“An average human looks without seeing, listens without hearing, touches without feeling, eats without tasting, moves without physical awareness, inhales without awareness of odour or fragrance, and talks without thinking.”
Leonardo Da Vinci
So, now we've seen the video, of Memphis PD officers making a mess of trying to take Tyre Nichols into custody, with Mr. Nichols dying in the aftermath. The criminal allegations against the (former) officers will make their way through the system, with each officer entitled to their day in court, with the requirement that the prosecution prove each and every element of the crimes alleged beyond a reasonable doubt. Mobs, and videos, are not how justice is done. Deliberation and a sober treatment of the evidence will determine the fate of the officers.
Even a temperate view of the body cam evidence leads one to ask one question. It is a question that has been ignored in the service of political agendas and self-aggrandizement. It has been swept aside by hustlers and con men and women. That is - what happens to a police department when small groups of officers forget that everyone has a right to be treated with respect, to be treated lawfully even when, especially when, they are the subject of attention from the police?
Nearly three years ago, I wrote a book I believe asks, and in a material way answers that question. It transcends all of the -isms that have, so far, only delayed the examination of what really constitutes misconduct, the kind that seriously erodes a community's trust in their law enforcement officers. It was about the promise good officers make, and hold themselves to.
Read it, don't read it... Steal it. I don't care. A Guardian's Promise talks directly to those who have watched the Memphis video, and want to know what will make a difference.
Another life, lost. Isn't it time we set aside politics and talk about what is really going on?
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