11-26-2015, 12:48 AM
Yeah, Biggie, I understand your viewpoint. I just don't share it.
I look at the circumstances of each case when forming an opinion. Sometimes I think homicides by police are justified, sometimes I do not, and sometimes I just don't know. In this case, I do not think the homicide was justified.
I didn't express sympathy for Laquan McDonald, by the way. I simply provided some facts about Laquan's life; they contribute to my uncertainty surrounding his family's motives.
Anyway, whether I sympathize for the shit life the kid was handed isn't the point. The point is that he was shot dead for alleged crimes that don't merit more than a couple of years in jail, at most. If he was a more affluent kid with a better family (like some of the other people shot by police covered upthread), I'd feel exactly the same.
Laquan wasn't lunging at Van Dyke and his partner when Van Dyke (over)killed the kid. I'd say you might ask yourself why Van Dyke lied so blatantly and why that video was concealed for so long if this was a justified shooting. But, I don't think you care and that's alright too.
I look at the circumstances of each case when forming an opinion. Sometimes I think homicides by police are justified, sometimes I do not, and sometimes I just don't know. In this case, I do not think the homicide was justified.
I didn't express sympathy for Laquan McDonald, by the way. I simply provided some facts about Laquan's life; they contribute to my uncertainty surrounding his family's motives.
Anyway, whether I sympathize for the shit life the kid was handed isn't the point. The point is that he was shot dead for alleged crimes that don't merit more than a couple of years in jail, at most. If he was a more affluent kid with a better family (like some of the other people shot by police covered upthread), I'd feel exactly the same.
Laquan wasn't lunging at Van Dyke and his partner when Van Dyke (over)killed the kid. I'd say you might ask yourself why Van Dyke lied so blatantly and why that video was concealed for so long if this was a justified shooting. But, I don't think you care and that's alright too.