I hear so many people ask, “Well if he wasn’t guilty of anything, why would he run?”
The question usually comes as a response to news that a Black or Latino man — or child — is shot while running from the police.
And it never comes from someone who grew up in my old neighborhood. Harlem.
And I bet no one from Watts or Compton in Los Angeles, the 4th Ward of New Orleans, North Philly in Philadelphia, or any predominately Black or Latino community in the U.S. would ask the question, either.
Growing up I saw so many instances of police brutality, I often questioned “Why, the Hell, didn’t he run?”
But as I grew into adulthood, and moved out of New York City, I realized that many people did not share the experiences, or witness the atrocities which I had growing up, and did not share my point-of-view. And I understood and accepted that.
Still the question irked me.
As did the question, “How can he say he’s innocent after he signed a confession saying he’s guilty?”
Grrrrr.
My answer to this question is, “Maybe the police beat the crap out of him, then promised him if he signed the confession, he’d be allowed to go home — or that a lawyer would be able to get him off at trial.”
People scoffed at that answer. Until the group of Black and Latino kids from Harlem, who became known as the Central Park 5, was exonerated after spending years in prison for a crime to which they confessed but didn’t commit.
You remember, them, don’t you? The teenagers who were accused and confessed to the rape and attempted murder of a white jogger back in the 1989?
That crime prompted Donald Trump to take out a full-page ad in the New York Times, advocating for the reestablishment of the death penalty in New York.
Good thing it didn’t happen then. Because years later — in 2002 — another man confessed to the crime.
And what about Juan Rivera? His signed confession for the rape and murder of an 11-year old Illinois girl in 1992 landed him a life sentence, even though he recanted before trial — saying that the confession was given after four days of coercion which led to a psychotic break.
He was finally released in 2011, after DNA sampling proved his innocence. (There was also indications that police or the district attorney actually planted false evidence to help in the conviction, but that’s a whole other story.) Rivera was eventually awarded $20 million, the largest wrongful conviction settlement in history.
I knew two kids, growing up, who confessed to crimes they later said they didn’t commit. Both of them had confessions beaten out of them, but their cases never made the papers. Just two kids convicted of a burglary in Harlem. They served 3 years, and came out of prison as convicted felons. I lost track of them after awhile. No big deal, I guess. Just two more guys from Harlem with felony records; making them ineligible for good jobs.
Meh.
But that’s not what this story is about.
It’s about why some men run.
The above video shows what happened when one man didn’t.
On April 22, police responded to a burglary alarm in Gretna, Louisianna, and, according to police, 21-year old Carlos Gustavo Pineda was seen coming out of store wearing a ski mask. Pineda was already on the ground when Officer Robert Wallow punched him three times him in the head and neck before handcuffing him.
After Pineda was handcuffed and helpless, Wallow kicked him three times and held a gun to his head for good measure.
Wallow’s supervisors in the Field Operations Bureau were notified of an incident of “excessive force” and had a copy of the video, but nothing happened until an internal investigation into another matter — that had nothing to do with Wallow — brought the video to the attention of the police administration on August 25th, according to Police Chief Arthur Lawson.
Wallow was put on administrative leave on August 26th, then was fired last Friday (September 16th), and charged with simple assault and malfeasance in office.
Well, you might say, at least Pineda wasn’t killed. And at least he was guilty of a crime (he was convicted of the burglary and given one-year probation).
So, now let’s talk about Terence Crutcher.
The 40-year old Tulsa man was driving home from Tulsa Community College, where he was taking music classes, when his car broke down in the middle of the road. He got out to try and figure out what happened when a Tulsa police officer pulled up.
The above video, which contains graphic images, shows Crutcher with his hands up — despite Tulsa police spokeswoman Jeanne MacKenzie saying Friday night, that Crutcher was told repeatedly to hold his hands up, but failed to comply.
So, okay, so police lie.
But, again, that’s not the story I’m writing about.
I’m writing about what is seen in the above video. Police Officer Betty Shelby shooting Crutcher.
“He’s got his hands up there for her now,” one officer aboard the helicopter can be heard saying. “This guy is still walking and following commands.”
“Time for a Taser, I think,” a second officer in the helicopter can be heard saying.
“I got a feeling that’s about to happen,” said the first officer.
A Taser did happen. Officer Tyler Turnbough fired his Taser at almost the exact time Officer Shelby fired her service weapon — hitting Crutcher in the chest and killing him.
Ironically, the first person speaking in the helicopter audio — who said Crutcher was complying with the female officer’s commands — is Police Officer David Shelby. Officer Betty Shelby’s husband.
Anyway, and I’m by no means making light of this situation, Terence Crutcher — who did not run from the police, did not appear to have a criminal record, according to the Tulsa World, and had committed no crime — was ultimately shot and killed by police.
“I can't run anymore due to physical circumstances, but running from police was a part of my life — whether I did anything wrong or not,” says Gregory McKinley, a private business owner and social/community activist who grew up in West Philadelphia.
“Anything to avoid [police] contact is a part of the lifestyle for young men of color,” McKinley added.
So, reader, my question to you is: If you knew then what was going to eventually happen, would you blame Terence Crutcher if he’d run?
I’m not saying I would encourage anyone to run when confronted by police, I only say that when they do, I don’t automatically assume they’re guilty of a crime.
Nor do I assume they aren’t.
I think, though, of 14-year old Jesse Romero who was shot and killed by Los Angeles police on August 9th, after being chased for allegedly writing graffiti on a wall. Police say he drew a gun and pointed at them while he was running. Some witnesses dispute that.
And I think of 13-year old Tyre King, who was shot and killed by Columbus police on Friday, after he ran from police trying to arrest him for allegedly robbing a man at gun point. Police also say he pulled a gun and pointed it at them.
Since both teenagers were shot in the back, I find it hard to believe that they were pointing a gun at police while running, but many people on social media have argued that if they weren’t guilty of a crime in the first place, they wouldn’t have run.
I’m not saying that they weren’t guilty of a crime, I’m just saying based on my experience, they may have good reason to think they should run.
And I’m saying that the beating of Mr. Pineda, and the shooting of death of Mr. Crutcher might explain why.
Who knows? Maybe if Terence Crutcher had run he’d be alive. What we know for sure is that he didn’t . . . and he’s dead.
Just something to think about.