gee, will requiring them to top of their T levels make the cops braver, less likely to fear for their lives? Somehow, I suspect it would do the opposite. The manosphere seems big on "shoot first, ask questions later."
On January 6, 2021, “a day that will live in infamy,” Donald Trump sent a group of partisan thugs to overthrow the government of the United States—a blatant act of treason.
Trump’s attack on a joint session of Congress was repelled. Hundreds of Trump’s insurrectionists—who destroyed doors and windows, urinated and defecated on the desks and in the halls of the Capitol, and attacked, maimed, and killed Capitol police—were subsequently incarcerated. On the first day of his second term, Trump pardoned each of the criminals he sent to stop Congress from certifying the election of Joe Biden.
A federal court blocked the Trump/Blanche attempt to establish an $1,776 billion illegal slush-fund to compensate Republican felons for the inconvenience of being arrested, prosecuted, convicted, and imprisoned for trying to overthrow the government of the USA.
In 2026, Trump and his Republican enablers are using physical violence in an attempt to stay in power. ICE agents are dispatched by Donald Trump, Todd Blanche, Markwayne Mullin, Tom Homan, and Stephen Miller to crush Americans who oppose the regime’s criminal acts.
These ICE thugs—without warrants, without trials, and in obvious violation of the Constitution and laws of the USA—have attacked, maimed, kidnapped, incarcerated, and/or deported hundreds of American citizens. They have also murdered both citizens and non-citizens—including Baby Kohen Riley.
ICE Bounty Hunters—encouraged by their treasonous supervisors—routinely employ violence to fill their racist quota of brown-skin-prey. And sometimes, because they know Trump has their backs, they murder—reminding Americans that in a Racist-Trump-Kleptocracy, Republican Fascists believe they are above the law.
Two of every three Americans recognize that convicted criminal Donald Trump is a liar, thief, grifter, fraudster, racist, sexual predator, and war criminal. This supermajority will win the midterm elections by blocking passage of Trump’s viciously racist, (and purposely misogynistic), “Save America Act”—a legislative obscenity designed to disenfranchise women and People of Color.
What comes from this, for me, the supreme court needs to be disbanded and re-created. It is severely broken and allowing this country to be destroyed one case at a time.
Cuddos on pointing out the effective measures to change policing culture and approach - like those in Denver (and elsewhere, with nonlethal response teams). That said, it's not at all accurate to say that police do not receive any training. Thats far too general a statement that is easily debunked. Many departments include mental health training and many departments have additional citification for officers who complete additional training and serve on a special response unit. Whether that is the case in Austin, I can't say. but it is the case in several cities, and trending in policing.
As for what happened in Austin, think we need to be careful here too - yes it was murder - but it was premeditated by the victim. The 17 yr old called 911 to report an armed man in park, he did not stay on the phone with 911 - he disconnected the call. Then waited. If you watch the horrifying video, as I have, you can see the rapid and swift manner in which the young man reached for the water bottle in his waistband. He knew exactly what the response to that would be. Yes, the system failed this young man - but the shooting was the last failure in a string of failures, not the first one.
I grieve for the young man and his family. I grieve for the officers who carry the burden of their actions - which sadly were exactly as their training told them. They were told a man with a gun in the park, not a knife or "weapon" - but "gun" - at that point they don't send mental health unite, or use tazer or non-lethal (I imagine we all wish they would) - but they are trained to meet a gun with a gun - because at that point its a matter of life or death for EVERYONE in the situation.
Yes, we need more mental health training, yes we need more non-lethal response teams in every city and yes we need more budget resources going to housing, mental health and job training.
The real social justice question we missed this story is - WHY did this young man know what the outcome would be if he called and reported as he did? That he knew what the outcome would be is the piece we need to be talking about.
I started off thinking you'd be making a thoughtful comment, but it turns out your comment significantly misses the mark.
I know the mental health training officers receive in many cases. I was one of the people who have trained officers in monthly trainings on 4th Amendment protections. There's no comparison between a few weeks or few months training given to a cop vs 4-8 years training with clinical experience. It is simply unmerited to even try to make a comparison.
Likewise, the "suicide by cop" propaganda is offensive. He's a child. He's suffering a crisis. A trained professional would have approached the child as an expert, not as an agent of the state ready to pump him full of 20 bullets.
