In Milwaukee Shooting, Consider The Officer
Christian Schneider, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 4:41 p.m. CDT August 15, 2016
Close your eyes and imagine yourself as a 24-year old African-American police officer in the City of Milwaukee. On Saturday afternoon, you make a routine traffic stop that results in a young black man fleeing the scene. According to the events laid out by Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn, you turn on your body camera and give chase, eventually cornering the suspect in a fenced in yard.
He turns toward you. And then you see he has a gun.
You tell him to put the gun down. He doesn’t. You then know you have a mere instant to make a decision that is going to affect you for the rest of your life. But the rest of your life could mean just seconds if you let him turn and shoot at you.
Most likely, you are thinking about your training and your fear of what is about to happen to you. But for months, you have been pummeled by images of unrest in America’s cities over the use of force by police officers. After the death of Michael Brown at the hands of a white officer, you watched Ferguson, Mo., set ablaze over the “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” myth. In your own hometown of Milwaukee, you saw an officer fired after a scuffle with Dontre Hamilton ended up with Hamilton being shot to death.
You know that if you pull the trigger, it could set off similar rioting in Milwaukee. Unrest could follow, with businesses being burned and cars set ablaze. Disaffected youth could take to the streets, throwing bricks, rocks, and debris at police officers, sending several officers to the hospital. Gunshots could ring out through the air, occasionally striking other people out on the street. (And all these things eventually did happen.)
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http://www.jsonline.com/story/opinion/columnists/christian-schneider/2016/08/15/schneider-milwaukee-shooting-consider-officer/88761866/
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