Sorry, but the author has some valid points... the fact anyone , and more than a few here, is arguing that a 12 year old playing with a toy gun, which was in his pants, when cops arrived only to shoot him in the gut 2 seconds later, was somehow the child’s fault, there is little hope for this world.
The abject willingness of some people to think this was somehow anything but a tragedy on every level, and that somehow the kids actions led to his death is drek and insanity.
I have no issue when a little thug gets his just deserts, but that is not what this was, the reaction by some here trying to spin it as it was, or present it as it was, is flagrant racism, and its disgusting.
If this child had been a blond haired blue eyed little girl, with everything else being the same, no way would these people be trying to twist themselves into knots portraying this as anything but a complete and total outrage for all of society.
How screwed up a society has to be, that it has anyone in it, arguing that 12 year old with a toy gun deserved to wind up dead 2 seconds after cops arrived, while the toy was in his pants is just unfathomable, yet I have had to spend the better part of the last 2 days calling out foolish people on here for presenting such insanity.
The flagrant racism on display by some on this topic is just repugnant. Those espousing it should be called out for it. There is no argument in the world that can be put forward that a 12 year old boy playing with a toy gun deserved to get a bullet to the gut 2 seconds after the cops showed up, especially when the toy was in his pants.
This situation was handled wrong by every adult involved, PERIOD! The Cop, the Dispatcher, the guy who called the cops in the first place, any adult that was in the park when the kid was playing before the cop was called, all of it, and yet there are people here, and elsewhere trying to put forth an argument that this kid somehow contributed to his own death because he acted like a kid.
It’s INSANE! and its exactly the kind of behavior that lets those on the left claim those on the right are nothing but racists! Because the level of stuff I’ve seen in the last 2 days on here by some is unmitigated racism, and because those folks are on here espousing that crap, everyone on the right will once again get tagged for the actions of them.
After 20+ years on this site, I have watch this site go from a place where good intellectual conversation was the norm, with internet nonsense the exception, to internet nonsense the norm and intellectual discussion next to impossible to find.
If you think this kid deserved to die, because of any actions he took or did not take, then you are certifiably insane.
Well just bring on the white jacket, jackass
>>After 20+ years on this site, I have watch this site go from a place where good intellectual conversation was the norm, with internet nonsense the exception, to internet nonsense the norm and intellectual discussion next to impossible to find.
In that same 20+ years, the rest of America has degenerated MUCH more than FR. In a rapidly changing society, it is insane to think that anything should stay the same for 2 decades! 20+ years ago, most people didn’t even have internet access. If they did, it was from a desktop PC with no smartphones, tablets, or mobile wifi and they were mildly affluent and somewhat educated.
Go back to the DUmp.
Your arguments that this was a little boy playing with a toy gun are what’s INSANE.
If you think this kid deserved to die, because of any actions he took or did not take, then you are certifiably insane.
Kid did not deserve to die but was partly responsible and part of the chain of events.
And that is the definition of a tragedy.
The amazing thing is that if this thread were about Andy Lopez everyone who is defending the cops here would be condemning them in that case. And be wrong about both of them.
1) 911 Caller stated the weapon may be fake but was unsure.
2) 911 Caller stated that the suspect appeared to be about 20 years old.
3) 911 Caller stated that the suspect was pointing the weapon at people and scaring the sh*t out of them.
4) Video recording was set to a low quality. Most likely the recorded video was only capturing at around 15 or less frames per sec. This is apparent by the jumping picture. High quality video recording runs around 30 fps which would produce a smooth replay. There are frames of the incident that were not recorded due to the recording quality. Even with that, you can make out his arm reaching for waistband of his pants when the vehicle rolls up.
How much reason would a cop have to fear being shot by blonde, blue eyed little girl? How much reason would a cop have to fear being shot by a short black man? It's not racism, it's self preservation.
The twelve year old in question was 5’7” 175#’s and brandishing a weapon. The weapon was an air soft pistol. It was not a toy.
The boy was also pointing the weapon at random people in order to frighten them. The 911 caller said he is scaring the Sh!t out of strangers. He said the gun may be fake, but the dispatcher didn’t say that to the cops.
I know where this is, I live less than four miles from that rec center and am in the area at times.
That kid had pulled that gun on me and stuck it in my face and I would have shot him dead as I carry ANYTIME I go to that neighborhood.
If I was on the street and a 12 year old black male pointed a realistic-looking gun at me, I would blow him away without hesitation.
Remember that he was a stocky 5’7” 12 year old, with a realistic gun. That is huge from my personal 12 year old son who is not even 5’ tall and skinny. There are plenty of gang bangers shorter than 6’7” and weighing less than 170 lbs.
At 12 years old I didn't even play with toy guns because I had a real one, and had it since I was 9. I can't even remember being an age when I would have thought it was a good idea to do what this kid was doing, especially in a neighborhood like his. Even if it's not unsafe, it stupid and mean to try and scare people for fun.
I don't blame the kid, or think he deserved to be shot. There's about a million other people, starting with his mother, and probably including the entire Democrat party I blame for it, with beleagured ghetto cops being pretty far back at the end of the line.