LMPD Assistant Police Chief told Recruit to Shoot Black People
Police brutality is real. Racism is real. It's not to be blamed on the media...it's not because black people keep perpetuating it. Racism exists because there are actual people in this country that hate black people and some of them are being hired to "protect" us. It's a harsh reality, but its real.
The Assistant Police Chief (in Prospect) for the Louisville Metro Police Department told a recruit "if he catches juveniles smoking marijuana, he should "shoot them” if they are black." Instead of doing a full recount of the story, you can read it here on the WDRB website.
As I neared the end of the article, I read this statement from Jefferson County Attorney, “There is no place in police departments for men or women who hold such strongly held prejudices, including recommending shooting people simply because of their race.”
Do any of you see the problem in this statement? Read it again.
“There is no place in police departments for men or women who hold such strongly held prejudices, including recommending shooting people simply because of their race."
There is our problem.
His statement is saying the police department is tolerant of minor prejudices, or loosely held prejudice, but nothing this major...
Why are we tolerant of ANY type of prejudice? The truth is officer Todd Shaw is not the only racist cop on staff. This is not an isolated situation. He is just the only one to openly express it and act on it. This attorney is basically saying is ok to be prejudice, but not express it in such a gross matter. It's high time for U.S. citizens to accept that these are not isolated situations, we have a REAL problem, and ignoring it, or calling each situation "isolated" is only adding to the problem. The first step in any type of healing is acceptance. Let's accept it. Some people are racists. Some cops purposely kill black people. There are racists police officers, doctors, lawyers, city officials, pastors, business executives, managers, business owners, mothers, fathers... we HAVE to accept it. These people are real! And there are more than one in each city, in each police precinct, in each school. We have to stop acting like this is "fake news". This is not a skit, a comedy sketch, or a movie. The media is not reporting on fake shootings... Black people are actually being killed by people hired to protect us. Just think, this is man who has worked for the LMPD for over 20 years! What else has he done??? Do you really believe this is the first time he has expressed racist feelings?
Before leaving this blog post, if you are not black please ask yourself if you or anybody else you know has ever smoked marijuana. Now ask yourself if you or any of those people deserve to die. If the answer is no, then please, don't justify why it is ok for a police officer to shoot and kill a black person.
I had a (white female) coworker who openly admitted to smoking copious amounts of weed every week with her husband. Many of my other coworkers knew of her marijuana habit and mentioned having experience smoking it as well. Weed is illegal here in Kentucky, but never once have I thought... my coworkers deserve to die if they are caught smoking. Not once. In face if I heard any of them were killed by police while having possession of marijuana I wouldn't say "well.. weed is illegal so..."
I will end this post by asking that the next next time you hear of an incident where the police shoot and kill a black man (or woman), you consider this story. Consider Todd Shaw and his vile remarks, and remember there are more police officers like him.