Another day. Another unarmed black man shot to death during a traffic stop. This time it was a Congolese immigrant in Grand Rapids, Michigan, who was shot dead for trying to prevent himself being tazed by an officer.
If you look at it from the standpoint of the police, it's just another day in the life. Police are trained to be the ultimate authority figure in any interaction with the public. If their shouted commands are not immediately obeyed, the average cop rapidly escalates the situation, first to tazers or batons, then to lethal force. This often occurs in a racist manner. However, hundreds of whites are killed each year by police in similar situations.
What is needed is reform of the training which right now turns an ordinary person into an authoritarian killer if his authority is in any way questioned.
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