To protect and serve?
My mom, dad and grandmother were all law enforcement, since the inception of law enforcement (same as U.S. military) you can only return deadly force when faced with the same. The citizens gets the benefit of the doubt because the police were sworn to serve and protect them not shoot them if they are scared.
How can three highly trained police not defend themselves against one person, Lindani Myeni? There was no evidence he was trying to kill them, he didn’t have a club or a rock or a weapon and he didn’t say he was going to kill the officers. You know there is a difference between getting beat up and fighting for your life. Why wasn’t he pepper sprayed or tased by more than one officer or batoned? There was no verbal warning they were police and that he would be shot if he didn’t stop fighting. Then one officer shoots him and he is down then another officer shoots him three more times. Why does the other officer get to shoot him three more times?
My dad would say one regular cop (with his goodie belt) should be able to control three citizens at one time, not vice-versa. Trained and capable people don’t become afraid in a stressful and violent situation, and are able to defend themselves in hand-to-hand combat against an unarmed person, that is what the clubs and Tasers and pepper spray are for.
The three officers should have had to use all three of those non-lethal tools at their disposal before resorting to deadly force, and otherwise should have retreated and waited for backup. He was a father of young children. I blame the drug war policy that made it OK to shoot citizens because you think you saw a gun and are afraid.
As far as the 16-year-old child, Iremamber Sykap, there is no reason for any police officer to kill a minor unless the minor was shooting at them, you police signed on for danger. Honolulu Police Chief Susan Ballard says there is footage from 50 body cams — 50 grown and trained officers. The kid had already driven into the canal, he couldn’t escape, you could have arrested him when he finally came out of the car, why shoot him with a car full of other teens, fear?
You’re just law enforcement to protect and serve, not judge, jury and executioner.
Mike Ruggles
Mountain View
Stay away from the Second Amendment
As long as there are no term limits in politics you will never get money out of politics. Pipe dream!
As far as Martha Hodges’s take on the Second Amendment in a Monday letter to the editor, I suggest that when faced with a criminal you just tell them that what you are doing is illegal and if you don’t stop I will call the police? Oh shoot I forgot we unfunded them, so please take everything I have but do not shoot me with your gun because you are an unfortunate soul that Capitalism left behind and I totally understand why you are robbing me? The other items you mentioned — tobacco/oil/Roundup/big pharma — yes, please regulate but until the streets are swept clean of the criminals and drug addicts please stay away from my Second Amendment. Guns do not kill people. People kill people.
Bob Johnson
Kona
Letters policy
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