I have been at the post office supporting Colin Kaepernick's peaceful protest against police brutality every game day this season. I have documented this ongoing protest on social media and have been contacted by several families who have had loved ones unjustly killed by police. Mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers, sisters, and all loved ones of those wrongly killed by police don't get to turn off the TV and forget about it. This is an every day struggle for far too many people. The stories you hear from these individuals, the stories that don't make the national headlines, ... view more »
I have been at the post office supporting Colin Kaepernick’s peaceful protest against police brutality every game day this season. I have documented this ongoing protest on social media and have been contacted by several families who have had loved ones unjustly killed by police. Mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers, sisters, and all loved ones of those wrongly killed by police don’t get to turn off the TV and forget about it. This is an every day struggle for far too many people. The stories you hear from these individuals, the stories that don’t make the national headlines, are heartbreaking. The scattered details and blatant lack of accountability surrounding these situations are consistent. It is so obvious that many law enforcement agencies eagerly spare their own reputation at the expense of grieving families. This is a very real problem whether we yoopers have to deal with it regularly or not. Even the UP is not immune to (potentially) unnecessary police killings. Several people have been killed by police in recent years. Very few details have been released, so I will not comment directly on these cases, but be aware that nobody is safe from potential police brutality. Police receive around 8 times more training for gun handling than for de-escalation. Military members receive multiple times more de-escalation training than police officers. Acknowledging this horrifying truth and demanding it be changed swiftly is commonly accepted as the most immediate necessity toward ending the atrocity that is police brutality.
It is very important everyone understands that this movement in NO WAY promotes disrespect toward any country or its military. The purpose of this movement is to promote awareness of police brutality, lack of accountability, and racial inequality. Whether you’ve taken a stance on this issue or not, I urge you to PLEASE WATCH THE FOOTAGE available and look into the information on each of these cases. The deaths of Tamir Rice, Daniel Shaver, Philando Castile, Magdiel Sanchez, Brian Claunch, Alton Sterling, Walter Scott, Eric Garner, John Crawford III, and Freddie Gray were all ruled homicide by medical examiners. Each officer involved was either acquitted of all charges, found not guilty at trial, or not charged at all to begin with. Timothy Mitchell of Alger County was shot and killed by a police officer in 2013. The police officer was not found criminally liable, and was granted immunity from a civil wrongful death lawsuit from Timothy’s family. The blatant lack of accountability is frightening. If you feel like there is anything wrong with the total absence of accountability by the killers of these people who did not need to die, please show your support for the victims’ families and loved ones, and demand accountability for unnecessary violence.
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