The Bizarre Compulsion of Black Men to “Reach for their Waistbands”

[Judi Lynn]

Weekend Edition November 28-30, 2014

Waistband-Reaching Syndrome Could Get You Killed

The Bizarre Compulsion of Black Men to “Reach for their Waistbands”

by JOHN ESKOW


If police accounts are to be believed, there is a bizarre urge among young, unarmed black men to provoke their own murder by “reaching for their waistbands” when cops are aiming service revolvers at them.

Just this week we heard Officer Darren Wilson claim that one of the reasons he killed Michael Brown was that the young man “reached for his waistband,” and–in what I guess was just an incredibly weird coincidence–we heard Cleveland police claim they killed a 12-year-old kid with a toy gun because he also “reached for his waistband.”

But this odd compulsion is not a new one. In 2011, fully half of all the young black men shot by LA cops were cut down because–again, if police accounts are to be believed–they too were “reaching for their waistbands.” The epidemic also spread to Houston, where multiple police accounts cite the same excuse. Oscar Grant, the young man killed by Oakland cops on a subway platform–and the subject of the movie “Fruitvale Station”–was shot for the exact same reason.

If police accounts are to be believed, this compulsion only exists among young black men. I have been approached by angry or frustrated cops several times in my life–twice as an angry young protestor, eager to defy them– and have never felt even the slightest urge to reach for my waistband. Maybe white skin contains a protein that protects against this terrible compulsion?

More:
http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/11/28/the-bizarre-compulsion-of-black-men-to-reach-for-their-waistbands/

[Prophet 451]

1. Great piece

Raises a smile in a gallows humour sort of way.

[historylovr]

2. K & R

[freshwest]

3. They must teach them buzzwords the same as dog whistles in media. In this case they are literally...

TRIGGER WARNINGS.

Whoever is in charge of the police forces need to lay off priming the paranoia, racism and whatever else they are taking in. I wonder if some of these guys are on drugs that make them adopt this behavior, or suffering PTSD.

McCullough never got over his father being killed by a black guy in the line of duty. There had to be someone who knew what led to his obsession to let cops get away with anything. And no one thought of what he was really doing, because he was able to cloak it in all kinds of language.

Hell, he may not have realized what a malignant cancer he'd become over the years.

The most charitable thing I could say is that he is a case study of grief turned into displaced anger and seeking revenge. However, I'm not feeling too charitable. He should be removed from office at the very least.

[GitRDun]

4. It's spreading to white people too!

Dillon Taylor's killer just got off using that same excuse.

http://wreg.com/2014/11/25/salt-lake-cop-cleared-in-shooting-of-unarmed-white-man/

[JimDandy]

5. Great tongue-in-cheek

mockery of the waistband defense.

[Derek V]

6. Breathing While Black will get you killed in this country

[rhett o rick]

7. In some cases the victim is reaching for id. nm