by "Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
Published 12/07/2017 at 19:16
by "Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
Published 12/07/2017 at 19:16
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STARS: 1
White police officer who shot and killed a Black man in Charleston in 2015 is sentenced, and then he is forgiven by the victim’s mother.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/07/us/michael-slager-sentence-walter-scott.html
"AestheticsInMotion" (aestheticsinmotion)
12/07/2017 at 19:45, STARS: 7
“Mr. Slager was a good police officer who was prosecuted only because the politics of the moment demanded it”
“But Mr. Scott soon broke away, unarmed, and began to run. Mr. Slager raised his pistol, pointed it at Mr. Scott’s back, and fired eight shots. Mr. Scott, who was at least 17 feet from Mr. Slager when the officer opened fire, fell to the ground. Moments after the shooting, Mr. Slager approached Mr. Scott and dropped his Taser near him, an action that prosecutors believed was an attempt to plant evidence and skew the investigation”
Here’s hoping this guy has a very rough prison term
"For Sweden" (rallybeetle)
12/07/2017 at 19:49, STARS: 0
Too bad for him he was charged by the People of South Carolina, not just the victim’s mother.
"Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
12/07/2017 at 20:21, STARS: 1
That is not my hope. My hope has, in part, already been realized, with the forgiveness expressed by Mr. Slater’s mother, and justice being served. Twenty years is a long time.
"Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
12/07/2017 at 20:24, STARS: 2
Mercy cannot rob justice.
"AestheticsInMotion" (aestheticsinmotion)
12/07/2017 at 20:53, STARS: 0
Quite the lady, being able to tell her son’s murderer that she forgives him. I don’t think I would be able to do that in a similar situation.
While I think you’re right that this is an example of “justice being served” at least to some extent, at best it will only be a good example for how officers should be held more accountable. And even then... I doubt this will be the start of a trend in police accountability. The case doesn’t address any underlying issues that led to this situation. Ignoring the obvious racial implications, let’s just consider that what the defense said was completely true and that the officer was so scared he behaved irrationally. Isn’t that what these men and women train for? Difficult situations where a cool head is an absolute necessity? And what about the whole “planting evidence” thing? Is that the type of behavior that is passed down the line of command? I think it’s much too easy to call this man a “bad egg,” when the same problems are clearly widespread in police departments across the country.
Tl:Dr - it may be justice, but it leaves a bad taste in my mouth
"Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
12/08/2017 at 09:55, STARS: 0
The story is remarkable because Officer Slater received both justice and mercy. Our task as reasonable and responsible members of the human race is to view justice as justice and not as payback.
I am waiting for President Trump to issue some acute affront on the matter, even possibly commuting Mr. Slater’s sentence.
Would Mr. Slater be looking at 20 years in prison if his actions had not been recorded in a video?
There’s
the $64,000 question.