The Crime Of Being Black

Posted on by under Law and justice, Racism & Bigotry, Rants, Social commentary

Peace on Earth, Goodwill toward Men.  Rolls right off the tongue, doesn’t it?  And yet … while it’s so easy to say, it seems almost impossible to achieve.  I might have hoped to write a nice Christmas-y post tonight about the joy of the season or some such, but something crossed my radar today that I think is more important right now.

For the second time this month, police in Columbus, Ohio have shot and killed an unarmed Black man.  The first, I hadn’t mentioned here before, as I was waiting for facts.  The story the police officer who shot Casey Goodson tells differs vastly from the story Goodson’s family related, and frankly I find the police version to be rather dubious, at best.

On December 4th, Casey Goodson had a dental appointment.  Afterward, he stopped at a local Subway sandwich shop and picked up sandwiches to take back to his family, a 5-year-old brother and 72-year-old grandmother.  Meanwhile, members of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office were in his neighborhood searching for another Black man.  Mr. Goodson exited his car when he arrived home and, carrying the sandwiches in one hand, inserted his key in the door of his house and as he entered his home, he was shot multiple times in the back and fell onto the kitchen floor.

Goodson has no criminal record and has a permit to carry a gun.  Now, the deputy who shot Goodson, Deputy Jason Meade, claims that Goodson pointed a gun at him, however it is reported that no other officers witnessed the shooting, nor were there any civilian witnesses.  We are told that Meade was not wearing a body cam.  Mr. Goodson was using his key to unlock the door with one hand and carrying a bag of food in the other.  Think about that one.

Because the Sheriff’s Office waited three days before contacting them, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is refusing to accept the case.  At one point, officers said they found a weapon on the ground, but it has not been mentioned since, not even by Meade’s attorney.  I smell a rat … a big, ugly, racist rat.

Fast forward to the day before yesterday, same city, Columbus, Ohio.  Two police officers were responding to a complaint from a neighbor that a vehicle had been left running for some time.  When officers arrived at the home of Andre Maurice Hill, Mr. Hill was coming out of his garage holding a cell phone.  When he saw the officers, he held the cell phone outward so they could see the illuminated screen and understand what he was holding.  Within six seconds, Officer Adam Coy fired his weapon multiple times, hitting Hill, who died an hour later in the hospital.

Officer Coy did have a body cam and the video is available, but he did not turn the audio on until after the shooting.  The second, as yet unnamed officer on the scene, attempted to approach Hill as he lay dying on the ground, but Coy waved him away, and then screamed at Hill to “put your fucking hands out to the side … roll on your stomach, now.”  The man, having been shot multiple times and lying nearly unconscious, dying, is being screamed at to roll over and put his hands out.  Eventually, Coy takes one of Hill’s arms and rolls him onto his back. Though Hill is immobile, Coy does not immediately give him aid.  Oh yeah … that’s compassion, folks!

Columbus mayor, Andrew Ginther has called for the immediate termination of Adam Coy, saying …

“… police values including integrity, compassion and accountability were absent and not on display while Mr Hill lay dying.”

Although Coy is a 17-year veteran of the Columbus’ police force, his tenure has been marked with complaints, including allegations of excessive force.  During a drunk driving stop in October 2012, Coy punched a man, slammed him on the ground, and repeatedly bashed his head into the hood of his car while the man was handcuffed. The incident, witnessed by a college student and Coy’s own dashboard camera, was so bad the victim was awarded a $45,000 settlement from the city.

Coy was relieved of duty, ordered to turn in his gun and badge, and stripped of police powers pending the outcome of investigations. By union contract the officer will still be paid.  He will still be paid … for not even having to show up for work … after murdering an innocent man.  Justice?  I think not.

This, my friends, is what we mean when we say there MUST be nationwide police reform.  These murders, and that is the only way to think of them, are far too common and MUST STOP!  We are told we should respect law enforcement officers … well, respect is earned and is a two-way street.  Police are hired to protect us, and instead they are killing us … with little or no provocation.

Filosofa’s Word will be on a brief Christmas hiatus until Saturday morning.  I have much to do, and as we are sharing Christmas dinner with our dear friends next door, I will be spending Friday in the kitchen!  But I shall return on Saturday morning.  Meanwhile, I’d like to wish you all a peaceful holiday, and I hope you are able to spend it with loved ones, for to me that is the joy of the season … my family & friends. 

Merry-Xmas

27 thoughts on “The Crime Of Being Black”

  1. It is sad how this is a never ending cycle, I am wondering what will it take for this to end, I see and hear this all the time but some stories fall under the radar or you don’t think it is happening in this state or city when clearly it is everywhere!

