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In reply to the discussion: I fully understand that this post is likely to draw very intense personal criticism but, at my age, [View all]ancianita
(36,009 posts)In the same neighborhood, there's been gunfire in different places in Little Village, around 26th and Sawyer which is near Cook County Jail and courthouse, a residential area near a light industrial area that houses film production warehouses and Lagunitas brewery. Residents have been calling cops every time they hear gunfire.
I've lived in neighborhoods where there's gunfire. I get it. I've lived excellent neighborhoods in north and south sides, been held up at gun point in Hyde Park right near the U. Of Chicago, and can say that a kid running around with a gun that time of night, in that location, given the night tensions of residents, would have been seen by police as up to no good.
Given that context, and the crap year everyone has had, I can understand that Chuck Ramsay, former Chicago deputy chief of police, said that the shooting was "not unreasonable." Doesn't mean I agree. But I understand.
I'll have to say that ONLY shooting as a last resort, and ONLY shooting to disable should be the training, no matter how hot the situation; that no chest or head shots are allowed by department policy; if cops do not de-escalate, disable, but kill someone, they get automatically fired or suspended without pay until all cameras are seen, investigations are done.
A kid should never have to die for being an idiot.
A kid should never have to die for being an armed idiot.
A kid should never have to die for being in the middle of tensions and problems and law enforcement policies he never had a say in.
A kid should never have to die, period.
Any racist sees a black kid as a danger, older, and more adult than they are.
They are none of those things.
They are a kid.