Death by Cops

It's recently been suggested that many Cops are afraid of African American males and that a scared cop is a deadly cop. If true, this is a different slant on racial prejudice than we normally associate with prejudice and it may help explain why so many African American males are being shot by policemen. Fear could even explain why a cop recently shot a 12 year old boy who brandished a toy pistol within a few seconds of the  cop getting out of his squad car. Whatever the cause, the use of excessive force by cops needs to be brought to an end as quickly as possible. Too many black males are being killed unnecessarily. It's one thing to shoot an individual who is making an unprovoked attack with a deadly weapon. It's quite another to shoot someone who is unarmed and merely fleeing. Shooting someone who steals a few cigarettes, or shop lifts a beverage from a convenience store is an excessive use of deadly force and not warranted. Some police departments are reported to be instructing their patrolmen to never back down. That's the wrong message. Backing down and trying to reduce the tension should be the first priority. Killing should only be the choice of last resort when all else fails and a life in truly in danger.