Body cameras on cops are a great idea and will likely save many lives. Body cameras would not have saved the life of Eric Garner, though, whose life was extinguished on camera and whose final pleas for breath continue to echo around the world. We need more than body cameras. Prosecuting attorneys cannot be trusted to handle these cases properly because of the mutual dependence between themselves and the police and their unwillingness to betray the unspoken trust between the two. There is an obvious conflict of interest. We need radical changes in the way police brutality cases are handled within our justice system to ensure that police are held accountable when their actions betray their oath to protect and serve communities. And beyond that, we need to address the fact that most white people do not seem to acknowledge or understand this problem. Until a majority of white people decide to stand beside people of color and demand these changes, nothing will change. Our silence will continue to have deadly consequences. Know that when we say #blacklivesmatter, we believe in the importance of all lives, but were drawing attention to the fact that right now, in America, our system of justice does not acknowledge the value of black lives. Too many people of color have been killed due to negligent or reckless actions of police officers who failed to exercise restraint when doing their jobs. It is not just about Mike Brown, or Eric Garner or John Crawford or Rodney King or Bobby Moore or Eugene Ellison or Chavis Carter or Carnell Russ. Its about a justice system which is failing and is bound to bring the whole country down with it unless we do something about it.
Posted on: Wed, 03 Dec 2014 23:25:08 +0000
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