The murder of unarmed Terence Crutcher in Tulsa today is
only the latest evidence that the protests started by Colin Kaepernick, the
quarterback, are based in sad reality, that something dramatic and fundamental needs to change,
and change soon in our country. As
I wrote earlier today on Facebook:
“His name was Terence Crutcher. He was unarmed. Now he
is dead. Killed by police officers, who thought that, even though he wasn't
armed, he still was a dangerous man.
“And yet, I guarantee that more people will mention
Colin Kaepernick by name tonight than Terence Crutcher. Because the
quarterback's name is better known, and he is more visible than yet another
black man being shot by police for being black. Because the rest of us would
rather argue about an overpriced athlete, even on the rare occasion when one of
them shows a social conscience publicly, than confront the REAL problem that
there are too many police officers (NOT ALL of them, any more than NOT ALL
other athletes care only about themselves and their salaries and endorsements
-- just too many for us to remain silent) who find ANY man of color suspicious
and dangerous, too many who are not screened for and trained to overcome their
biases, equipped with the social tools they need to serve all citizens in their
jurisdiction.
“SO tonight, I symbolically take a knee, and thank the
quarterback for being a leader off the field as well as on. And tonight, I will
mention the name of the murder victim -- Terence Crutcher -- so that he does
not die anonymously, so that his family and friends who mourn his senseless
death can gain a small amount of comfort, so that our world is forced to
confront an ugly truth that is too often and too easily ignored.
“And, to be clear -- I still support the police in
general. I still respect our flag, and will stand up to defend all the ideals
it symbolizes. But when not all of us can say these two things, legitimately,
when the headlines scream again that this is not one athlete's spoiled opinion,
but an ugly truth that will not go away by itself, I will not stand silently by
and allow the status quo to continue because of my silence. So I will stand for
my flag and my country. I will stand for and with the police who daily put
their lives on the line, and hope the day comes soon when those with whom I
stand will also stand up against the abuses of those who drag them down with
them by their misdeeds. I will stand for the too many Terence Crutchers. And I
will stand for the man who refuses to stand for the anthem, to make us all
stand for what is right, even as he takes a knee in protest.”
The following is an incomplete list of similar shootings
from April, 2014 through the April, 2015 death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore
while in police custody, taken from an article on Buzzfeed that is
acknowledged, and links to lists for all of 2015, and the first half of
2016. The numbers are shocking,
but we cannot allow these victims to be reduced to anonymous statistics, which
is why their names, and some data about their lives and deaths are included. I apologize that I had to resort to the
links after the first article, but the copying and transcription process
became too daunting. I hope this effort makes clear just how real the need is...
April
30, 2014: Dontre Hamilton, 31 (Milwaukee) -- was
fatally shot 14 times by a police officer in a Milwaukee park. The officer was
responding to a call from employees at a nearby Starbucks alleging that
Hamilton, who had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, was disturbing
the peace. The officers who arrived first determined that Hamilton wasn’t doing
anything illegal. Officer Christopher Manney showed up later and, after trying
to pat Hamilton down, engaged in a struggle with him that led to the shooting.
Manney was not charged.
July
17, 2014: Eric Garner, 43, (New York) -- was
killed after he was put in an illegal chokehold for 15 seconds by a white
police officer — allegedly for selling loose cigarettes. Garner said “I can’t
breathe” 11 times as he was held down by several officers on a sidewalk. The
officer who put Garner in the chokehold, Daniel Pantaleo, was not charged.
Aug.
5, 2014: John Crawford III, 22, (Dayton, Ohio) -- was
shot and killed by a police officer at a Walmart in Beavercreek, Ohio. There
did not appear to be a confrontation with the police, and Crawford was unarmed
— he had been holding a toy BB gun. The officers involved in the shooting, Sean
Williams and David Darkow, were not
charged.
Aug.
9, 2014: Michael Brown Jr. , 18, (Ferguson, Missouri) – unarmed,
was shot and killed by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. In November, 2014,
a grand jury declined to charge Wilson in the fatal shooting. Brown’s death and
the lack of charges against Wilson sparked protests, some of them violent, in
Ferguson and across the nation.
Aug.
11, 2014: Ezell Ford, 25, (Florence, California) -- a
mentally ill man, was shot three times,
including once in the back, by a white police officer. He was unarmed.
The investigation is still ongoing, but it has been placed
on an
“investigative hold”. So far, no charges have been filed against
Sharlton Wampler and Antonio Villegas, the two officers involved.
Aug.
12, 2014: Dante Parker, 36, (Victorville, California) -- a
father of five, died in police custody after being repeatedly stunned by a
Taser in San Bernardino County.