I'm not sure what you're grieving for given you've justified his execution. He "didn't know the outcome" BECAUSE HE IS A CHILD. Stop holding children to the standards of a grown adult who has decades and decades of life experience. My goodness, I'm shocked to see such cruelty and callousness from your comment.
you are correct there is no comparison - that is why I started by affirming the need for more alternatives to traditional policing and mental health training. To state otherwise regarding my comment is just false. Anthoneil’s death is horrific. Period. Sadly I have to imagine this senario - I raise black boys - one who is now a young adult and struggles with his mental health. Its unbearable to read these headlines repeatedly and think “that could have been my child” I’m in this work with you, and your work is referenced frequently in my courses, sermons and workshops.
His death is also a failure of our systems - not just that night - but long before that night. thats the point I was making. Police should be held accountable - and for the sake of our children, so should we all. We are responsible for the world our children inherit.
In a recent news article from WCVB Boston regarding a hospital nurse who had sexually abused a number of teen patients, an expert mentioned that child sexual abuse is on the rise generally. I had to laugh cynically. We have an accused child sexual abuser as President of the United States, for God's sake! Our own government is condoning, encouraging racist violent behavior!! Outrageous lying (Mitch McConnell) is daily practice in our government. Is it any wonder at all that anyone out there in the US feels free, justified, proud even of killing or raping. I just can't imagine how this gets turned around outside of scorched-Earth cataclysm.
I remember first learning this...& in MN in 1980's ppl organizing for "police accountability"...Qualified Immunity is hard enough for many people to grasp, let alone the *actual* job duties of police. Thank you for always providing context, back up sources and completely justified outrage. Your action steps always welcome & necessary, too.
There is no reasonable expectation of police protection? They are hired to protect us and our property. But all they have to do is show up and get paid and we should have no expectations? I haven't many going all the way back to Citizens United. But now I have even less.
If they took an oath to uphold the Constitution then they are beholden to it. As far as what happened in Austin, that was flat out murder. The fact that the supreme Court does not uphold the right to life it says clearly that the supreme Court is also not upholding the Constitution. When they gave president Trump absolute immunity they proved it.
You do note, though, that while the Supreme Court ruled that while the police have no obligation to protect human life, they have affirmed the government's responsibility to protect **property**.
gee, will requiring them to top of their T levels make the cops braver, less likely to fear for their lives? Somehow, I suspect it would do the opposite. The manosphere seems big on "shoot first, ask questions later."
I am always amazed and disgusted by those who find these deaths excusable.
On January 6, 2021, “a day that will live in infamy,” Donald Trump sent a group of partisan thugs to overthrow the government of the United States—a blatant act of treason.
Trump’s attack on a joint session of Congress was repelled. Hundreds of Trump’s insurrectionists—who destroyed doors and windows, urinated and defecated on the desks and in the halls of the Capitol, and attacked, maimed, and killed Capitol police—were subsequently incarcerated. On the first day of his second term, Trump pardoned each of the criminals he sent to stop Congress from certifying the election of Joe Biden.
A federal court blocked the Trump/Blanche attempt to establish an $1,776 billion illegal slush-fund to compensate Republican felons for the inconvenience of being arrested, prosecuted, convicted, and imprisoned for trying to overthrow the government of the USA.
In 2026, Trump and his Republican enablers are using physical violence in an attempt to stay in power. ICE agents are dispatched by Donald Trump, Todd Blanche, Markwayne Mullin, Tom Homan, and Stephen Miller to crush Americans who oppose the regime’s criminal acts.
These ICE thugs—without warrants, without trials, and in obvious violation of the Constitution and laws of the USA—have attacked, maimed, kidnapped, incarcerated, and/or deported hundreds of American citizens. They have also murdered both citizens and non-citizens—including Baby Kohen Riley.
ICE Bounty Hunters—encouraged by their treasonous supervisors—routinely employ violence to fill their racist quota of brown-skin-prey. And sometimes, because they know Trump has their backs, they murder—reminding Americans that in a Racist-Trump-Kleptocracy, Republican Fascists believe they are above the law.
Two of every three Americans recognize that convicted criminal Donald Trump is a liar, thief, grifter, fraudster, racist, sexual predator, and war criminal. This supermajority will win the midterm elections by blocking passage of Trump’s viciously racist, (and purposely misogynistic), “Save America Act”—a legislative obscenity designed to disenfranchise women and People of Color.
What comes from this, for me, the supreme court needs to be disbanded and re-created. It is severely broken and allowing this country to be destroyed one case at a time.
Cuddos on pointing out the effective measures to change policing culture and approach - like those in Denver (and elsewhere, with nonlethal response teams). That said, it's not at all accurate to say that police do not receive any training. Thats far too general a statement that is easily debunked. Many departments include mental health training and many departments have additional citification for officers who complete additional training and serve on a special response unit. Whether that is the case in Austin, I can't say. but it is the case in several cities, and trending in policing.
