I've spoken out frequently about the fact that many of the police shootings that we are currently debating have mental illness at the core. And recently, we had another reminder. A mentally ill black man was shot because he was naked and behaving erratically outside an apartment complex. It was clear that the man didn't have a gun. After all, he had nowhere to hide it. And his behavior was clearly an indicator of mental illness. So, why was shooting the first option? Here is an article which discusses the problem. Here is the link: http://usat.ly/1HTu1WX For me, the crux of the problem is this: If the police are dealing with an underlying issue with racism and lack of training in how to deal with mental illness, we will continue to struggle with unwarranted police shootings. The problem isn't just one issue. It is both issues.
I think that it is important for police departments throughout this country to look at the reality of how they deal with the community they police. The numbers don't lie. And in a free country, it is important to clearly examine the impact of police behavior on the community they have been hired to serve. It doesn't indicate any lack of respect for policing in general. But it does have a huge impact on the state of our democracy. For any one group of individuals to bear the brunt of police over-reach, it is an indicator that we are no longer behaving in a way that supports our democratic ideals. I love the focus of the article. It talks about the necessity of training law enforcement in appropriate ways of handling situations which involve mental illness. But I think it is also important to address the racial component. When people of color are so heavily involved in unwarranted police shootings, we have to examine the role that bigotry plays. And while thus far, police haven't been held accountable for their behavior, we have to do the work to make them feel the consequences. Otherwise, change won't happen.
There are ways that we can begin to address police over-reach. But we have to be honest and open to begin the work. We can't allow our police to ignore the civil rights of human beings based on color and mental health status. I think that our status as a democratic nation is at risk if we don't begin to honestly look at these issues. In the meantime, I will mourn the loss of man who was living with mental illness. #AnthonyHill was a veteran. He served this country. Which repaid him by killing him at a time of extreme need. He was mentally ill. And did not deserve the death that he got. Remember #AnthonyHill.
I think that it is important for police departments throughout this country to look at the reality of how they deal with the community they police. The numbers don't lie. And in a free country, it is important to clearly examine the impact of police behavior on the community they have been hired to serve. It doesn't indicate any lack of respect for policing in general. But it does have a huge impact on the state of our democracy. For any one group of individuals to bear the brunt of police over-reach, it is an indicator that we are no longer behaving in a way that supports our democratic ideals. I love the focus of the article. It talks about the necessity of training law enforcement in appropriate ways of handling situations which involve mental illness. But I think it is also important to address the racial component. When people of color are so heavily involved in unwarranted police shootings, we have to examine the role that bigotry plays. And while thus far, police haven't been held accountable for their behavior, we have to do the work to make them feel the consequences. Otherwise, change won't happen.
There are ways that we can begin to address police over-reach. But we have to be honest and open to begin the work. We can't allow our police to ignore the civil rights of human beings based on color and mental health status. I think that our status as a democratic nation is at risk if we don't begin to honestly look at these issues. In the meantime, I will mourn the loss of man who was living with mental illness. #AnthonyHill was a veteran. He served this country. Which repaid him by killing him at a time of extreme need. He was mentally ill. And did not deserve the death that he got. Remember #AnthonyHill.
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