Tuesday, July 24, 2012

The Colorado Tragedy, Law Enforcement, & The Media

The senseless slaughter of 12 innocent movie goers in Aurora Colorado was one of the worse tragedies in American history. There is no doubt about that. But I must admit that I am perplexed by the way law enforcement handled the arrest & by the way the media has been handling the news coverage of the story. First I'll start with law enforcement. How in the world was this guy able to leave the theater dressed in fatigues with an assault weapon in his hand after murdering all of those people without being fired upon by one police officer at the scene? No matter what kind of make shift uniform I had on, if it had been me the outcome would have been much different. Sean Bell was shot and killed by Police & he wasn't even armed. Amadou Diallo was shot & killed by Police & he was only reaching for his wallet. There have been numerous cases where unarmed men and women have been shot & killed by Police for doing nothing, and without provocation. It's seems to me that some people are automatically deemed threatening, while others are given the benefit of the doubt.
As for the media, their coverage of this tragedy leaves a lot to desired. I have heard James Holmes, the perpetrator of this crime called a suspect, a hard working student, and a relatively normal guy. I have never heard him called a thug, a savage, a terrorist, a gang member, or a violent criminal. All adjectives often, and readily used in reference to other segments of society when they are accused of crimes. Who cares about his academic aptitude. Does anyone care about what kind of student Charles Manson, or Hitler was? No, because the fact that they left their mark on the world as blood thirsty mass murderer's.
It almost seems like the groundwork is being laid for an insanity defense. All you see is pictures of this guy looking doped up, with his crazy red hair, suggesting that he has a mental defect, and while it is tempting to believe that he is insane, I hope that his punishment fits his crime, and he does not get away with it by pleading insanity.

PR

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