Brandishing a firearm while white

[Tom Joad]

http://www.salon.com/2014/09/05/gun_..._carry_zealot/

What do you suppose would happen to an agitated, belligerent African-American man wandering around on the street in his pajamas yelling at people, waving a gun around and telling police to shoot him? Judging from what we saw happen in St Louis to Kajieme Powell, he would likely be shot dead by police almost immediately. But that’s not what happened to this gentleman in Kalamazoo, Michigan. In fact, what happened in Kalamazoo was a picture-perfect example of smart, strategic policing to deescalate a possibly lethal situation.

Of course, the perpetrator was a white, 63-year-old “open-carry” advocate who was drunkenly asserting his right to bear arms in the middle of the day — the very definition of a “good guy with a gun.”

continued

[donquixote99]

Who you are matters a lot.

They could have shot him out-of-hand, and afterwards police sympathizers would assure us that he was an extreme danger to officers and they had the right and duty to 'neutralize the threat' as quickly, and with as little danger to themselves, as possible.

But that's policy only sometimes, it seems. It depends. In other cases, the police will truly 'protect and serve' even at considerable personal risk--if you are someone they feel rates such consideration....

I posted an item a little while ago about the police rushing a drunk, armed belligerent and wrestling his gun away from him. No barked-ordrers-followed-by-hail-of-bullets for him. Of course, he happened to be Chief of Police of the next town down the road.

The police may like you, or they may not, and it can be the difference between life and death.

[Tom Joad]

Originally Posted by donquixote99

Who you are matters a lot.

They could have shot him out-of-hand, and afterwards police sympathizers would assure us that he was an extreme danger to officers and they had the right and duty to 'neutralize the threat' as quickly, and with as little danger to themselves, as possible.

I don't think so.

I think most of the "Police Sympathizers" in the Michael Brown shooting would be bitching about about the "Obama Police State" on this one.