I had planned on writing about the social imprinting a small black child has received when I watched him walk with one hand holding onto his mother and the other unnecessarily grasping the top of his small gray sweatpants. Trying to remember when walking around with one’s pants belted below butts/around their thighs became mandatory for so many isn’t a memory I’ll spend time trying to research, but why it has such staying power is a mystery. Compared to say, 7-9 million previously uninsured people choosing health coverage through the ACA in one year as a positive change, I’m befuddled.
The negatives of that imprinting couldn’t stand up to seeing ANOTHER white police officer– Michael Thomas Slager of Charleston, SC to be precise–putting *8 BULLETS* in the back of a black man who ran away after he’d been stopped for a minor traffic violation. The officer failing to even TRY running after him, just drawing and blazing away, is a minor footnote of depraved behavior. That the murder, which is the charge Slager now faces, was captured in toto by someone’s ever-present cell phone, including the officer handcuffing the corpse and dropping his taser beside the body (he claimed the man took it), is why the word ‘unbelievable’ is no longer effective in describing such real life situations.
‘The X-Files’ tag was “We are not alone,” and brother, you can count on that when it comes to pulling something like that shooting; SOMEBODY has a cell phone picture, and even if it didn’t help that poor SOB in New York when a cop choked him to death, I bet it has Slager’s union appointed lawyer saying OMG, OMG, OMG steadily.
I thought similar footage of **5** officers shooting a NAKED man in LA would’ve been an absolute low– couldn’t that many guys somehow control an unarmed, naked man WITHOUT gunning him down?– but it’s difficult to call those two events a tie. Unbelievable? Sorry to say, its actually NOT something we can see and find a corner of our minds that can’t comprehend it at this point. I’m watching for a verdict on this closely, because anything beyond a 2-day deliberation before a guilty verdict would be, uhhh, cause for extreme concern? Nothing is probably going to be a while though– the police chief ‘handling’ the Tamir Rice (12 yr. old kid with a pellet gun) shooting was on news last night, says they STILL have “witnesses and forensic evidence to work on…”
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I’m going to give Duke’s ‘Forgotten Freshman’ Grayson Allen a huge and gratuitous attaboy! for making the Dookies NCAA champs. While Okafor, the studly Winslow Justise, and Tyus Jones (19 second half points and Most Outstanding Player, he probably deserves some props, too) were starters, Grayson’s 16 points led them from nine points down and dead in the water to OMG! 68-63 victory. I admit to being a Sam Dekker (Wisconsin) fan during the tournament, but when a highly regarded recruit like Allen gets the chance and truly produces, THAT is why college ball is different from pros.
On a similar note, eight of Calipari’s ‘one and done’ (check that, some were ‘two and skidoo ‘cuz i gave up checks for nuthin’) recruits at Kentucky immediately opted for the NBA draft, along with Duke’s Okafor and Tyus. Okafor is a back-to-basket center, but I think many others will learn how unexceptional they are when confronted by experienced pros over an 82-game season. That’s still a part of things I’m thinking sends a bad message.
Just like a pre-kindergarten child holding up his sweatpants.
Glenn Shorkey
CDTalent Enterprises 