My husband is the son, nephew, and brother of local police officers. His father started as a beat cop in Northern Virginia, finished as a detective; his uncle was a patrol cop until he wiped out on a motorcycle and got into real estate; his brother worked as a police officer and sheriff's deputy until he retired.
So Hubbo knows something about cops, their mindset, their training, their procedures, their culture.
When the press conference in Cincinnati finished, he got online and watched the video a few more times, to be sure of what he saw. Then he sent me an email. I asked if I could share it here.
(Lightly edited for grammar and punctuation - the madder Hubbo gets, the less he pays attention to such niceties.)
From my Blue porch, I would say this about what is going on in all major cities, as well as just around the corner from where I live, with regards to police and people of color:
You are pathetic in your policing techniques if you can call murder “Protect & Serve.”
This has got to stop. I am the son, the nephew and the brother of Police Officers, one of whom agrees with everything I am typing at this very moment. The other two have passed away, but I believe wholeheartedly they would agree, too.
America, wake the fuck up and look deep inside yourself and understand that this cannot be allowed to continue. If you are a minority or an African American right now and live in or close to a city, any city of any size, how the fuck much would you trust the white, suburban-living policeman or woman? I don't think much.
My idea right here, right now, is to ask all professional athletes who consider themselves to be people of color to stop right now. Stop attending practices, do not go to games, and do not respond to your bosses' phone calls, e-mails or texts. (I am certain the vast majority of them are white). That is correct, you dumb, rich, white, racist ass motherfuckers, you have brought this shit upon yourselves and now you must be woke the fuck up.
I am not just saying just athletes; I do believe that all people who are minorities should do this because America would completely shut the fuck down and maybe, just maybe, we can all go to a quiet space and take a few deep breaths and realize that we actually do need each other.
I am way past giving a shit how much flack I take from anyone who knows me. Something has got to be done, and it for sure is not going to come from the authorities. So we must become our own authority until the actual morons in charge realize just how fucked up things really are, and when we say we want them fixed, FUCKING FIX THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!