or did not commit to warrant his arrest or any other factor.
The guidelines for the use of legal force definitely don’t apply in this case. Gray did run, but he was apprehended without the use of lethal force. At the time of his death, he apparently was handcuffed and thoroughly subdued by the police and was not posing a threat to the officers. I don’t know if the police caused his death, but it seems pretty clear cut to me that if they did, it is not justifiable. Cases like the Michael Brown shooting are far different from this one; that one was justifiable as self defense. This one certainly seems to not be justifiable.
I also think that Hilary’s idea of having all police wear body cameras is a very good idea. (A stopped clock is right twice a day!) I can’t imagine why any good cop would not support this idea; it could save them all kinds of trouble whenever they have to use lethal force. I certainly understand why bad cops would have a problem with it, though.