Two views sent to me from people who are not currently involved, but chose not to sit on the sidelines and ignore the issues. They have been part of the solution for as long as I have known them.
1) Subject: Am I as bad as they say I am? (Young Mother with Five Children) "When I talk to my friends who are of a different race, they are my friends. When I talk to my friends who are lesbian or gay, they are my friends. When I have five children, they bring me the most joy. When I buy a new item at the store, they say, 'Thank you for supporting our business.' When I spend my time volunteering in the community, rather than getting a 'real job,' I find strength in those I serve. When I pray to my Heavenly Father, He tells me to have peace and joy. When I stop to get a soda with a lid and straw, they say, 'Thank you, come again!' But ironically, when I hear the voices from the liberal media, I am labeled as a racist, homophobic, overpopulating, privileged, entitled, Christian, who also kills turtles with plastic straws. While the liberal media and others make me feel like the enemy and expect me to address others 'properly' by their gender preference, racial identity, etc. so as to not offend, they didn’t think to ask me how I want to be addressed -- that would be as a friend."
2) Subject: I do not wish to be painted with the ugly brush. (Retired Chief of Police and Grandfather) "More police accountability should have started years ago and I put the responsibility squarely on the shoulders of the top-level police administrators. One thousand people a year are killed in police shootings in the United States. That is a constant number over the previous five years and we are on track for the same rebuild with 463 killed as of today. Most of those killings are 100% legal, but that does not make all of them right. There are ways to de-escalate and there are ways for the officer not to escalate the problem. Some of the killings are murderous. What a shame! We are in water so deep I wonder about any chance of making it back to the surface. The solutions are not easy. As we work through them, there will be continued violence from both sides. This is not over. In today’s Deseret News it is reported that Bernardo Palacios Carbajal was killed by two SLCPD officers. Palacios robbed a guy at gunpoint outside a club and ran. Police found and chased him. They ordered him 17 times to stop. Of course, he didn’t. They usually don’t until cornered or surrounded. Besides, nobody wants to go to jail in the summertime. They assumed he had a gun. He failed to stop. Backup was responding. The two officers fired their handguns at him at least 20 times. He is dead. It is against the law in all 50 states to shoot at a fleeing felon. You are legally permitted to meet force with force. If some guy hits you, hit him back, or taze him, or tackle him with your fellow officers, secure him, and transport him. If he attacks with a deadly weapon, such as a knife or a gun, you may respond with deadly force. Palacios never turned to face or challenge the officers. He half-turned after falling once while fleeing, but stumbled onward. He never showed a weapon, although one was found near his body. He never pointed a gun at them. The video in the Deseret News is telling. The video in the NY Daily News is worse. Palacios was likely a creep and a robber. Not any more. But, someone else is in trouble and it tarnishes the badge, again. SLC is in the news in NYC and who knows where else. SLC gets painted with the same brush as Florida, Georgia, California, and Minneapolis, and everywhere. I am sick of this. It makes me think that I should not tell people that I had a 24-year police career. I do not wish to be painted with the ugly brush."
Ever vigilant,
Roger H. Tall, M.D.
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