I learned of the fatal shooting of a 22 year old man in Greensboro

 during a traffic check. The family of this young man is well known

and close to my family. He was unarmed but shot 6 times in the

 chest by an officer. Seventeen years ago, at age 29 his father met

 the same fate but only received 4 bullets to the chest when the

 police arrived at the scene of a domestic disturbance. Those not

intimately involved with such a case seem to have little difficulty

making such comments as "they got what they deserved" or that

"the officers had no alternative than to kill them." I wonder if

these people would make such comments were it their relative

or friend who was executed. I feel justified in this stance because

I know that neither of these young men were killers and did not

 necessarily have to die  in the way they did. True, there was a

problem with anger and defiance, but does that warrant death?

      I wish that race weren't a factor but race is always a factor.

Traditionally, the police in most metro areas are perceived

more as a threat than a friend by the average black man. This

often adds to the frustration the subject might already feel.

Being a black man in America is itself a risk factor to developing

mental instability, in my view. One must learn over time to become

desensitized to the expectations or prejudices of many of the 

majority culture. Critics of my words here will be out of touch

 with the reality I experience each day and see me as being wrong

in a sense. I have learned to try and enjoy the dual role that comes

with the territory of being a doctor and being black.I think it's even

quite different from being Asian, Latino, or another ethnicity. In

general, other such ethnic groups don't quite have the same built

in stigma to overcome. The treatment received in stores,

restaurants, banks, from real estate agents has been quite

frustrating at times. My situation is unique in that I do get to

experience the good side of things in my other life as a doctor.

So I really can't complain about my life.

      I do understand what many other blacks who don't have the

luxury of being more than black may experience. I also understand

well what Senator Obama faces in trying to win enough support to

win the Democratic Nomination and the Presidency. There will

perhaps never in our lifetime be a Black candidate and few

non-black candidates who are any more capable of doing good

things for America. But because of his race, some people are

willing to do anything to block his progress. McCain can make gaffs

all day without consequence but Obama's every word is scrutinized

to find anything to use against him to cause more fear and

confusion among the impressionable. After GWB the qualification

card is a moot point. The time is right for us to finally start to

move beyond race.

      Back to my original point... Many people are affected when

a life is taken. I read where the officer who shot the young man's

father 4 times developed emotional problems afterward. I know

personally how deeply the family of the deceased were affected

from that fatal intervention in 1990. I hoped that maybe such a

tragedy would at least never happen again. But it has. I went to 

school with the father and I believe there was some mental illness

and probably some self medicating but I do not believe for a minute

that he was a killer. In essence he did commit suicide by cop. Was

this his intent? We may never know. Was this the intent of his son

last Friday? Should cops have alternatives to lethal force when

placed in situations where they might be used in an impulsive

suicide attempt by a mentally impaired individual? Will this officer

suffer from emotional guilt or is he one of the cops who lack a

conscience after ending a life by choice? I do know that this was

a family of good people and they hurt. They hurt even more

because of the unanswered questions. I don't think people should

judge or make smug or insensitive comments about the situation

unless they have been in that situation themselves.

Reference: The Trouble Maker Blog

http://www.suicidebycop.com/

http://suicideandmentalhealthassociationinternational.org/libsuibycop.html

 http://thetroublemaker.blogspot.com/2008/04/latest-shooting-brings-more-tragedy-to.html