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  4. Another tragedy Jill. Until the police unions decide they want to be part of the solution-not part of the problem-not much will be done. I hope Biden really gets something done on police reform. He’s got so much to do, but this issue is no less important than anything else on his plate. Excellent post. And Happy Holidays Jill! Enjoy

    Liked by 1 person

  6. I spent the last three weeks driving people to stores….ALL of them POC. Every single one was “afraid” to go out by themselves. This is outrageous. I too would like amendment number 2 to basically disappear. I doubt it will though, unless Georgia turns blue. Fingers crossed for the rev and jon ossof. I hope you have a wonderful holiday. Try to stay completely away from the news, enjoy your friends and family and RELAX.

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    • That is tragic! But thumbs-up to you, Suze, for what you’ve done to help them! No, the 2nd Amendment isn’t going anywhere, for it would require a constitutional amendment to overturn it, and that is beyond difficult to accomplish. However, far stricter requirements could be put into place, and limitations could be put in place on how much of a donation any candidate for office can accept from a single source such as the NRA. It’s not a cure, but it would help. Also, the assault weapons ban needs to be re-instated … NOW!!!

      Happy Christmas to you and George … Let’s hope for a much more peaceful year in 2021. Hugs!

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  7. You have a very merry Christmas as well. big hugs my friend. One more album in my Advent series to release today and then I see 2020 out with the release of my requiem for the year on December 31st, it’s almost 3 hours long.

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  8. Jill, this will only change when the police leadership in the unions and management start to make this an issue. Education, training, recruitment, governance, etc. must all be included. There are pockets of good examples out their to learn from. The police have a hard job, one that I would not want, but there is no perfect police officer. And, even though the lion’s share are good public servants, there are tough situations that challenge them and also some officers who carry too much bias into the day’s job. Keith

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    • You’re right. And when police are held accountable, are charged, convicted and sentenced to a prison term just as you or I would be for killing another human being. They do have a hard job, made harder by the fact that guns are as easily obtained as a pound of coffee, and the very people who shouldn’t ever be allowed to own a gun, do own them. But, even that doesn’t justify the racism that exists in so many police departments around the country. It’s time to implement much tougher standards in policing, and demand accountability.

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    • The son of one of my Black friends has to commute into downtown daily for his job, and at least once a month he is pulled over by the police for no reason other than he is Black. Another Black friend spent a few years in prison due to a case of mistaken identity, of being Black and in the wrong place at the wrong time.

      Happy Holidays to you, too, Suzanne! Keep safe!

      Liked by 1 person

  10. And some Americans wonder why our police force isn’t armed! How can a country call itself civilised when it allows this sort of thing to happen – repeatedly?

    Enjoy your brief break, and have a wonderful Christmas 🎅

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    • Here, the gun culture is such that people don’t understand those of us who would happily burn the 2nd Amendment and ban guns altogether. If we took guns out of the hands of civilians, there would be absolutely NO NEED for police to be armed to the teeth, either. It is crazy, and I much prefer your system.

      Thanks, Clive … I hope you and yours have a wonderful holiday as well!

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      • I fear it’s too ingrained in your country’s culture, as shown by those who complain that wearing a mask is taking away their rights: and then take their guns to a protest march against masks. It took two mass murders here before action was taken: decisively and effectively. From what we see of your news, they occur there with sickening regularity. Hopefully the NRA haven’t bought as many Dems as they have in the GOP, and something can be done. Long overdue!

        Thanks for your good wishes. Take care 😊

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        • You are right. What many people here fail to understand is that with each ‘right’ comes a corresponding responsibility. You have a right to go out in public during the pandemic to get groceries or whatever, but you have a responsibility to wear a mask to protect yourself and others. You have a ‘right’ to own a gun, but a responsibility to keep it under lock and key and never shoot a living being with it. They want the rights, but don’t want to accept the responsibility. When that happens, in my book you lose the right. But, alas, that’s not the way it works here. Very few democrats take donations from the NRA and most of them have a D or F NRA rating. And actually, very few gun owners belong to the NRA and many don’t support their policies and lobbying efforts. Yes, it’s long overdue, but I’m not holding my breath.

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  12. this has to be the lat death like this. Excessive force is the sign of a bully, the police if they expect to regain any trust from the public must act now to clear the force of these people. But these in Columbus must be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. The charge must be, murder /No policeman can be allowed out without a webcam and the sound must be on. Failure to do this must result in disciplinary action. America, please stop this killing of your citizens by the people paid to protect them.
    Cwtch

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    • Sadly, we both know it won’t be the last, for there is rarely any accountability for a cop who murders an unarmed Black man. Police reform is essential, and my hope is that it is one of Joe Biden’s top priorities. It seems to me that police unions, who defend these murderous officers, are a big part of the problem, as is that ‘blue wall of silence’ we talked about recently. Until and unless these officers are held accountable, charged, convicted, and put in prison, nothing will change. Sigh.
      Cwtch

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