# Black Lives Don't Matter (Walter Scott) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 6, 2016, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-lives-dont-matter-walter-scott/774007 "2016-12-06T09:55:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Bouncer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9d8465/32.png) [@Bouncer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bouncer)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-lives-dont-matter-walter-scott/774007/61 "2016-12-09T18:35:45Z")
> [@RandMcnally](#): > > Damn, it sounds awesome being a white guy. I wish I had your faith in the system. FWIW I’m a white guy and I don’t have faith in the system. It’s not about justice, it’s about money, and win/lose percentages for the prosecutors. You got money, you got a shot at a decent defense. You don’t got money, you’re fucked. Regards, -Bouncer- ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2016, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-lives-dont-matter-walter-scott/774007/62 "2016-12-10T06:15:35Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > If they couldn’t agree on second degree or manslaughter, then they would have gone with manslaughter. Anyone who would vote for second degree would be voting for manslaughter as well, so I don’t think it would have been a split between those who wanted him convicted of one, and others who wanted conviction on the other, they would have settled on the lesser charge. That’s my point. I suspect it was one juror who refused to convict on anything, and the other 11 agreed he was guilty of something but disagreed on what charge. ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2016, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-lives-dont-matter-walter-scott/774007/63 "2016-12-10T18:25:54Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > They caught it on video. > > _[They fucking caught it on video.](http://qz.com/853697/the-case-of-michael-slager-a-north-charleston-police-officer-who-shot-walter-scott-in-2015-was-declared-a-mistrial/)_ > > They clearly caught, on video, the police officer shooting the fleeing suspect in the back, then planting a taser on him in order to intentionally frame it as something _other_ than the cold-blooded murder it was. [The videotape](https://vimeo.com/124336782) clearly shows Walter Scott running away, and being shot in the back while running away. > > This was murder. It’s not even a hard question. This is the kind of case where, realistically, the jury should take about fifteen seconds to deliberate. Like, leave the room, look from person to person, “Guilty?” “Guilty.”, head back in to deliver the verdict. When’s the last time a murder case this clear-cut even went to _trial_? And yet the jury can’t even manage that. You have a clear-cut video of a police officer murdering someone, and you _still can’t fucking convict_. > > Apparently there’s at least one juror in Charleston with a white hood. Fuck that guy. And fuck Schlager, for wasting everyone’s time in an attempt to get away with what he _knows_ was murder. And people wonder why there are riots, when even in a case like this, you _cannot_ get justice. And people wonder why there’s so much crime among African-Americans - maybe if they had any reason to believe that the justice system would protect them, they wouldn’t need to take justice into their own hands. > > After this case, I see no reason why any African-American should believe, even for a moment, that the US justice system sees their lives as worth protecting. > > It is _disgusting_. So one cop is the US justice system now? And even if you take all the rogue cops out there I guarantee there is a substantial majority who do their job and do it well, including protecting members of the African-American community from crime. Painting with a broad brush is always a stupid thing to do. Of course the American justice system isnt perfect. What system is? Nevertheless it’s one of the best justice systems in the world, if not the best. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2016, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-lives-dont-matter-walter-scott/774007/64 "2016-12-10T19:14:31Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > And even if you take all the rogue cops out there I guarantee there is a substantial majority who do their job and do it well, including protecting members of the African-American community from crime. Painting with a broad brush is always a stupid thing to do. An argument that conveniently means that the police can never be criticized, no matter how bad they are. That’s the whole point of the “don’t paint with a broad brush” argument; it totally immunizes organizations and groups from criticism. And is always selectively applied; when somebody is Muslim, liberal, black or some other disfavored group _suddenly_ blaming the entire group for the misdeeds of one person is just fine. And the so-called “good cops” couldn’t get away with doing what they do if the so-called “good cops” weren’t covering for them, which means they _aren’t_ rogues and the good cops \*aren’t \*good. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2016, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-lives-dont-matter-walter-scott/774007/65 "2016-12-10T20:31:36Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > And the so-called “good cops” couldn’t get away with doing what they do if the so-called “good cops” weren’t covering for them, which means they _aren’t_ rogues and the good cops \*aren’t \*good. I remember seeing a facebook post a month ago about a white officer who pulled over a black teenager and he could tell the teenager was terrified (as well he should’ve been). His post was something like, “I don’t know who’s at fault but we need to fix things. Blah blah blah.” You can probably already tell how I felt about that. If he ever saw another cop get handsy with someone then he’s part of the problem. If he thinks it’s ok that the police and the DA have a very chummy relationship, then he’s part of the problem. If he thinks that other cops shouldn’t “snitch” on each other then he’s part of the problem. That’s what people who constantly defend the police with that stupid “only a few bad cops” aren’t getting. Bad cops are allowed to be bad cops because the so-called “good cops” allow it to happen. ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2016, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-lives-dont-matter-walter-scott/774007/66 "2016-12-11T12:41:52Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > So one cop is the US justice system now? > > And even if you take all the rogue cops out there I guarantee there is a substantial majority who do their job and do it well, including protecting members of the African-American community from crime. Painting with a broad brush is always a stupid thing to do. > > Of course the American justice system isnt perfect. What system is? Nevertheless it’s one of the best justice systems in the world, if not the best. Imagine that, because of the color of your skin and the district you live in (because your family was forced there a generation or two ago because of their skin color), the cops were less than _half_ as likely to solve your murder as one of your white colleagues. Imagine that, despite that, you have to _constantly_ live in fear of the police busting you with a joint or a broken taillight or a fucking cap gun and gunning your ass down two seconds after showing up on the scene or shooting you in the back as you run away, then planting evidence on your body. Imagine it was caught on video, and you _still couldn’t be fucking sure the cop would see justice_. Would you trust the justice system? I sure wouldn’t. So glad I’m white. ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2016, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-lives-dont-matter-walter-scott/774007/67 "2016-12-11T15:04:24Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > … the cops were less than _half_ as likely to solve your murder as one of your white colleagues. Wonder if that might have anything to do with the fact that many in the black communities don’t cooperate with the police? Ya figure? ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2016, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-lives-dont-matter-walter-scott/774007/68 "2016-12-11T15:18:20Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > Wonder if that might have anything to do with the fact that many in the black communities don’t cooperate with the police? Ya figure? Yeah, it’s a problem on both sides. Not sure how to fix it. Maybe ensuring that high-profile cases like this _don’t keep on fucking happening_ would be a good first step. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2016, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-lives-dont-matter-walter-scott/774007/69 "2016-12-11T15:40:02Z")
Is it possible to file perjury charges against the cop? IANAL, but it would seem that if you testify something that’s contradicted by video, you’ve committed perjury. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2016, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-lives-dont-matter-walter-scott/774007/70 "2016-12-11T17:27:50Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > Wonder if that might have anything to do with the fact that many in the black communities don’t cooperate with the police? Ya figure? You think that’s the chicken or the egg you got there, **aldi**? ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2016, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-lives-dont-matter-walter-scott/774007/71 "2016-12-11T17:45:13Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > You think that’s the chicken or the egg you got there, **aldi**? When have black people ever had anything to fear from the police? In order to blame the reluctance of the black community to cooperate as freely with the police, you would have to assume some sort of history, where the police were oppressing people in the black community to create that kind of mistrust. That sort of thing never happened in the US. In fact, racism wasn’t even invented until Obama ran for office. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2016, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-lives-dont-matter-walter-scott/774007/72 "2016-12-11T20:09:44Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > That sort of thing never happened in the US. In fact, racism wasn’t even invented until Obama ran for office. If only people stopped talking about racism so much then racism would just go away. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-lives-dont-matter-walter-scott/774007/73 "2019-03-07T02:24:52Z")
Updating this thread: > [@](#): > > Former South Carolina police officer Michael Slager has pleaded guilty to using excessive force in the 2015 fatal shooting of unarmed black man Walter Scott and now faces the possibility of life in prison. > > The 35-year-old former officer, who is white, was taken into custody after a hearing at a federal courthouse in Charleston, South Carolina, on Tuesday. He will be sentenced at a later date. > **[Former South Carolina officer pleads guilty in Walter Scott killing](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/02/walter-scott-shooting-police-michael-slager-pleads-guilty)** > > Michael Slager pleads guilty to using excessive force on Scott, an unarmed black man he shot and killed as he ran from a traffic stop in 2015 Actually this is a 2 year old post. \*\*Ex-cop Michael Slager sentenced to 20 years for shooting death of Walter Scott [from December, 2017] \*\* > **[Ex-cop Michael Slager sentenced to 20 years for shooting death of Walter Scott](https://abcnews.go.com/US/cop-michael-slager-faces-19-24-years-prison/story?id=51595376)** > > Slager was accused of killing Walter Scott, an unarmed black man, in 2015. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-lives-dont-matter-walter-scott/774007/74 "2019-03-07T03:24:29Z")
Slagers’ wife clearly doesn’t get it- > [@](#): > > Michael Slager’s wife, Jamie Slager, told the judge, “He had to make a decision in a split second. I couldn’t imagine having to make a decision that fast.” You could maybe say that about the questionable shooting of someone who was actually running away. You can not say that about planting the gun and filing a false report. ---
**Author:** ![Isosleepy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/isosleepy/32/479_2.png) [@Isosleepy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isosleepy)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-lives-dont-matter-walter-scott/774007/75 "2019-03-07T12:30:24Z")
Wow, the system worked! This time… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-lives-dont-matter-walter-scott/774007.md?page=3)