BROWN VS. GARNER

SPECIAL POST

What a contract there is between Wilson's shooting of Brown in Ferguson and Pantaleo's choking of Garner in Staten Island; it's like night and day.  

After review of the Grand Jury evidence and testimony in Ferguson, there is not even a sliver of doubt in my mind that the shooting of Brown was justified.  Yet, there was rioting, burning, looting, shooting and pure anarchy after the verdict was announced.  

Of course, I haven't yet seen any Grand Jury evidence or testimony in the New York case.  But, based on what I do know, there is a whole lot of doubt in my mind as to whether or not the Grand Jury reached the right conclusion in deciding not to indict Pantaleo on any level of charges at all.  Yes, there was protesting after the announcement, and I think the protest was justified.  But, as of this writing there is no rioting, looting, burning, shooting or other evidence of anarchy.  Good for them. 

One big difference, of course, is that Al Sharpton, Eric Holder and Barack Obama have not been using the Garner case as a platform to stoke racial fires in the country.  Another major difference is that the media wasn't creating an atmosphere of expected rioting for weeks on end before the Pantaleo verdict.  

It has been said by numerous people that we need to have dialogue about cops vs. Blacks.  While I welcome dialogue on any subject at any time as a means to resolve differences and to make things better, I really think we should be looking at cops... period.  I have great respect for the officers who protect us in our cities and states.  They put their lives on the line for us every day.  

But, I have a problem with cops having tanks, armored Humvees and other military equipment.  I have a problem with the growing reports of cops invading private residences in the middle of the night to confiscate lawfully owned guns, and an endless litany of other police wrongdoings or excessive uses of power. 

I don't see this as a white cop versus Black issue.  I think the problem runs deeper than that and we do need to investigate it, find the root causes of it, have dialogue about it and resolve it.  

That's MY AMERICAN OPINION, respectfully submitted.