Wednesday, August 26, 2020

To those who think the shooting of Jacob Blake was justified: I'm sorry.

I'm sorry that you believe that resisting arrest or noncompliance is grounds for homicide. Yes, I know that Jacob is still alive (potentially paralyzed, but alive), but you don't shoot someone multiple times just to subdue them. Shooting someone seven times in the back is attempted murder. 

I'm sorry that you feel like anyone you deem to be a 'criminal' deserves to be treated with violence. Never mind the whole 'innocent until proven guilty' concept our system is supposed to be founded upon; even criminals are human beings. And though it is also broken and fails people far too often, we have a whole system in place to determine the punishment for criminal activity. That's not for an officer to decide.

I'm sorry that you are more hurt, more outraged by the destruction of property than the destruction of a person's life. What is happening in Kenosha is horrible and it's true that most of the people affected by the damage being done likely don't deserve to go through this. But a man's life will never be the same, nor will the lives of his children, his friends, his family, nor anyone else who witnessed the incident. Buildings are much easier to rebuild than someone's life.

I'm sorry that you probably won't read this, or if you do, that your mind won't be changed at all. You have every right to believe what you choose, as do I. You might feel like we don't have "all the facts" yet, but I struggle to come up with a 'fact' that could possibly justify the action taken against Mr. Blake. He could be evil incarnate, but if no one's life was in immediate danger, then it is my belief that there was no reason to shoot. 

Most of all, I'm sorry we can't agree on this. It doesn't mean we can't be friends or that I love you any less, it just means that we see the world, and its people, very differently.