California has done some pretty stupid stuff over the years but this one truly may take the cake.
A new bill is being proposed by state lawmakers which could truly inhibit an Officer from doing his job but worse, it may really put their lives in danger. The bill, in essence, will force police to open fire “only when necessary” as opposed to “when reasonable” Sacramento-based Assemblyman Kevin McCarty (D), said at a press conference Tuesday.
McCarty, who co-authored the bill along with Democrat Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, has gotten support already from American Civil Liberties Union and fellow members of the California Legislative Black Caucus.
“We should no longer be the target practice of a ‘shoot first, ask questions later’ police force,” Assemblyman Christopher Holden (D) said He then listed the names of several other unarmed black victims of police shootings.
The legislation is meant to fight against the idea that there is an alarming rate of unarmed black men being killed by law enforcement offers as opposed to white men. Those who support the bill seek to raise what they see as the bar for “standard” lethal force.
But who are we to make a life-and-death judgment call? Maybe I’m wrong…
According to McCarty, the current standard comes from an over-100-year-old law that too often justifies deadly force incidents.”
The lawmaker has seen his own district flooded with distraught protesters as the details of the 22-year-old Stephon Clark.
If you’ll recall, he was shot outside his grandparents home when law enforcement believed he had a weapon in his hand and say that he advanced toward them… they defended themselves, believing their lives to be in danger.
“The only thing that I heard was pow, pow, pow, pow, and I got to the ground” inside the home, Sequita Thompson, Clark’s grandmother, told the Bee.
“The loss of life is always tragic, and I cannot imagine watching a loved one’s final moments, let alone in such a public way,” Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg said.
“Based on the videos alone, I cannot second-guess the split-second decisions of our officers and I’m not going to do that,” the mayor added.
“The investigation must be completed. We need more information in addition to the video before we can render any final conclusion.”
That’s tragic… I hate the loss of a life like that and I feel for his two children. But what if… Maybe that’s the wrong frame of mind?
“It’s clear that the current law protects the police, not the people,” ACLU legislative advocate Lizzie Buchen said at Tuesday’s announcement as activists recounted similar shooting incidents involving the police.