We shouldn’t be worried about riots after the Ferguson verdict. We should be worried about more cops emboldened to shoot unarmed people. Because if you think they’ll never shoot at you and yours, you’re wrong.
It’s not about keeping your nose clean and your head down. Remember, John Crawford was just talking on the phone at Walmart, holding an air rifle they sell at the store, when the cops gunned him down without even announcing their presence or telling him to drop the gun. Akai Gurley was just taking the stairs in his building when a cop shot him dead because he was patrolling the stairway with his gun drawn and his jittery finger already on the trigger.
Do you think any of those cops will be help responsible for their actions? It’s unlikely. Cops are never held responsible for the deaths they cause. Even when it’s clear the shooting wasn’t justified.
Why? Because we live in a society that desperately wants to believe cops have only our best interests at heart. It’s the only way we can sleep at night knowing how much power we’ve given them. Including the power to kill us.
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