The word just came down that the officer, it should be officers, involved in the death of Eric Garner will not have to face justice. I would like to say that I am surprised by this ruling, but I am not. This story has been played out too many times. The recent decision in Ferguson not to indict Officer Wilson, the death of 12 year old Tamir Rice in Cleveland, the murder of Akai Gurley in a Brooklyn stairwell while coming home with his family is a clear indication that police in the United States are out of control. It is also an indication that large sections of the public does not care about these injustices if it does not impact their own communities.
President Obama has called for police throughout the nation to wear body cameras in the hopes of restoring public trust. I am not convinced. They had two videos of the cops in NY choking that man to death and it didn’t mean a thing. The cameras won’t make a difference if the cops do not value the community as much as they value protecting their own. The cameras won’t make a difference if the public does not see the shared humanity between the victims of police brutality and their own loved ones.