On July 6, 2016, Philando Castille was shot and killed by Jeronimo Yanez. I vented to my friends but said nothing publicly. On June 16, 2017, Yanez was tried and acquitted. Again, aside from some friends, I was silent.
Maybe I am so used to hearing the media talk about such cases that it has numbed me, and others, to the wrongness. That numbness has made us look away and not see the bigger picture. So now we come to it, that bigger picture.
Why did I write my last post? What prompted me to speak up?
Castille’s 4 year-old daughter.
The little girl, and her handcuffed mother, were put in a police car for 45 minutes after the shooting. They were then driven to a police station and questioned. Imploring her mom to not use curse words, because “I don’t want you to get shooted” The video of the little girl comforting her mother. Being brave broke my heart. I felt my silence should end. I guess my mommy kicked in.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=2-6BBPTWfaQ
When I wrote the article and posted it, a few things were asked: “Are you anti cop?”; “What are some suggestions?”; “What are some solutions?”
I am not anti-cop. I am anti-bad cop, I am anti-overreach . I am very anti-bully.
I have had a few encounters with police while carrying. I received a new holster as a gift. Those who carry know you want to wear a new holster to kinda break it in. So I put my .40 in my new holster and went out and started mowing my lawn. About 20 minutes into it i hear a “whoop whoop”. An officer pulled up and asked for my ID. I asked what the problem was. The officer’s immediate response? “Don’t give me a hard time. Just give me your ID.” Again I asked if there was a problem. The officer said well one of your neighbors called and said you had a gun. I said “OK, is there a problem. I am mowing my lawn.” He said how do I know you live here, how do I know this is your house. I sighed asked “Is there a problem?” I was private property and while it was legal for the officer to ask for my id. I was under no obligation to legally provide it. The idea that I had to somehow prove I belong, or prove I owned my home. I was not having it. Eventually the officer got frustrated and left. IF I had committed a crime, if the officer had begun a polite conversation, perhaps the interaction would have been less heated. There is no crime called contempt of cop. The idea that I or any other law abiding citizen should give up their information…just cause, is ridiculous.
Would you rob a house, openly carry a firearm, but “Before I go, this lawn looks a bit nappy, let me stop and mow the lawn before making my great escape.” Really?
In some universe, logic should prevail.
Probably my best carry interaction occurred at 3 am, coming out of Walmart. An officer stopped me and asked me what kind of gun I was carrying. I told him it was a P-238 lady. He asked if it was a good gun. I explained that I had about 700 rounds down range, never had a jam, never had a stove pipe. We spoke for another five minutes or so. The officer never asked for my ID. He was polite and very casual. Every question he asked, and my responses told him everything he needed to know. I knew model and how it shot. So It probably wasn’t stolen. We spoke of size , handling and model. I probably wasn’t a threat, I spoke to him clearly and at length. A distinct difference.
Okay, a glimpse of the good and the bad sprinkled with silly. Now for suggestions on how to make things better. Very first thing, we need to talk TO each other not at each other. If you start the discussion with distrust and an “us vs them” attitude, the discussion is bound to fail.
Community policing. Have officers out of the cars interacting with the community. If the only time you ever see an officer is when there is trouble, death or discontent. Well the presence of that uniform is going to be immediately associated with all things bad.
De-escalation training. If a situation is getting heated. Some the best option is to calm down, listen, and discuss. A police department in Utah took the Dept. of Justice training and have not killed anyone in 5 years.
View a situation with (at least) a half-civilian component. How many excessive complaints does an officer have to have before he is removed from the streets? How many agencies can an officer jump around to before personnel looks at why?
Not everyone can be a police officer.
Not everyone has the temperament.
Not every cop is bad.
Every officer wants to go home. But as law enforcement officer if you want that level of trust, treat us fairly on a case-by-case basis. You have to give the civilian population the same level of trust and respect.
Mr. Castile died a year ago. I said nothing, many of us in the second amendment community said nothing. It took the bravery of a 4 year old child to make me speak to it. I hope you read my words and add to the solution…the path to heal.
Everyone involved in this night should have gone home safely. That didn’t happen. That little girl telling her mom, “I can keep you safe,” is heart breaking. This situation never should have happen.
It begins and ends with us as individuals. Figuring it out.
Not burying another young man.
Not burying another father…another son…another loved one.
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