The local investigation is still ongoing, but the NAACP
has called for the federal government to take over, according to the San
Bernadino Sun.
Nov.
13, 2014: Tanisha Anderson, 37, (Cleveland) -- died
after officers in Cleveland allegedly
slammed her head on the pavement while taking her into custody.
Anderson’s family said she had bipolar disorder and
schizophrenia.
The investigation into the case remains ongoing, and no
charges have been filed against the officers involved.
Nov.
20, 2014: Akai Gurley, 28, (Brooklyn, New York) -- was
shot and killed by a police officer while walking in a dimly lit New York City
public housing stairwell with his girlfriend. Gurley, who was unarmed, was
pronounced dead at a hospital. New York Police Department Commissioner Bill
Bratton called the shooting an “accidental discharge.”
The officer, rookie Peter Liang, was charged
with second-degree manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, second-degree
assault, reckless endangerment, and two counts of official misconduct.
Nov.
22, 2014: Tamir Rice, 12, (Cleveland) -- was shot and killed by
Cleveland police after officers
mistook his toy gun for a real weapon. The two police officers
involved, Timothy Loehmann and Frank Garmback, have not been charged. Rice’s
family has filed wrongful death lawsuit against the officers and the city of
Cleveland.
Dec.
2, 2014: Rumain Brisbon, 34, (Phoenix) -- was
shot and killed by a Phoenix police officer who mistook a pill bottle for a
weapon. The officer, Mark Rine, was not charged following a probe by the
Maricopa County attorney’s office, according to the
New York Daily News.
Dec.
30, 2014: Jerame Reid, 36, (Bridgeton, New Jersey) -- was
shot and killed by police officers in Bridgeton, New Jersey. He was a passenger
in a car driven by his friend, who was pulled over by police. In dashcam video
footage of the stop, an officer is heard claiming that there is a
gun in the glove compartment. Police shouted at Reid not to exit the car, but
he did, with his hands apparently in front of his chest. That’s when officers
Braheme Days and Roger Worley opened fire, striking Reid. Days and Worley were
placed on administrative leave with pay for the ensuing investigation, which
remains ongoing. The shooting sparked protests and calls for the
state attorney general to also investigate.
March
6, 2015: Tony Robinson, 19, (Madison, Wisconsin) -- was
shot and killed by a Madison police officer who was responding to reports of
someone disrupting traffic.
Police said Robinson allegedly assaulted the officer, who
then shot him three times. Robinson was unarmed.
The investigation remains ongoing.
March
31, 2015: Phillip White, 32 (Vineland, New Jersey) -- died
while in police custody in Vineland, New Jersey.
Police had responded to a call about White acting erratically
and called an ambulance because he appeared to be in medical distress. A
violent encounter ensued, and video footage appears to show a police dog
biting White while he is on the ground.
White was later pronounced dead at a hospital.
The officers involved have not been charged as the
investigation continues.
April
2, 2015: Eric Harris, 44, (Tulsa, Oklahoma) -- was
shot and killed by a 73-year-old reserve deputy officer who allegedly mistook
his own gun for a Taser. The entire incident was captured on a dashcam video. The
officer, Robert Bates, was charged with
manslaughter.
April
4, 2015: Walter Scott, 50, (North Charleston, South Carolina) -- was
shot by a police officer while running away from a traffic stop for a broken
taillight. Officer Michael Slager claimed Scott had taken his stun gun. Slager
was subsequently fired and charged with murder after a video
surfaced showing Scott running away, his back to the officer, as
Slager fired his gun.
April
19, 2015: Freddie Gray, 25, (Baltimore) -- died of a spinal cord injury a
week after he was arrested by Baltimore police. It’s still unclear how Gray
sustained the injury. Officials say he was stopped after fleeing “unprovoked
upon noticing police presence” and arrested for allegedly possessing a
switchblade. He was put in a police van, which is where police say he suffered
a medical emergency. The officers involved in his arrest were placed on leave,
and on Friday, the state’s attorney announced that they had been criminally
charged in connection with Gray’s homicide. No convictions resulted from these charges.
(from Buzzfeed, 5/1/15, not updated for further action against
officers after date of publication, except for Freddie Gray – this is NOT a complete or comprehensive list of such victims in this period)
see also, http://mappingpoliceviolence.org/unarmed
on the more than 100 unarmed black people killed by police in 2015,
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/black-people-killed-by-police-america_us_577da633e4b0c590f7e7fb17
for killings of blacks by police in 2016, through July 7. (note – these are ALL police killings
of blacks for this period – armed and unarmed)