Police shoot pregnant woman dead (USA)

[SuddenlyOld]

Ok America, since when did it become normal for police officers to point guns at pregnant women accused of shoplifting?
She didn't have a weapon or get violent. Turns out she hadn't stolen anything either.
If I was black in America I'd be scared to go out 😪😪😪
This is probably the worst thing I've seen ever.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-66690408

I think their lack of critical thinking from the word go is horribly clear here.

I would argue the whole gun culture thing completely lacks critical thinking!

It literally does not matter if she was innocent or not.

EXACTLY THIS!

A bloke in the car park doesn't get to issue a death penalty even if she had half the snacks aisle down the front of her trousers.

Absolutely

i agree that gun culture makes idiots behave stupidly (that is the rozzers in this case)

And i do believe that if the police honestly suspect (as in the Chris Kaba case might have) that there are firearms involved, the likely outcome is that shots will be fired.

But i know that in the US the police stop people all the time and don't shoot them. And oftentimes the people they arrest without shooting them are white people suspected of far more serious crimes than possible shoplifting.

I never thought I'd try to evade the police but fear and adrenalin make you do odd things.
The police should be able to manage their adrenalin response appropriately, not shoot dead an innocent woman.

//

👏

A bloke in the car park doesn't get to issue a death penalty even if she had half the snacks aisle down the front of her trousers.

This is facile. He wasn't a bloke, he was an armed officer in a country where an actual bloke can shoot a jogger or someone approaching their property because they "feel" threatened & many people will think that's his right.

Oh come on. Shoplifting in the UK rarely gets police attention now, and of found guilty it's a slap on the wrist and a fine. DP witnessed an attempted shoplifting of brand new mobile phones a few years ago, they were apprehended and police called, no-one was hurt.

And complying wouldn't have guaranteed her safety. It's sad how people think because they'd probably be alright in these situations, everyone would. A mixed race colleague was saying not long ago that she'd be afraid to go to certain parts of the US in case she or her black parent panicked and forgot to raise their hands and say "I pose no threat" if stopped by police. That's just not okay.

The problem is, there are pockets in America that are extremely racist, homophobic and generally stuck in an offensive time warp. For the land of the free, just by being in the ‘wrong minority’ can see you shot.

Whatever her response, she didn’t deserve to be shot dead

But i know that in the US the police stop people all the time and don't shoot them. And oftentimes the people they arrest without shooting them are white people suspected of far more serious crimes than possible shoplifting.

yes, because it's gun culture & racism.

Imagine the outrage and world attention if she had been white, someone’s sister/daughter. Sadly USA cops are trigger happy and these ones should be locked up for life.

nobody on this thread - not one poster even the racist ones - has said that nobody should ever be arrested.

So again: it is not a binary between the police being able to willy-nilly shoot people for no bloody reason and pure anarchy. This isn't The Purge.

The cop walked over to her car, started banging on the window and telling her to get out.

Banging on the window. "Stop, get out of the car. ""They said you stole stuff, do not leave". And keeps on doing that.

The second one then comes over. He walks on the nearside with his gun drawn.

Talk about how to escalate a situation.

This is facile. He wasn't a bloke, he was an armed officer in a country where an actual bloke can shoot a jogger or someone approaching their property because they "feel" threatened & many people will think that's his right.

My whole style was facile tbh including " the whole snack aisle" thing. 🙄 You know, as a sarcastic criticism.

But ultimately, yes he IS just a bloke, reacting in a poor trained, poorly executed demonstration of poor policing.

And all because he does have gun.

And that's why it's across the news.

I'm asking if any one posting here thinks generally, that no one should be arrested? Because that is what some people seem to think, instead of accepting that we want crime to be investigated and that means people get arrested.
Do I think she should have been shot? No, I don't , but knowing that police in the US do shoot, complying would be the better option.
We don't know how complying would have ended, but we do know that not complying resulted in her death.

Justifying it that way , means that you believe that the most vulnerable in society are justifiable collateral damage . Because you know who else doesn't comply? People(including children) with mental health issues,with disabilities, homeless, that are being trafficked etc. and they do it on a regular basis.

@gillygeey

(by the way: i don't know if this is the right approach. I can imagine if i wasn't white i'd feel different. But i haven't reported racist posts here because i think that in this case it is good to see who they are, and what we are up against with the accusations of MN racism and the cries of "no, it doesn't happen and if it does it's handled")

But ultimately, yes he IS just a bloke, reacting in a poor trained, poorly executed demonstration of poor policing.

I don't think anyone would argue that the police aren't poorly trained?!

@sunglassesonthetable did you have any thoughts on the Chris Kaba case I linked as you seemed certain UK police would handle things much better?

There are so many cases of that not turning out well for Black people in the USA, maybe that’s why?

That's the most frustrating thing , even worse than the comments on this thread and many others that have since been deleted.

The complete denial that it exists, and asking for proof, when the comments/threads have been deleted and using the lack of as evidence of "nothing to see here", "you're over sensitive ", "you're playing the race card", "it never happens", bla bla bloody bla.

Some posters have watched far too many police shows.

Are you @devlesko? She was also a 'proud gypsy' who saw any criticism of a traveller as the worse form of racism and yet was frequently horribly racist towards black people.

But if police say stop, why not stop???

Because who knows what would happen if she did comply & it's very likely she panicked. Equally the police likely panicked. Throw guns in & its a disaster.

Many pro gun Americans will just brush off the case because she didn't stop. There's not enough impetus to change the culture & people will keep getting shot by the police & other citizens.

Because they have them so they’ll use them, no effort to deescalate anything at all it’s all or nothing - goes from 0-100 in a second just because they are trigger happy and racist it’s absolutely disgusting

I made the mistake of reading comments on Facebook posts of the article by American news outlets. Lots of "laughing" comments and how it was her fault for making herself look guilty and trying to drive off, etc. Overwhelming support for the officer involved. It's absolutely vile.