Police misconduct is never a subject to be taken lightly. There are instances that have resulted in the death of unarmed victims, more specifically speaking, victims like Mike Brown. The situation should never have escalated that much. As a cop, Officer Wilson has been trained to use other tactics to stop suspects besides gun force. Let me make this clear, I do not condone Mike Browns actions as he purposefully decided to disobey an officer. However, Officer Wilson could have definitely handled the situation differently and could have avoided the tragic death.
There’s this “not all cops” perspective that’s somewhat growing especially around instances similar to the Ferguson case. That’s extremely frustrating because it really just sounds like a distraction from or an excuse for the real issue at stake. Yes, policemen are human too. However, the community puts their trust in these people to do what is right and just. These people are held up on a higher pedestal than most and therefore have a larger responsibility to the community to avoid making such mistakes.
With that being said, I believe this case only makes the need for police reform more urgent. I think that everyone can see that there is something majorly wrong with our justice system and that the people and the police departments need to make movement together to promote change.
Sources: MotherJones.
