Stupid situation that got out of control, certainly, and I’m as outraged as the next guy. However, the guy should have complied, angry or not. Nervous cops with drawn guns can end in disaster for even the most innocent of people. When told to put an object down, it’s best to do so, as it’s always better than being dead.
It’s certainly safer. But it does also reinforce the idea that it’s perfectly okay for cops to act this way and is very often used to encourage victim-blaming when an innocent person is killed by an over-reacting cop.
Who is the paid professional trained in conflict resolution in this situation?
I’m tired of the excuse “if only he’d complied, he wouldn’t be dead”. Stop blaming the innocent victim.
There is a local story of a simple man that ended up dead because he wouldn’t put down a 2-liter bottle of soda in a convenience store. Look up Otto Zehm if you are curious. You have no idea about the guy picking up trash.
I tell my kids all the time to just comply with police requests. If you’re innocent it will be determined so. But, they’re not people of color. Black and brown people have reason to be angry and defensive. It’s not right for profiling to happen, but it does. So sad, really.
Earning the hate. Clearly a person who lacks the temperament to be a police officer. Escalating the situation even after having been shown an ID.
Who, other than a cop can pull a gun on someone for no reason and get a paid vacation for doing so. It’s time for the Boulder police to have a job opening.
Yeah, THAT’s the problem here. Police community relations might be damaged. I’m really worried about police community relations. I’m worried that the police maybe think so little of some parts of their community that they’re willing to shoot them for no reason.
Profiling is sad. Right. Be sure to shed a tear for the victims of profiling, maybe two tears when they’re actually shot to death.
This is the wrong forum for me to say how little I think of some of these responses. It’s the wrong forum for me to say what I think about the joke responses. It’s the wrong forum for me to wonder what’s mundane or pointless about this, and why there’s no outrage here. So as you were, carry on being you.