Michael Graveley, the Kenosha County district attorney, announced that he will not prosecute Officer Rusten Sheskey for the shooting of Jacob Blake. For those familiar with the facts and circumstances of the shooting, this comes as no surprise. There was a tragic shooting. There was no crime.
The media, however, did not fairly recite the facts of what happened, that he resisted arrest, refused to drop his knife as ordered, refused to comply with lawful commands and then opened and entered his car as police officers, with guns pointed, unaware of whether this person who they had reason to believe had engaged in violence before could have a weapon.
Instead, the narrative was that he was black and the cop was white, and the cop shot him seven times in the back. Both of these are facts. Neither is salient. Both of these facts are part of the critical narrative. Neither changes the legal consequence of what transpired. Yet, the media proffered only the part of the narrative it preferred, ignoring the facts that distinguished a crime from a tragic shooting.
The way this thing is being written up everywhere seems maximally primed to start another riot
— Zaid Jilani (@ZaidJilani) January 5, 2021
Would this have turned out differently had Jacob Blake been of a different race? No. Cops are no more inclined to die at the hands of a white defendant than a black one, and this scenario more than overcomes the Reasonably Scared Cop Rule. Are black men no longer obligated to obey a lawful command by a cop while resisting seizure and armed? No, even black guys are subject to the law, particularly when three cops with guns pointed at a guy who just resisted arrest refused to drop the knife and get on the ground, and instead entered a vehicle despite being ordered not to do so.
Yet, this isn’t the story told.
BREAKING:
Wisconsin prosecutors decline to charge white Kenosha police officer who shot Jacob Blake, a Black man, leaving him paralyzed
— Scott Bauer (@sbauerAP) January 5, 2021
KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin prosecutors decline to charge white police officer who shot Black man in back, leaving him paralyzed.
— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) January 5, 2021
Is Zaid right, that the media is fomenting riots by posting lies of omission, if not commission? This is not a commentary about whether cops disproportionately believe black men to be more inclined to crime and violence, but one discrete shooting. Was race a factor? Perhaps, although it’s highly unlikely. But the simplistic narrative leads us deeper into unwarranted anger and ignorance.
When a cop needlessly kills someone, he should be prosecuted like any other shooter. But not every cop shooting is bad, and not every shooting of a black man by a white cop is a crime. We will not fix problems by denying the facts to push the narrative. This can, however, cause more anger, violence and suffering by the innocent victims whose homes and businesses are vandalized and burned down by wrongfully outraged mobs.
The lies have to stop. The media is part of the problem.
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