Something these protests have got me thinking about.
I was thinking about all of this stuff about police brutality. I believe there is definitely an issue with trigger happy cops, but not all of course. I was wondering if I was right and if so, what could be the reason. I then decided to do the research myself which then brought me to looking into some of the victims themselves. Below are a few of the bigger names of people who were killed by police and their criminal history.
Eric Garner
Arrested by the NYPD more than 30 times: Assault, resisting arrest, and grand larceny. He was out on bail for: driving without a license, marijuana possession, and false impersonation.
Sandra Bland
Charged 5 times for driving without insurance, four times for speeding, and once each for driving while intoxicated and drug possession. Her final conviction was for shoplifting, and owed over $7,000 in unpaid fines at the time of her death.
Freddie Gray
No specifics other than drug charges and minor crimes.
Alton Sterling
Charged for felony theft, simple burglary, domestic abuse battery, failure to comply with sex offender registration and 33 other charges/arrests.
George Floyd
Jail term for 5 years for assault and robbery. Also convicted of charges ranging from theft with a firearm to drugs after his jail term.
Walter Scott
Owed $18,000 in child support payments, arrested on assault and battery charges and convicted in 1991 of possession of a bludgeon. He was in jail 3 times since 2008.
Please read all of this to understand my point:
Now, we have people here with all of these charges. Some of them should have been in jail, but didn't go. Some of them did go, but continued with their crimes. But the question is: why does it take the death of these people before they protest? For example: Eric Garner was arrested 30 times and never spent a day in jail. All of these people had extensive criminal records but were free for the most part. To me, the issue is more than just cops, it's the entire justice system. We need to be harder on people who commit crimes. That includes the police just like the cop in the latest shooting where he had 17 complaints against him. Why wasn't he fired beforehand? Surely 17 complaints should be a huge red flag. And he wasn't the only cop who had extensive complaints against them.