The Black Lives Matter Movement is raging on in our country; the latest being the riots in South Carolina, just recently, having their curfew being lifted. These riots and protests come from a great place, and that place being that it seems that people in general don't seem to bat an eye if a black body is lying dead in the street. Is this an issue of race? Absolutely. Police officers seem to be getting a little bit too in control with their policies and what they see as 'force', and when it comes down to it, unfortunately, they're ready to pull the trigger and end someone's life just because they panicked in a certain situation, or perhaps they have a prejudice towards a certain group. Here, I'm talking about the Tulsa Police officer, Betty Shelby, who has now been charged with first-degree manslaughter in the shooting of 40-year-old Terence Crutcher.
Crutcher, unarmed, had stopped on the road because his SUV stalled, which can be a common problem for any car owner. I have been on the interstate and my car overheated, and lost power, essentially going into limp-mode until I had enough room to get off of the freeway. This is obviously a common problem, and not a rarity. Crutcher was a father of four, and stood beside the driver-side of his SUV, putting his hands up towards police. Moments later, it can be heard from a female officer "shots fired", and he immediately slumped down to the ground, his fate sealed.
This brings up the issue of police brutality and racism. Now, if Terence Crutcher had been a white man, and his SUV had stalled in the middle of the street, they would have easily called the proper towing company and moved his vehicle to the side of the road, and gotten him the proper authority to deal with is vehicular problems. Almost everyone that is a car owner has dealt with some type of problem along the way, and has had to call 9-1-1 or a tow truck to help them out. This man was met with a bullet, and now he's dead. And this terrifies me, because I don't have luck with vehicles.
Another real world example comes from myself, having to deal with the rudeness of police. My axle snapped on one of my previous cars in the middle of town, so I was obviously holding traffic up. A state police officer had shown up, and I was obviously in tears because my car was broken and I didn't know what to do. She could see that I was embarrassed, but showed no remorse. She demanded, she did not ask, to see my license and didn't even want to hear what happened. She was very snotty, rude and didn't have any sympathy when I was in tears trying to explain what had happened. I got more sympathy from the two borough police that showed up, and they even helped me push my car into a parking spot, while the state trooper stood there, watching me. Like I was a criminal, all because my car broke.
Betty Shelby is facing a minimum sentence of four years. Four years, and she took a life. If I had shot this man, I would be charged with first degree murder, and facing life in prison. The justice system is corrupt.
