So, here we are again. Summer has come, another change of seasons. The 4th of July has passed, another celebration of America’s independence from England. And another young unarmed Black male killed by police. Another march in protest and another cry for “Justice!” — this time for Jayland Walker.
Let me say at the outset, of course, all the facts are not in. I get it. But a couple of things continue to be a problem when these shootings occur. A couple of things rear their ugly heads time and time again. A couple of things we as a nation “under God” really, really need to take a closer look at.
At the risk of being called an “Uncle Tom” or insensitive to his family I ask: Why did Jayland Walker take off in the car and then run off on foot? I’m sure this is a question many Whites are asking and probably pointing to as a reason for shooting him. After all, if he had just pulled over and complied with the directions of the officers, he would most likely be alive today.
Like Daunte Wright, who pulled over and complied. But, oh wait, Daunte Wright is dead! So is Walter Scott, shot and killed by police in South Carolina in 2015, unarmed and running away. The same goes for Ronell Foster in California in 2018 and Rashard Brooks in Atlanta, whose death occurred one month after the killing of George Floyd.
Despite the continued outcry for justice, police continue to kill unarmed Black men.
These are just a few of the many who have been killed in this manner over the years. Despite the continued outcry for justice, it happens over and over again.
In the face of a police confrontation, why do Black men continue to struggle with and run away from an armed agent of the law? Yes, sometimes, it is because of a criminal past. But not always.
I am a born-again Christian striving to live a life that reflects the image of Christ. I can’t tell you the last time I was ticketed for any traffic violation, yet when a police cruiser appears in my rearview mirror, I am filled with a level of trepidation I am sure surpasses that of the average White male driver in the same situation. Is there anything wrong with the car I’m not aware of? Is he running my plate number? Is he going to pull me over just as a routine stop? Did I signal my last turn? Is he Officer Friendly or Officer Deadly? Am I going to die today?
I have seen with my own eyes what happens to people of color at the hands of some officers, even when they comply. It all depends upon the way people are treated by police. Some officers treat everyone with respect, and some show respect only to those they choose to respect. It’s almost a 50-50 chance of survival in some cases, and perhaps this is what’s in the mind of many Black men — a roll of the dice! Damned if you do; damned if you don’t!
How many bullets does it take to kill a man? Evidently, some police officers feel it takes more to kill a Black man that it does to kill a White man. Jayland Walker allegedly was shot more than 60 times! Some claim Walker fired at the officers from his car, but he was not firing while running away, and the gun he had was in the car at the time he was shot 60-plus times.
Whatever happened to the old police chase? Are the police so out of shape they can’t run down suspects anymore?
In 2019, Willie McCoy was unarmed and shot 55 times. In 1999, Amadou Diallo, unarmed and mistaken for someone else, was shot 41 times while standing in a doorway. I’m just learning about guns, but it seems to me some of these cops must have emptied their weapons on these men.
Whatever happened to the old police chase? Are the police so out of shape they can’t run down suspects anymore? In the case of a traffic stop when the perpetrator runs away from the vehicle, you have the vehicle. Can’t you track down the runner with some good old-fashioned police work?
Are police worried about getting razzed by their colleagues for letting someone get away? Are they that afraid of Black people, or does this reflect the level of hate residing in some “public servants” who have a license to kill?
The story is always the same from police: “I felt threatened, my life was in danger.” I wonder at what point during all those shots fired did police feel Jayland Walker was no longer threatening them?
When George Floyd was murdered, three other officers were directly involved in the incident. Derek Chauvin rested his entire body weight on Floyd’s neck and back for 9 minutes and 29 seconds. At no time do we see any of these officers attempt to move Chauvin off of Floyd!
In the case of Jayland Walker, it has been estimated that 90 shots were fired. Again, I’m no weapons expert, but it seems to me Jayland Walker must have hit the ground at some point well before all 60 bullets hit him. That means these officers continued to fire their weapons after a point where the suspect was no longer a lethal threat to them or to anyone else.
Why didn’t one of those officers recognize the threat had been neutralized and call for the firing to stop? None of them had the human decency to say: “Enough. That’s enough.”
Police are supposed to be enforcers, not executioners. This happens over and over in these situations. One guy jumps off a cliff ,and everyone else follows. It makes you wonder if some of these guys even see human beings when they look at Black flesh.
It is plain there is a problem with racism in our country. Yet the voice of the White Christian leaders seem “again” to be on mute when it comes to this subject.
Where is the White Christian outcry? It is plain there is a problem with racism in our country. Yet the voice of the White Christian leaders seem “again” to be on mute when it comes to this subject.
We are almost 160 years removed from the emancipation of slaves in this nation, and yet some police treat Black people as if slavery just ended last week. Although we knew racism had not been irradicated, it seems to have found new energy and new boldness in recent years. Even if it comes to light that Jayland Walker was involved in some criminal activity, the fact remains the way he died was uncalled for, vicious and brutal.
So, we have another police atrocity. Another plea of “Justice now for Jayland,” and apparently another missed opportunity by White Christian organizations and leadership to say something, anything that can even remotely resemble condemning this most recent episode of man’s inhumanity to man.
First John 4:20 asks a vital and timely question: “He that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?”
Eugene G. Akins III is a podiatrist practicing in upstate New York the past 25 years. He is a lifetime member and now a minister of the Church of God in Christ. He is the recent author of two books: Caught by the Collar and Black Lives White Lies: The Need for White Christians to Fight Racism in America.
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