Just Wondering....

If and when a meaningful conversation will be held by leaders in the Black community and law enforcement officials, one question that should be asked multiple times is the apparent discrepancy in how Black suspects are handled in conjunction with white suspects. That question is important because Black people have seen too many times how they are treated when confronted by white police officers. How many times have people of color witnessed multiple police vehicles around a possible Black suspect where police officers immediately have their hands ready by their service weapons even when the Black individual poses no threat? In contrast, white police appear to take a more non-threatening sense of preparedness when they confront a white suspect. We can look at two recent examples of how a Black person and a white person are handled when confronted by the police and the results of those encounters.

Rayford Pellerin was shot and killed by Lafayette police officers on August 21 when he allegedly threatened them with a knife. He was shot at 17 times with at least 10 of the bullets striking him, killing him as he fell to the ground. The Black community felt that officers used excessive force on Pellerin when he was surrounded by them, as he had nowhere to go, except walk (not run) away from them before he was hit 10 times. There were witnesses who said that police didn't need to kill Pellerin because there were other ways to subdue him, like using tasers. Nonetheless an autopsy report appears to contradict police assertions that tasers were used, but the forensic evidence does not support their assertions. The forensic evidence did not show "any kind of struggle" between officers and Pellerin to show that an attempt was made to subdue him. The evidence showed that Pellerin had "brush burns" on his knees, showing that he fell to the ground after being shot. The evidence also showed "bruises consistent" with Pellerin being handcuffed, but only after he fell to the ground after being shot 10 times. Why handcuff a dead man? Just wondering...

Take the case of Matthew Beiber, a 32-year old white man who was charged with Attempted First-Degree Murder of a police officer following an incident where he did far more than what Rayford Pellerin did in Lafayette. On September 6, Beiber was a suspect in a possible burglary, when he was approached and detained by deputies of the Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Office. In a set of events that has not been fully explained, Beiber somehow took control of police vehicle and fled the scene, leading deputies on a chase. If Beiber was "detained", how could he "escape" and take control of a vehicle? Was there a lax in procedure? Was Beiber not deemed a threat to the community? Beiber according to media reports rammed several police units and them tried to run over the officers that he rammed. At what point is Beiber considered a threat to officers' lives where deadly force would be used. A vehicle in this instance is considered a dangerous weapon in the hands of the operator just as much as a gun or knife would be. However, according to media reports and absent of information from the Sheriff's Office, not a shot was fired. Did any officer fear that their lives were ever in danger? Beiber was finally taken into custody and placed in the Ouachita Correctional Center, not taken to a medical facility for any injuries suffered from any kind of a "struggle" with deputies that we often see when a Black person is involved. A stunning contrast in how people of a different color are treated. The question is why? Just wondering....