Do Black Lives Really Matter To Anyone?

Posted by~ Sheldon Redditt on 12/05/2014

Do black lives really matter to anyone?  This is the question being asked all over the world.  I, like most Americans, am outraged by the decision of a grand jury, not to indict Officer Daniel Pantaleo for the choking death of Eric Garner.  I am equally angry about the death of Tamir Rice, the 12 year old child, whom was shot by Officer Timothy A Loehmann.  

Eric Garner Was Murdered

First, I will start with the facts in the Eric Garner case.  Eric Garner was approached by officers for allegedly selling loose cigarettes.  Stop and think about this for a second, a father of 6 and husband, lost his life over some cigarettes.  Anyone that has visited New York City knows that they sell everything, from watches to wallets, on the street.  For him to be harassed and ultimately lose his life over some cigarettes, is an absolute tragedy.  I understand that the store owner called the police because he felt that he was losing business, due to the fact that he also sold cigarettes in his store.  However, the police could and should have handled this complaint much differently.  I have read a lot of people's comments on social media suggesting, that if Mr. Garner would have simply complied with the police officer, he would still be alive.  In cases like these, we must stop trying to turn the victim into the villain.  As a former law enforcement officer, I know that we are TRAINED for situations, in which people resist arrest.  We expect that people will resist on occasion but that doesn't mean we kill them.  The choke hold that the officer used was banned by the New York Police Department.  Based on the ban alone, this officer should have been indicted, not to mention that the medical examiner ruled Mr. Garner's death a homicide.  Again, the medical examiner ruled his death a homicide.  Officer Pantaleo used a choke hold that was banned and it was caught on tape.  See, you don't have to speculate what happened here because there are several videos documenting the incident.  Officer Pantaleo also had two prior lawsuits filed against him, one of which was settled by the city of New York.  The second lawsuit is on going.  Now, for the city to settle a lawsuit, you better believe there was some wrong doing on that officer's part.  And then for him to find himself in a similar situation again, less than a month later?  Officer Pantaleo should have been fired.  If the NYPD would have simply done their job in the first or even second case, Eric Garner would be alive today.  Then, there are seven other police officers that just stood by and let this happen. They are equally responsible.  Not one even attempted to stop this officer.  All of the officers had to know that it was an illegal hold.  You see, as police officers, we are trained to step in if you see a fellow officer doing something against the rules.  You step in and say, "Hey listen!  You can't do that!" or "Cool off, let me take over.".  But none of that happened.  I haven't forgotten the code that we live by as officers, but when one is doing wrong, at least one officer should have stepped in.  Officer Pantaleo should have been charged with murder.  Period!  The grand jury got it wrong! 

Tamir Rice Was Murdered

Then, there is Tamir Rice, the 12 year old child, that was shot and killed by Officer Loehmann, in Cleveland, Ohio, for waving a toy gun.  Again, I saw countless comments on social media that this cop had the right to shoot this kid because he didn't know if the gun was real or not.  It was of no consequence, that the gentleman that called in said the gun was probably a fake.  Again, police officers are trained to know what to do in EVERY situation so there was no excuse.  Do you have any idea how many times police officers are called to the scene of a suspect waving or carrying a gun and the perp lives?  You know why?  Because, they use their training properly!  This baby was shot within 2 seconds of these officers arriving on the scene.  2 seconds!  The officer claims that he told the child to put the gun down three times.  How is that possible, when he was shot within 2 seconds? The video doesn't lie.  Again, let's look at Officer Loehmann's background.  Officer Loehmann resigned from the Independence Ohio Police Department.  BEFORE they fired him, they gave him the option to resign, which he chose to do.  A direct quote from the police deputy Chief Jim Polak, described Loehmann, "as having EMOTIONAL MATURITY ISSUES and an inability to manage stress.  Officer Loehmann couldn't follow simple instructions during a firearm qualification and became weepy and distracted."  He also wrote and this is very important, "that he didn't feel that either time, nor training would be able to correct or change these deficiencies."  That came from the deputy chief.  So, tell me, why in the hell, was he ever hired by the Cleveland Police Department?  What kind of background check was done on this guy?  All they had to do was look at his personnel file.  He should have never been hired in the first place!  Now a child is dead because of an incompetent officer whom should have never been hired in the first place.  

The 10% That Stands To Shame A Whole Profession

Now, most police officers are great officers, but it's that 10% that makes every officer look bad.  Police brutality is a serious problem, especially when dealing with Black Men. The police departments around the country have to do a better job hiring officers.  And it is a must that the Cultural Diversity Training gets better.  I think and I have said this before, it should be the law, that all law enforcement officers are required to wear body cameras.  Now, of course I realize that many have the sentiment that there is no point because Eric Garner's murder was caught on tape and it did not make a difference.  But one must understand that a police officers' mentality would automatically change when he knows that everything he does is being recorded.  That hot headed police officer will hopefully think twice before he even steps the wrong way.  Officer Pantaleo did not know that he was being recorded.  Had he known, he might have thought twice before acting in the manner in which he did.  Body cameras would most definitely cut down on a lot of deaths.  We have to start making these bad cops accountable for their wrong-doings, give them a reason to think before acting and for those that still choose not to, send their asses to prison.  Thankfully President Obama is already on board with the cameras and hopefully officers will get them sooner rather than later.  People are angry and they have the right to be!  Black Lives Do MATTER.  And they should matter, not only to their families, but they should matter to everyone.  What can we do?  Let me address Black Men for a minute.  Men, we have to do better.  We have to start mentoring and talking to our young men.  We have to teach them that in order for them to be respected by anyone, we have to first respect ourselves.  We have to stop killing each other.  Pull your pants up and stop getting a million tattoos all over your body.  We have to teach them that they need to respect women and to follow the proper protocol when dealing with the police.  We have to stop this silliness, that we won't snitch when a crime is being committed within our neighborhoods. We need to be just as outraged when we kill each other.  Black life shouldn't just matter when a white person takes it, but matter equally when another Black person takes a life as well. 

Change The Future

Now let me address some of the comments about the statistics on black on black crime.  Yes, 90% of the of the homicides committed on black men are committed by other black men.  Listen that is the case with every race.  Most white homicides are committed by white people as are homicides with every other race.  People commit violent acts on this closest to them.  So, stop with that, when we are talking about police brutality.  We are getting better. The statistics show that there were 7,361 black men killed by another black man in 1991. That number dropped to 2,447 in 2011, a 67% drop.  So yes, we are doing a lot better but until that number is at 0, we still have work to do.  I had a talk with several young men yesterday about the recent events and what part they feel they can play in changing the future of this country.  I must say, I am encouraged by our youth demonstrating by peacefully protesting to make themselves heard.  This is the greatest country in the world, in that we are allowed to have freedom of speech.  We all are in this together.  Be encouraged, make yourself heard, but do it peacefully.  We can all make a difference, if we come together.  When a black man is killed unjustly, we all; Black, White, Asian and Hispanic, should be outraged.  A black life does and should matter to ALL.  This is my truth!  What's yours?