Yesterday (Oct. 24th, 2008), Corporal Brett Etzler of the Montgomery County Sheriff's Department shot and killed Warren S. Watkins.
Mr. Watkins was 40 years old, and had stolen a necklace from Kay Jewelers. The necklace was worth about $500 - obviously more than this man's life!
Corporal Etzler is a 12 year veteran with the Sheriff's Office, and is on leave with pay. This is the same Corporal Etzler, who in January of 1998 (according to The Frederick Post - 01/17/98) subdued a woman who barricaded herslef in her home, boobie-trapped it with paint and was weilding a hammer. He didn't shoot and kill her. But, the team of officers distracted the woman and corralled her, then taking her to a local hospital for mental evaluation. I could be wrong, but I'm willing to bet this woman was White.
When it comes to Black people, however, the police are only trained to shoot!
My father is a retired Chief Deputy US Marshall, and former Commissioner of Police among other posts in over 30 years of law enforcement experience. So, I am well aware of proper police proceedure. And, police are only justified to use deadly force if they are in danger or if the lives of others are in danger.
There's no way that a police officer could be in life-threatening danger from a man with a pair of scissors!
According to Sheriff Chuck Jenkins, Corporal Brett Etzler "was assisting three Maryland State Troopers when he shot" Warren S. Watkins.
THREE STATE TROOPERS PLUS ONE SHERIFF EQUALS FOUR LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS!
On the Maryland State Police Academy site, we read:
They also proudly state:
If that is the case, why do four of "Maryland's Finest" need to shoot ONE man armed with a pair of scissors?
Mr. Watkins was 40 years old, and had stolen a necklace from Kay Jewelers. The necklace was worth about $500 - obviously more than this man's life!
Corporal Etzler is a 12 year veteran with the Sheriff's Office, and is on leave with pay. This is the same Corporal Etzler, who in January of 1998 (according to The Frederick Post - 01/17/98) subdued a woman who barricaded herslef in her home, boobie-trapped it with paint and was weilding a hammer. He didn't shoot and kill her. But, the team of officers distracted the woman and corralled her, then taking her to a local hospital for mental evaluation. I could be wrong, but I'm willing to bet this woman was White.
When it comes to Black people, however, the police are only trained to shoot!
My father is a retired Chief Deputy US Marshall, and former Commissioner of Police among other posts in over 30 years of law enforcement experience. So, I am well aware of proper police proceedure. And, police are only justified to use deadly force if they are in danger or if the lives of others are in danger.
There's no way that a police officer could be in life-threatening danger from a man with a pair of scissors!
According to Sheriff Chuck Jenkins, Corporal Brett Etzler "was assisting three Maryland State Troopers when he shot" Warren S. Watkins.
THREE STATE TROOPERS PLUS ONE SHERIFF EQUALS FOUR LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS!
On the Maryland State Police Academy site, we read:
They also proudly state:
You will learn defensive tactics (including boxing and martial arts) and officer survival.
Sheriff Jenkins tried to say that the attack was life-threatening:
Officers had chased the suspect on foot from the mall into a nearby
office park. The confrontation with the deputy and troopers took place
in a grassy area near the intersection of New Horizon Way and Spectrum
Drive."The gentleman lunged at the troopers," Jenkins said.
The
attack, he said, came within a few feet of the troopers and was
life-threatening when the deputy fired his SIG Sauer 9 mm service
weapon.
WHAT!? An attack on four highly trained officers, by a man with scissors was life-threatening? If that's the case, then we're really not safe. If that's the case we definitely need an entirely new police force to protect us! If the police are afraid of a pair of scissors, we have absolutely NO HOPE! It's obvious that the police are only trained to shoot.
Sheriff Jenkins also stated that more than one shot was fired (at the man armed with scissors). Yet, as life-threatening as this encounter was, none of the officers were injured - not even a shirt was cut! Jenkins said that the scissors were a "deadly weapon capable of piercing body armor."
You've got to love these folks! They know the key words to say in order to justify their ridiculous claims! I can beat a man with a pair of scissors. You can beat a man with a pair of scissors. And, it's for damn sure that if I went to police academy I better be able to beat a man armed with a pair of scissors! If not, the State of Maryland really needs to reconsider whether or not it's worth it to fund the police academy. It obviously is not preparing officers for their duty.
There is nothing that could justify this shooting. But, they get away with this crap because we argue it was racial. It was racial - but the thing about racism is, you can't prove it in Court. What is provable, is that it was unjustified. What is provable is that the criminal/victim was outnumbered - by highly trained individuals. What is provable is that the victim was cornered and had nowhere left to go. Obviously, a man who will attack four police officers is out of his mind. So, we know he was also erratic. Certainly it is provable that officers who are trained to remain calm under pressure can subdue an erratic individual without use of deadly force. But, the police are only trained to shoot!
What do you think?
Sheriff Jenkins also stated that more than one shot was fired (at the man armed with scissors). Yet, as life-threatening as this encounter was, none of the officers were injured - not even a shirt was cut! Jenkins said that the scissors were a "deadly weapon capable of piercing body armor."
You've got to love these folks! They know the key words to say in order to justify their ridiculous claims! I can beat a man with a pair of scissors. You can beat a man with a pair of scissors. And, it's for damn sure that if I went to police academy I better be able to beat a man armed with a pair of scissors! If not, the State of Maryland really needs to reconsider whether or not it's worth it to fund the police academy. It obviously is not preparing officers for their duty.
There is nothing that could justify this shooting. But, they get away with this crap because we argue it was racial. It was racial - but the thing about racism is, you can't prove it in Court. What is provable, is that it was unjustified. What is provable is that the criminal/victim was outnumbered - by highly trained individuals. What is provable is that the victim was cornered and had nowhere left to go. Obviously, a man who will attack four police officers is out of his mind. So, we know he was also erratic. Certainly it is provable that officers who are trained to remain calm under pressure can subdue an erratic individual without use of deadly force. But, the police are only trained to shoot!
What do you think?
4 comments:
Right on many points but wrong, too. A completely unarmed man can threaten a life with only his bare hands... and without scissors. That said, I'm willing to bet that the police were not trained well enough to think through the situation properly. That lack of training may have started at home, when Mom let them know that studying wasn't that important. Being your best? Also not that important... Or - as I see in DC all too often - and something both cops and robbers are guilty of - Mom told them all that they were 'smarter' if they did less work for the same paycheck. Malcolm X talked about this slave mentality which holds the people down. I wish the people around here would bother to open a book and read about how to change their personal situations and improve the community... instead of constantly blaming "The Man." Newsflash. In this city - YOU are the man. And YOU are screwing yourself over.
So true, Anonymous...in this City the Black man is (should be - based upon population) the man! And, it is largely our fault...apathy will be the death of us.
Our hope here is to break the apathy so that folk remember: DC is Chocolate City!
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