First they came for the Negroes....

I will start with those provocative words from Pastor Martin Niemöller :

"First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me."

I know that some of my fiends in the majority population (and others) believe that  bad police behavior only impacts those pesky Negroes. And, more importantly, that you don't have to speak out because you are not a Negro.

But I have a couple of stories for you that might make you want to reconsider your position.

"Some are calling Robert Minjarez Jr. the Latino Eric Garner. Sadly, the comparison is uncanny—including the failure of the system to indict the officers who killed Minjarez.

For about five minutes, the report said, Minjarez is heard on dashcam audio screaming, "Help! Help! Help me! Get off! You're going to kill me!" The report also quotes him as saying "You're going to suffocate..." and "I can't breathe" three times. He cried and screamed, his voice becoming "increasingly muffled, hoarse and strained" while repeating "I can't breathe," the report added.  

About five minutes after he was restrained, the report said, Minjarez groaned and gurgled, and an officer said, "You got 265 pounds on your back, you're not going anywhere." The suspect groaned "and no more sounds are heard from him," the report said.

The report from the Lafayette, Louisiana, coroner lists the cause of death as "compressional asphyxia due to face-down physical restraint by law enforcement officers."

As was the case with the officers who killed Eric Garner in Staten Island, New York, the grand jury proceedings in this case are sealed and prosecutors are not obligated to say a single word.
According to a local newspaper:

Minjarez was taken to the hospital by ambulance and EMS reported he "had blue ears and was not breathing initially." He remained in intensive care until declared brain dead and was declared dead on March 7, 2014." [Source]

And there is this sad story out of Iowa.

"A Des Moines police officer fired her service weapon through the rolled-up window of her patrol car on Tuesday night, fatally shooting an unarmed man said to be charging at her car, according to police.

Ryan Keith Bolinger, 28, of West Des Moines, died at the scene from a single gunshot to the torso. Police and witnesses said he led two officers on a slow chase through northwestern Des Moines Tuesday evening that ended with Bolinger exiting his vehicle and coming toward the squad car.

"He was walking with a purpose," Sgt. Jason Halifax of Des Moines Police said following a press conference Wednesday on the shooting.

Senior Police Officer Vanessa Miller, a seven-year veteran, fired the round that killed Bolinger. Miller was assisting Senior Police Officer Ian Lawler, also a seven-year veteran, in the pursuit of Bolinger's vehicle after a bizarre confrontation involving an unrelated vehicle stop that Bolinger interrupted.

Both officers are on administrative leave until the investigation, is completed, per the department policy. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation will assist in the investigation." [Source]

Wait a minute! "Walking with a purpose"? What the hell does that even mean?! Since when did "walking with a person" become a death sentence?

They called the officer that killed Mr. Bolinger a "Senior Police Officer". I would hate to see how a new police officer conducts him (or herself) in the field.

Say it with me people: These police officers need better training out here.