Dear Society,
At some point, hopefully in the very near future, you will wake the Hell up and start holding people responsible for their choices/their own behaviors and stop blaming others for the end results that occurs after they choose to engage in those choices.
Tamir Rice shooting – Cleveland, Ohio: Police are dispatched to a “gun run”, which essentially equates to a person in possession of a gun who is brandishing said weapon in a public place. The dispatcher never relayed to the officers that the person of interest “may” have a fake/toy gun or that he “may” be under the age of 18 years:
Surveillance video released by police shows Tamir being shot within 2 seconds of the patrol car stopping near him. In that time, Officer Timothy Loehmann told the boy to put his hands up, but he didn’t, according to police brass and Follmer. Tamir had nearly pulled the gun out of his waistband when Loehmann shot him, Follmer said.
Officer Frank Garmback pulled into the park after seeing Tamir at a distance and slammed on the brakes when Tamir did not run, as they had expected, Follmer said. That caused the car to slide on the slick grass and stop within a few feet of the boy, Follmer said.
Garmback and Loehmann had discussed tactics while approaching the park, Follmer said. Garmback was Loehmann’s field training officer that day.
The officers also thought they were confronting someone around 20 years old, not 12, Follmer said. They didn’t learn Tamir’s age until later in the day.
“In their mindset, they’re still thinking it’s an older male, not a 12-year-old kid,” Follmer said. “That’s the reality. That’s what they see right there, right then.”
An autopsy released Friday said Tamir was 5 feet 7 and weighed 195 pounds.
With all of the “outrage” over officers shooting a 12 year old who was brandishing a fake gun, though he removed the identifying objects that would indicate it is not a real gun, where was his mother? Where was his father and who gave him this gun with the idea that it was not only okay to take the weapon outside without the identifying marks that indicate its not a real gun, but to point the gun at people not to mention pull it out when approached by police officers?
Again, don’t look at the person committing the crimes, instead look at the officers forced to deal with the offenders and the crimes they commit. It is so much easier to blame the person forced to deal with the criminal element in our society, heaven forbid the officer chose to do nothing and let the kid keep walking towards him as he is reaching for the gun – quick, you have only a few seconds to react:
And yes, we can do without the incessant whining of “he was 12 years old, he was just a kid” mantra. 12 year olds have and do murder other individuals. To some how state that because he was 12 years old, walking around with a gun that HE altered to make look real while HE was pointing it at other people, that some how he was too young to know what he was doing is, well BS.
Again, I go back to the parents – where the Hell were they? Why was he not being supervised? If his mother was so concerned about his welfare, what was she doing and why was he outside with a gun pointing it at people? Fake or not is irrelevant, you do not point fake guns at people in a public place – well, the rule of thumb is you do not point guns at people regardless, unless you intend to shoot it.
Dear “Concerned Parents”,
Yes, all officers should take full responsibilities for their actions. THAT BEING SAID…let’s play pretend. Let’s say a little black boy was in the park with a gun in his pants, flashing it to “get respect”, and officers arrived on the scene. Your kid is the one afraid to go down the slide…the cop approaches…
Cop – son, I need you to set that gun on the ground and walk towards me
Boy – lifts his shirt and says what…this…ain’t even real.
Cop – that doesn’t matter son, you’re scaring these people, now I need you to set it on the ground and walk towards me.
Boy – pulls out the gun, finger on the trigger and says “what I can’t carry a you gun?”
Cop – unsnaps holster with his hand on his gun but leaves it in the holster
Boy – takes aim
Cop – stays calm, after all it’s a “toy”
Boy – smiles, squeezes the trigger, misses the cop and hits your son with a .38…
Cop – shoots kid
Now you’re pissed at the cop for not reacting quicker. 2 kids are dead.
If you do not want your kid to wind up dead by police, teach him/her where respect really comes from. Teach him/her why there are laws. Teach him/her that a little cooperation and coexistence…goes a long way!
With respect to this incident, I almost have to wonder how the State can NOT file a child endangerment charge against the mother. Again, personal responsibility, which also reaches out to the children you CHOSE to have yet clearly are not properly caring for or supervising – own it!