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Aug. 24th, 2014 06:18 pmI wonder who called the cops on Kajieme Powell, and I wonder how they're feeling about it now. That person may have thought they were doing everything right, after all. They tell you that you shouldn't go in after a drowning person yourself, because you'll likely both die that way; you're supposed to call for specialized help, equipped with knowledge and supplies that enable rescue without further risk of life. And the police are also supposed to be specialized help. Powell was visibly not well, and he did have a weapon, and I can absolutely see wanting to get him help without engaging him directly. He needed help. The police, who have protective clothing and presumably SOME training in getting through to suicide risks, are the logical next step.
What do you do about officers who respond to a suicide's agonized plea - "shoot me!" - with prompt and obedient action? They shot Powell down like a dog, mere seconds after their arrival on the scene, and they kept shooting, and after he's dead you can still hear them demanding that he put his hands up.
It shouldn't be possible to use the police as a weapon for self-killing. The drowning ones need to be safely rescued.
And then the PD tries to present it as a "clean" and justified killing of a young Black man by a white cop, only days after the murder of Michael Brown, an innocent Black child, right there in the St. Louis area.
eta: St. Louis Public Radio has audio of the 911 and dispatch calls. People sound worried; the second female caller's tone is pretty gentle, and she's clearly looking to get Powell help in addition to protecting herself and her business. Nothing that would even come close to justifying the kind of immediate massive violence the police unleashed on him.
What do you do about officers who respond to a suicide's agonized plea - "shoot me!" - with prompt and obedient action? They shot Powell down like a dog, mere seconds after their arrival on the scene, and they kept shooting, and after he's dead you can still hear them demanding that he put his hands up.
It shouldn't be possible to use the police as a weapon for self-killing. The drowning ones need to be safely rescued.
And then the PD tries to present it as a "clean" and justified killing of a young Black man by a white cop, only days after the murder of Michael Brown, an innocent Black child, right there in the St. Louis area.
eta: St. Louis Public Radio has audio of the 911 and dispatch calls. People sound worried; the second female caller's tone is pretty gentle, and she's clearly looking to get Powell help in addition to protecting herself and her business. Nothing that would even come close to justifying the kind of immediate massive violence the police unleashed on him.