Another Police Killing

I think the scariest thing about the victims in all of these accidental cop shootings, is how you see yourself in so many of them. Shem Walker came out on his stoop in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn to find a man sitting on it. He apparently asked the guy to move. The guy didn't respond. Walker apparently tried to move him with physical force. Turns out the guy was a cop. The cop shot and killed Walker.

Clinton Hill isn't what it was in the 80s, but I know the neighborhood, and I could easily see myself in exactly that same situation. The hood consensus, among responsible adults, is that if someone's sitting on your stoop who you don't know, they need to get moving. And quickly. Otherwise, you might find yourself mixed up in someone else's drug bust. It's the same thing when you see kids leaning on your car. They need to keep it moving, less you get tangled up in their business.

What continues to amaze me about these cops, is how they seem to, all at once, lack basic street sense and basic training. Why are you sitting on some dude's stoop, in Clinton Hill, in the first place? With earphones on, no less? You're just asking for beef. Why are you pulling out a gun and shooting someone over a fist fight? You're a cop, for God's sake. Why do you think pulling a gun and saying "Freeze, police!" but not showing any fucking ID, is gonna work? Don't they know that any drug dealer could do the same thing?

I don't understand it.