Here’s the facts the prosecutor was able to prove: St. Louis, Missouri Police Officer Jason Stockley said he was going to kill 24 year old father Anthony Lamar Smith, chased him down and shot him at point-blank range even though Smith was not holding a weapon. Despite that Circuit Judge Timothy Wilson pronounced Stockley not guilty in the 2011 case and witnesses say slandered Smith in the process, reasoning that Smith was a dope boy and saying that an “urban heroin dealer” not in possession of a firearm would be an anomaly. Even though forensics experts could not find Smith’s DNA or fingerprints on the gun. Even though every single witness said they didn’t see a gun. Even though the only person whose DNA was on the weapon was Stockley’s. Even though it is on camera. Even though you can hear Stockley say he was going to kill Smith. Even though you can watch Stockley do it.
Sadly, like many police departments across the country, the St. Louis Police Department has a history of violating the rights of its African American citizens according to the Department of Justice (under the Obama administration) including a high level of shootings and killings. Now activists, leaders and pastors are lading protests against the verdict saying they can no longer watch the rights of their sons, daughters, fathers and mothers being routinely and often fatally violated by police.
While most of the protests were peaceful some demonstrators blocked highways, , broke windows and threw rocks at the mayor’s house . Last night thirty-two people were arrested, and police declared the protest unlawful and lobbed tear gas at demonstrators.
Damone Smith, a 52-year-old electrician who was among the motorists re-routed away from the area, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he believed the verdict to be “disgusting.”
“I’m proud of these people protesting,” Smith, who is black, told the Post-Dispatch. “If you look like me, then you feel like there is no other way to express yourself in this kind of verdict. Time and time again, African-American men are killed by police, and nobody is held accountable.
How long will we see these injustices unfold? There are good police officers but they must stand up against those who aren’t and end the culture of systematic violations of people of color’s rights as the Department of Justice has documented occurs in police departments – including Baltimore’s – across the country. There needs to be real accountability like civilian review boards with teeth who can conduct independent investigations and demand redress. Instead of tear gas,how about justice?
And to all the good police officers, let us remember the words of Dr. Martin Luther King “The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people”. Jus’ sayin’ Follow me on Instagram @JazD1
http://www.theroot.com/shit-finally-hits-the-fan-in-st-louis-like-we-said-1815749866
Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch / Getty
