Splintered Ashes Case Study

Splintered Ashes: Black Men and Police Brutality

As racial unrest continues, the barbaric behavior of law enforcement officers, long feared by civil rights leaders is now a reality. Thus, guns have become instruments of death and devastation, in cities across the U.S. Case in point: The March 18 murder of Stephon Clark, a 22-year-old Black man shot by Sacramento police officers in his grandparents’ backyard.

The melee began, when a man called 911 and said someone “busted his truck windows out, and he was in people’s backyards.” When police arrived, they spotted a man in the backyard whom they said: “picked up a toolbar and broke a window to someone’s home.”

The man then climbed a fence and went into another yard. At this point,

Clark was told to show his hands, then the words “Gun, gun, gun” were heard. Three seconds later, Officers Jared Robinet and Terrence Mercadal fired 20 shots at the unarmed man, hitting him in the back and head. Sadly, the gun the officers referred to, turned out to be a cell phone.

When news of Clark’s death became public, Blacks were outraged and called the murder a blatant display of barbarism. As with similar incidents, this tragedy sparked more debates, about police officers treatment of minorities, namely Black males. This controversy only serves to ignite the belief that men of color are singled out more by cops in comparison to their White counterparts.

Americans interested in reducing execution-style shootings by police should lobby their elected officials to unwarranted killings of any suspect (guilty or innocent) a criminal offense. Only then will police brutality become less common.
As for those who say the shooting was justified, remember, it doesn't take 20 bullets to kill a human being. And for those who may not know it, not only was Stephon Clark, a human being, he was a son, father, and grandson. Now, how would you feel if your unarmed son was hit by 20 bullets that tore through him, as his lifeless body lay sprawled in his backyard? Before responding, can you admit that there are law enforcement officials who would rather break the law than uphold it? Now answer the question!
Peggy S. Butler
Lowell, Florida