The No Option Belief that Creates the Murder Police
The Atmosphere of Choice
Now we least have a clue into the police mindset. A cop drew his gun and fired into a car that tried to run him over near Syracuse in New York. What is revealing is not how we have to track down the race of the teens involved, but that the police offer was without choice.
““He had no options,” the sheriff said of the deputy’s decision to fire at the car, adding that “the deputies have a right to defend themselves by whatever means necessary.””
No options? By whatever means necessary? There’s always a choice. Many choices. Always. If choices are not supplied to officers, and they trained, repeatedly told, and believe there is no other way out but one, they make decisions “in the heat of the moment” based on the No Option belief.
Many questions remain about this case. But the biggest is if he didn’t fire his weapon for this property crime, theft, what would have happened? The two 17-year-old Dhal Pothwi Apet and 15-year-old Lueth Mo. I’m guessing they are not white boys, though I shouldn’t. But I have to wonder if race played a role. While white teens act badly and make poor decisions, shooting a black or other minority of dark skin for a property crime, or something even less trivial, is more common.
