Here is the one hundred seventy-sixth article in our Republicans on Parade series, featuring individuals who personify what the Republican Party has become. Today’s winner is Garrett Rolfe, a Republican police officer in Atlanta. He is so honored for murdering yet another unarmed Black man, by shooting him in the back as he fled.
L
ess than 24 hours after a white police officer shot and killed an African-American man outside a fast-food restaurant, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms of Atlanta announced on Saturday that the city’s police chief had resigned.
Early on Sunday morning, Sgt. John Chafee, a spokesman for the Atlanta Police Department, said the officer who shot the man had been fired…
…The authorities said the man, Rayshard Brooks, 27, had run from the police on Friday night after failing a sobriety test and grabbing a Taser from an officer during a struggle with him. Ms. Bottoms said that security footage appeared to show that Mr. Brooks had fired the Taser toward the officer, who was chasing him before he was killed, but that she did not consider that a justification for the shooting…
Inserted from <NY Times>
Warning: the following video contains graphic footage of a Republican murder.
Body cam footage of Rayshard Brooks’ death shows calm, then chaos
To be fair, I have to say that Brooks’ conduct was far from acceptable. Police and Republicans are claiming that Rolfe was in fear for his life, because Brooks fired the TASER at him. However, police and “expert witnesses” have testified in court the use of TASERs by police is justified in crowd control, because it is a non lethal weapon. Therefore, Rolfe could not have feared for his life from a non-lethal weapon. Furthermore, once the TASER had been fired and missed, it could not be fired again and was no threat to Rolfe. For Rolfe to shoot an unarmed fleeing Brooks in the back is a racist Republican murder.
RESIST!!
10 Responses to “Republicans on Parade–6/14/2020”
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So very, very sad that Mr. Brooks died, and yes, Rolfe d/not have to shoot him.
Shooting him in the back??? He should lose his badge, imho.
Unfortunately,…this kind of negative law enforcement seems to be a daily/weekly occurrence now. ugh!
When will we ever learn? OK, burning down the Wendy’s was a ridiculous over-reaction – but we definitely need to re-think law enforcement from the ground up. Oh, and let’s get rid of “Defund the Cops” because that suggests we want to get rid of police altogether – NOT a good idea at all!
The city of Camden, NJ dissolved its police department, but replaced it with a “new and improved” version. The result is less corruption and less police brutality. Cops need to be part of the communities they patrol and protect, not outsiders who come to stomp on necks. We need more funding for programs that will reduce the need for police, and we need to de-militarize police, too.
Shooting a fleeing black man in the back seems to be SOP in Georgia (OK I suppose two doesn’t make it SOP, but still.) I guess one moral of this story is, even though an officer may sppear to be sane at the start of an encounter, do not depend on that sanity to last.
If I heard correctly (and the information is accurate, as why wouldn’t it be) his family has not lost a mother and her son.
I give the mayor credit for immediately interviewing the chief of police, and terminating him based on that interview. (ALso, props to Atlanta for electing that mayor.)
Not surprising that Beau has a take.
Truly despicable. Watching on the news yesterday the replay of this senseless killing of Mr. Brook.
He was running away from the officer, yes pointing the taser, but like you mentioned, TC that it’s a non lethal weapon. It wasn’t a gun, so there was no need to shoot and kill him.
I was happy to hear that the officer was fired. That the Chief of Police was terminated too
I honestly thought that with all of the protests going on against the police, that all police would now think twice before making these type of violent acts.
I agree with all comments here, on the behaviour of the police, the behaviour of Mr Brooks himself and of the protesting crowd afterwards. Sadly, it seems that we haven’t seen the last of the cycle of police brutality followed by protesting and destruction and for it to be resolved both the brutality/murder of black people and the looting/destruction need to stop before anything can be resolved.
… sigh …
Please, Lord – make it stop!
Like Freya, I’ve seen studies of several cities who reorganized their police departments, defunded ”cops in school,” for example and replaced them with social services experts. LET’S DO IT! Unfortunately, until we have another president/administration, support will be non-existent. SIGH.
Thanks, Hugs, and Amen to all.
I full agree that the looting and burning also has to stop. It serves only to give Repunlican copa as excuse to murder more people of color.
if police are so afraid of the weapons they carry….although it seems they are always afraid for their lives….maybe they shouldn’t carry them……
it amazes me how many times we hear the officer is “afraid for his life”….maybe they shouldn’t be in police work? maybe we shouldn’t allow so many guns in the country???
I missed this posting, but agree that the incident should not have devolved into a shooting. Camden N.J.’s example ought to be a blueprint for the rest of the country. At one time it was ranked as the number one worst city in the country. It is remarkable that it could change the way it did, being such a disadvantaged town.