Philando Castile: You know, we tell ourselves that we’re better than this. That stuff like this only happens in North Minneapolis or Chicago or LA.
Hue and I stood on the sidewalk at Larpenteur and Snelling last night watching the flashing lights of seven police cars, ambulance and fire truck. An officer with a high-power rifle turned cars back that wanted to drive west on Larpenteur. Another officer kept onlookers at bay. We saw no sign of a traffic accident or natural disaster, and from a block away, we speculated with the other bystanders as to what had happened.
What had happened was that yet another person of color was killed by police. In our quiet little neighborhood. Where police are still seen as being courteous and helpful. Well… were, maybe.
At first report, it seems that Castile, his companion and her child had been pulled over for a broken taillight. He informed the officers that he had a concealed carry license, and that he was reaching for his wallet to get out his license. And then he was shot. Four times. His companion started filming the scene just after he was shot. We don’t see what happened leading up to the shooting, but we hear the aftermath in stark detail. Castile died later that night.
I can speculate a lot of what-ifs, but what does that really get us? But I can say this with utter certainty: THIS HAS TO STOP. Right here, right now. If that means a total ban on firearms in the US, I’m all for that. No handguns, no rifles, no shotguns. No firearms. Period. None for the police. None for the general populace. None for game hunters. At least then, we all have a fighting chance of staying alive long enough to resolve our differences with nonlethal force.
I know a lot of folks reading this will vehemently disagree, stating that it’s their right to own firearms. To that, I can only say: sometimes, we have to impose limits for the common good. That’s how a society works. That’s what making and enforcing laws are all about. If you no longer get to go out to the range or into the woods to fire your weapons, well, too bad for you. Find another hobby that doesn’t endanger yourselves and everyone around you. And that goes for law enforcement, too. No guns. Find another way to do your job that doesn’t involve shooting first, then never asking questions later.
We don’t need or want this kind of “law enforcement”. We’re better than this.
And incidentally, exactly what law was being enforced here? Is a broken taillight worth a man’s life? I’m sure more of the story will be heard, but at the moment, I see an innocent person displaying a lethal weapon that he had no intention of using, and an officer too scared to assess the situation before using lethal force. Erase the guns from the mix, and we’re left with a $75 ticket and four people whose lives have not just been ruined.
Enough is enough.
