I don’t know how to respond. I never envisioned, when I started writing my thoughts down in this medium like ten years ago, that I would ever write a title like that.
For the second time in as many months, a grand jury has failed to indict an officer in the killing of an unarmed black man, this time asthmatic New York vendor Eric Garner. As Jon Stewart eloquently said on his program, none of the ambiguities that existed in the Ferguson case existed here. We have video (Warning: NSFL) of the NYPD harassing, then LITERALLY choking him to death on the sidewalk.
What the actual fuck?
The unfortunately-named Mr. Lynch, the president of the police officer’s union, held a press conference in which he said “It was not a chokehold. […] It was bringing a person to the ground the way we’re trained to do to place him under arrest. You put your arm on them and bring them down.” Unfortunately for Mr. Lynch, his reasoning contains an incorrect unspoken assumption. The correct response to an agitated suspect is not to engage him physically at all, but to de-escalate the situation, talk, be even-handed and calm. The correct response is the exact opposite of what the NYPD did, and does, every day. The entire culture of the police in the United States is wrong – the transformation from peacekeepers to a paramilitary group of unscrupulous bullies – is almost entirely complete.
The state has a necessary monopoly on violence, and that’s a good thing. But the trust in the judgement of those we give the responsibility of peacekeeping has been shown to be seriously misplaced. When a suspect is gasping “I can’t breathe!” over and over again, the correct response is not to tighten your goddamn grip on his neck.
But they did it, and murdered another unarmed black person. And then a grand jury failed to indict his murderer. Again. And the most reprobate, unprincipled, corrupt police force in the United States will get away with it, again and again, until forced to change by public outcry. Today, everything looks hopeless.
Exit, stage left.
Sparks