Kneeling on a Neck - Part II

Less than 11 months have passed since I wrote the first Kneeling on a Neck. The trial of Derek Chauvin is over and he has been convicted on all counts. Many are celebrating the verdict as a turning point. As a milestone. I am not convinced that they are right. Why? A number of reasons First of all is an interview that took place this weekend. Chris Wallace posed a question to Senator Lindsey Graham The evidence of systemic racism in our justice system is undeniable. Without it there would be no need for the Black Lives Matter movement. A report released in October of last year demonstrates that the disproportionate number of deaths of BIPOC at the hands of police officers has not been reduced by the growing use of bodycams by police departments. Then there is the fact that if Darnella Frazier had not recorded the murder of George Floyd at the hands of Derek Chauvin, we almost certainly would not have seen Chauvin convicted; let alone charged. I find it frightening to know that there are other people of color who die needlessly at the hands of police officers. Look at the shooting death of Daunte Wright which happened less than a dozen miles from the courthouse where the trial of Derek Chauvin was taking place. The whole point of less than lethal weapons is to prevent such killings. Brooklyn Center PD trains its officers to wear their gun on the side of their dominant hand. The taser is worn on the opposite side. Just how did former officer Bonnie Potter make the mistake of thinking she was holding the Taser and not her firearm? Consider that she was spending that shift training a less experienced officer. This is not the first time a police officer has miataken their gun for their Taser. In 2015 Tulsa reserve sheriff's deputy Robert Bates made the same mistake. Mr. Bates was 73 years old at the time, had no business being used as a reserve deputy and shot a 44 year old black man, Eric Harris. Mr. Harris was killed. Mr. Bates was carrying a Model X26 Taser and a Smith and Wesson .357 magnum.

Worse still, reports indicate that Bates had the Taser strapped to his chest and his .357 on his hip. There are reports that the training he claimed to have previously received never happened. So we have what is supposedly a highly trained and experienced officer, Ms Potter and a man with no training, Mr. Bates making the same tragic mistake. Bates went to prison and served 37% of his 4 year sentence. Let's hope Ms Potter is convicted and spends an appropriate amount of time behind bars. * * * A study released in 2018 indicated that police kill three people per day; on average, in the U.S. The New York Times reports that since testimony first started in the trial of Derek Chauvin, more than three people per day died at the hands of police officers. What needs to change? Many things. I plan to explore some of those things in the next parts of Kneeling on a Neck.