White Ohio policeman kills black teen armed with BB gun
Fri Sep 19th, 2016
by Laila Kearney
reuters.com
Overview:
Tragedy happened in Columbus, Ohio on September 17th, when a local white police officer investigating an armed robbery, Bryan Mason, , shot the 13 years old suspect Tyre King; after he pulled out a BB gun that looks almost identical to a real gun, during a confrontation in an alley. King was an athlete,specializes in football, soccer, hockey and gymnastics. The officer shot King multiple times. King was sent to a local hospital and but still passed away not long after.
The robbery was reported around 8 p.m. The victim told the police that a group of black males threatened him with gun for money. The police captured 3 suspects right after, but King and another suspect fled into an alley when the police tried to question them. Braxon, who is one of the suspect that witnessed the whole shooting, told the police that King and the other escaping suspect were caught by an officer in the alley, who told them to surrender. In response, King got up and ran and was subsequently shot.
The question remained that why the police didn't tase him. Currently, the Tyre King shooting is among one of the most viral trends on the internet. There are many cases of police killing of african american similar to this, such as the death of Terence Crutcher, and they all attribute to the madness of the "black lives matter" campaign.
A replicate of the BB gun that King used to threaten the police.
Opinion:
As the country still struggles with the black stereotype; the assumption that the black population symbolizes evil and guilt, which is undeniably wrong, just like how most black protestors assume that all white police are killers. Incidents like the King shooting case will just spread further hatred between and black and whites, and provoking the black population to live in fear. Apart from the King's case, there have been continuous reports of white police officers’ shootings which resulted in the death of harmless black people. According to statistics, around 102 unarmed black men were killed in 2015, which is 5 times the number of unarmed white men being killed. How are we going to convince the black population that the U.S. is still a great nation if white people still think that police killing harmless black people is an imperceptible problem?
In my opinion, this tragic was caused by a combination of racism and gun control. It reflected gun misuse, and officer’s lack in patience, training, and decision- makings. For instance, there were many alternatives under that circumstance at the officer's position, when he confronted King. The officer could've used a Taser, or try to negotiate with King, while calling for reinforcement; worst case scenario, he could've maybe shoot him once to unarm him. Nevertheless, he still chose to shoot King numerous, deriving his young life immediately. Likewise, even if King was holding a real gun, the bullets were definitely undeserved.
That leads to my second point, racism. King threatened an officer with a BB gun, why would the officer fatally shoot him out of the realization that he’s still a teenager? The officer was expected to simply unarm him, and take him to the superior to face charges. I think that he didn’t shoot King multiple times just because of the potentially dangerous situation, since the officer served as a many years veteran, he definitely had past experiences dealing with suspects similar to King, but as a well trained police officer, why did he make such a mistake that connects to a life? Therefore, racism is affecting the officer’s mindset and impression of black people, and this resulted in his overusing of gun and power. I strongly believe that police forces should be trained to be more aware of the importance and consequences of gun misuse, and don’t let racism affect their decisions and actions. Whichever candidates that wins the future presidency, should add in more police gun control policies, to prevent more innocent lives from passing away through the hands of officers.
Civics Blog Success Criteria
✔
|
Success Criteria
|
I have reviewed many headlines and articles and I have chosen one that permits me to answer many prompt questions and discuss pertinent issues related to our course content and society.
|
|
I have ensured that both of my sections are complete and meet the minimum expectations for content.
|
|
I have paraphrased and used direct quotations, cited properly, from the entire original article to ensure I have conveyed the author's content/intentions in my own words.
|
|
I have taken a stand on the issue, but respectfully and empathetically explained multiple perspectives towards the issue.
|
|
I have used the prompt questions to help enhance my opinion and make original suggestions about possible solutions to the issue or relationships that exist between my story and other issues in society.
|
|
I have edited my article for spelling and grammar and ensured that each item is formatted properly.
|
Civics Blog Rubric
Name__________________________ Blogs: ___ ___
Criteria
|
Mark
|
Level 4 (10-9)
|
Level 3 (8-7)
|
Level 2 (6)
|
Level 1 (5)
|
Required Elements (K/U, A):
Entry contains ALL of the required elements, and each is complete and clearly identifiable.
Date, Hyperlinks, Newspaper Title, Article Title, Author,
Photo and photo description, Overview and Opinion clearly identified)
|
/ 10
|
High degree of effectiveness
|
Considerable effectiveness
|
Some effectiveness
|
Limited effectiveness
|
Understanding:
Summary provided suggests an excellent understanding of the article MINIMUM 250 WORDS.
Does not include YOUR opinion, but clearly conveys the intention of the original author, IN YOUR OWN WORDS.
Goes far beyond simply summarizing the article’s lead paragraph and completely explains all aspects of the original work.
|
/ 10
|
High degree of effectiveness
|
Considerable effectiveness
|
Some effectiveness
|
Limited effectiveness
|
Opinion (T&I)
Opinion presented shows an excellent level of understanding and effort MINIMUM 300 WORDS.
Clearly considers and mentions multiple perspectives on the topic/issue and goes far beyond the obvious commentary.
Uses many of the prompt questions provided to generate ideas and makes perceptive inferences related to other societal issues.
|
/ 15
|
High degree of effectiveness
|
Considerable effectiveness
|
Some effectiveness
|
Limited effectiveness
|
Communication
The responses are presented extremely well throughout BOTH segments, with proper spelling, punctuation and grammar.
Avoids run-on sentences and fragments, and clearly portrays a high level of attention to detail.
|
/ 10
|
High degree of effectiveness
|
Considerable effectiveness
|
Some effectiveness
|
Limited effectiveness
|
Overall (application)
-Excellent and organized overall presentation/order/format (title is largest, font style is consistent).
-Thoughtful choice of photograph.
-Excellent choice of article/topic that is very conducive to creating an intriguing opinion section.
-Success criteria checklist is completed accurately.
|
/ 5
|
High degree of effectiveness
|
Considerable effectiveness
|
Some effectiveness
|
Limited effectiveness
|
/ 50