As for what happened in Austin, think we need to be careful here too - yes it was murder - but it was premeditated by the victim. The 17 yr old called 911 to report an armed man in park, he did not stay on the phone with 911 - he disconnected the call. Then waited. If you watch the horrifying video, as I have, you can see the rapid and swift manner in which the young man reached for the water bottle in his waistband. He knew exactly what the response to that would be. Yes, the system failed this young man - but the shooting was the last failure in a string of failures, not the first one.
I grieve for the young man and his family. I grieve for the officers who carry the burden of their actions - which sadly were exactly as their training told them. They were told a man with a gun in the park, not a knife or "weapon" - but "gun" - at that point they don't send mental health unite, or use tazer or non-lethal (I imagine we all wish they would) - but they are trained to meet a gun with a gun - because at that point its a matter of life or death for EVERYONE in the situation.
Yes, we need more mental health training, yes we need more non-lethal response teams in every city and yes we need more budget resources going to housing, mental health and job training.
The real social justice question we missed this story is - WHY did this young man know what the outcome would be if he called and reported as he did? That he knew what the outcome would be is the piece we need to be talking about.
I started off thinking you'd be making a thoughtful comment, but it turns out your comment significantly misses the mark.
I know the mental health training officers receive in many cases. I was one of the people who have trained officers in monthly trainings on 4th Amendment protections. There's no comparison between a few weeks or few months training given to a cop vs 4-8 years training with clinical experience. It is simply unmerited to even try to make a comparison.
Likewise, the "suicide by cop" propaganda is offensive. He's a child. He's suffering a crisis. A trained professional would have approached the child as an expert, not as an agent of the state ready to pump him full of 20 bullets.
I'm not sure what you're grieving for given you've justified his execution. He "didn't know the outcome" BECAUSE HE IS A CHILD. Stop holding children to the standards of a grown adult who has decades and decades of life experience. My goodness, I'm shocked to see such cruelty and callousness from your comment.
you are correct there is no comparison - that is why I started by affirming the need for more alternatives to traditional policing and mental health training. To state otherwise regarding my comment is just false. Anthoneil’s death is horrific. Period. Sadly I have to imagine this senario - I raise black boys - one who is now a young adult and struggles with his mental health. Its unbearable to read these headlines repeatedly and think “that could have been my child” I’m in this work with you, and your work is referenced frequently in my courses, sermons and workshops.
His death is also a failure of our systems - not just that night - but long before that night. thats the point I was making. Police should be held accountable - and for the sake of our children, so should we all. We are responsible for the world our children inherit.
In a recent news article from WCVB Boston regarding a hospital nurse who had sexually abused a number of teen patients, an expert mentioned that child sexual abuse is on the rise generally. I had to laugh cynically. We have an accused child sexual abuser as President of the United States, for God's sake! Our own government is condoning, encouraging racist violent behavior!! Outrageous lying (Mitch McConnell) is daily practice in our government. Is it any wonder at all that anyone out there in the US feels free, justified, proud even of killing or raping. I just can't imagine how this gets turned around outside of scorched-Earth cataclysm.
Thank you for guiding us, Qasim.
PLEASE share Qasim’s urgent essential work ☮️💟
I remember first learning this...& in MN in 1980's ppl organizing for "police accountability"...Qualified Immunity is hard enough for many people to grasp, let alone the *actual* job duties of police. Thank you for always providing context, back up sources and completely justified outrage. Your action steps always welcome & necessary, too.
So wrong
This action was way over the top, reminiscent of the worst of The Old West.
There is no reasonable expectation of police protection? They are hired to protect us and our property. But all they have to do is show up and get paid and we should have no expectations? I haven't many going all the way back to Citizens United. But now I have even less.
Well said, Qasim!
Time to remove "To Protect and Serve" as a police motto. If it is not a true pledge and is just marketing - it is false advertising.
If they took an oath to uphold the Constitution then they are beholden to it. As far as what happened in Austin, that was flat out murder. The fact that the supreme Court does not uphold the right to life it says clearly that the supreme Court is also not upholding the Constitution. When they gave president Trump absolute immunity they proved it.
Excellent column.
You do note, though, that while the Supreme Court ruled that while the police have no obligation to protect human life, they have affirmed the government's responsibility to protect **property**.
Yep, exactly right. The irony of it all. Value property over people. Absurd.