Wednesday, June 10, 2020

A Tale Of 2 Deaths One On Film The Other Not


One thing we learned from the LAPD beating of Rodney King
If acts are caught on video, criminal charges a good chance a D.A. will be forced to bring
From the video another frightening lesson was learned
If the charged officers were not convicted, the verdict would a riot bring
After 28 years from May 4, 1992 only the ante seems to have been upped
If there is a video on a killing as in the case George Floyd, a delay in charges may cause riots to erupt
On a Monday evening caught on video with Chauvin on this neck Floyd died
Only a question of time before unreasonable force usage would be denied
Tuesday morning police announced death from a medical emergency by someone resisting arrest
Tuesday afternoon the videos revealed his death not what the police chose to suggest
Instead of normal administrative leave, Chauvin and the three officers were fired
Too late as the winds of police brutality began flaming protests of those of black deaths now tired
Some tear gas and rubber bullets at a growing number of protesters who supposedly water bottles threw
And then the sky opened up with rain and the protest was through
Wednesday morning the officers were all named and the mayor urged the D.A. to charges press
D.A. claimed office working at full speed and protesters grew in number, looting and burning broke out and police added flash bangs to tools to suppress
Very soon but not soon enough Chauvin was charged with murder in the third degree
Soon elevated to 2nd joined the aiding and abetting for the other three
Like a melanoma the riots in Minneapolis across this nation spread
With massive arrests, lootings, arson and shootings leaving cops and rioters dead
After the memorial services a grieving nation copes with how to move racial healing ahead
Something is very wrong if the rule of law on police conduct can too easily be shred
The killing of Breonna Taylor, an EMT, in a no knock break the door down Louisville raid
No video or body cams to the killing and so police versus a witness only and no protest parades
Most police want to protect and serve most civilians at least whites their accounts believe
But with no charges for Taylor’s death, turned on body cams must always be the rule if trust in our police in black neighborhoods we can achieve
© June 10, 2020 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet
Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire
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