Outrage in Denver after Police Shoot a Disabled Teen

[DUreader]

http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0714/p01s02-ussc.html


"They always want to stop you and
harass you for no reason," says Margo
Richardson, a 30-year resident.

Now those tensions are escalating
dangerously in the wake of a
controversial police shooting of a
15-year-old mentally disabled boy who
was holding a kitchen knife.

The death of Paul Childs - the fifth killing
by Denver police this year - is raising new
questions about the use of excessive
force and highlights a long-troubled
relationship between the police and
minority neighborhoods in this normally
quiescent city.

Across the country, controversial police
tactics are often the tripwire for neighborhood disaffection - and
worse. It has led to rioting in Los Angeles, Cincinnati, St. Petersburg,
Fla., and most recently Benton Harbor, Mich., among other places.
Now Denver faces a major test of whether it can work through an
unusual and particularly sensitive case without triggering unrest.

[patdem]

1. Lets see...Iraqis protest because of years of oppression

and blacks protest for what reason mr rumsfeld? :grr:

[LiberalLibra]

2. Maybe a rereading of the article is in order because......

....so far people are conveniently forgetting to mention this one little issue - that makes all the difference in the world.

"Neither police nor the family were unfamiliar with each other. In the past four years, the family had summoned police to the house 47 times, often for incidents involving the behavior of Childs."

On top of this the guy was repeatedly asked/ordered to put the knife down. I am by no means saying that was reason to shoot the guy but it will certainly make a huge difference in a court of law.

Then too the war in Iraq is over so I'm sure network and cable viewership has dropped off a tad. The perfect solution, call in Johhy Cockrun for live court TV coverage. I can see the headlines now.

edited for clarity

[paulk]

5. If the police had been called on this guy 47 times

they should have known he was basically harmless.

I'm having a hard time backing the Denver police on this one... They have repeatedly shown a "shoot first" mentality over the years, and it's going to catch up to them at some point. If they let this officer off scot free, you're going to see civil unrest in Denver this summer.

I've lived in Denver over eleven years, and my opinion of the police force has declined steadily.

[progressivebydesign]

Shoot first? On the 48th visit?

You'd think they would have shot him on the first visit, if this was the case. I love how people are so quick to put themselves in the situation.. If the police are called to my house 48 times because of my violent behavior, I could guess that something bad will eventually come of this. If this person is mentally disabled, then his family should have figured this out.

I don't commit crimes, so I have no frame of reference.. and I don't have a fear of being shot by the police.. until then.. I can't second guess the police.

[LiberalLibra]

8. Well, someone besides me GETS IT!!!.......

A :toast: to you.

edited to add: I tried to say basically the same thing below.

[pop goes the weasel]

11. I don't commit crimes either

but this white girl was once pulled over by the police for speeding (I wasn't) when the only remarkable thing about my car was the Jesse Jackson for President sticker. And I grew up having known more than one unsavory cop--one of them ended up doing time for grand theft.

Looking at only what the article says, we can see that most of the time when the cops had been called out before, the boy had not been violent. Often he had wandered off. So you are wrong that the police had been over there 48 times for violent behavior. The policeman who pulled the trigger may very well have a problem judging imminent danger, seeing as he had killed in the line of duty before. We don't know, since we aren't told anything about it, but that remains a possibility.

The real problem is that the cops should never have been sent out on this call. The department may be in the process of training officers to deal with mentally disabled individuals, and if so, officers with that training should have been on stand-by to manage such calls. But even better would be not to have the police handle these calls at all. No one becomes a police officer because of a yearning to practice psychiatry. Communities need to put more money into mental health services so that troubled families like the one involved have the ongoing support they need, and so that police are sent out on such calls only as back up to a mental health crisis professional.

Unfortunately, the trend is toward worsening mental health services as communities make budget cuts. Even suicide hotlines are in danger of being closed down. Look for increased police shootings of the mentally disabled everywhere--its compassionate conservatism in action.

[freeforall]

12. Because this child

...was mentally disabled, you'd think he needed help more than to be shot.

Disgraceful!

[progressivebydesign]

6. Shoot first? On the 48th visit?

You'd think they would have shot him on the first visit, if this was the case. I love how people are so quick to put themselves in the situation.. If the police are called to my house 48 times because of my violent behavior, I could guess that something bad will eventually come of this. If this person is mentally disabled, then his family should have figured this out.

I don't commit crimes, so I have no frame of reference.. and I don't have a fear of being shot by the police.. until then.. I can't second guess the police.

[LiberalLibra]

7. Just for 11 years?? I've lived in Denver for 26 years and.....

....yes things have changed. In that time I've seen police, who didn't have a chance with their police issued guns, shot point blank with assault rifles. The police in Denver generally don't bother someone unless they draw police attention doing something the person shouldn't have been doing in the first place.

All I am saying is if someone from another ethnic group did the same thing, with the same outcome, the attention level would be much lower and certainly Johnny Cockrun would be nowhere to be found.

[paulk]

9. "The police in Denver generally don't bother someone

unless they draw police attention doing something the person shouldn't have been doing in the first place."

Bullshit.

I guess you don't live in an area with a high minority population.

Your comment about ethnic groups might be construed by some as rascist. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt.

There are some real racial tensions boiling just under the surface in this city - there's a reason Ari Zavaras did so poorly in the recent mayoral election - he was a former police chief. There is a huge amount of resentment toward the police here in Denver, and it didn't come out of thin air.

[LiberalLibra]

14. All we have in my neighborhood are Blacks, Chicano's, Whites,.....

Vietnamese, Arabs, and just about any other race you'd ever want to meet. A person can almost take a tour of the world just by getting to know the neighbors in my area, so you are right when you say, "I guess you don't live in an area with a high minority population." Guess what, the police DO NOT stop people around here unless they are doing something they shouldn't be doing.

[paulk]

15. I'm not going to get into a pissing contest with you, LiberalLibra

since I've lived in denver "only" eleven years. I'm sure the denver police are a group of warm, fuzzy nice guys and gals who rank in the top ten per capita nationwide for shooting people... because, shit happens, you know?

Repeating that our wonderful police force doesn't stop people for no reason doesn't make it true. I've seen it happen. Several of the citizens in the article referenced in this thread have seen it happen. So I guess our experiences have just been different than yours.

[otohara]

13. I Got You Beat, I'm A Native

So add 20+ to your 26. Sheesh I remember when Wash. Park was empty - nada - nobody went there, except me - walking to school.

In looking at the 47 calls made and the reasons, I figure that was one dysfunctional household - She called the cops looking for her welfare check??? Poor kid - not only was he mentally disabled, he had a mentally disabled family.

This was the 2nd killing of a teen by this cop. The first kid was hard of hearing. He'd probably been to this house many a time - and based on those calls, the sister always referred to the brother as "special" -

If they feel the need to shoot, can't it be in the foot?

[demdave]

3. I don't understand the "security door" comment

What is a security door and how do you shoot someone at "point-blank range" when you are standing behind one.


I have had several conversations with people about shooting a person armed with a knife. There are some points that need to be considered. A person can lunge nearly 15 feet in an instance. I have demonstated this with a plastic knife and a childs dart gun. A person with a knife can be all over you in an instance and your shot generally doesn't even hit them.


Also in the article.....Carter notes that 13 officers nationwide have been killed with knives since 1988. This number counts police that went into the situation expecting an armed assailant.


I think the tazers should have been used first, but I do not believe the police should have put themselves or the rest of the family at any additional risk than is neccesary.

[Allah Akbar]

4. I don't know

couldn't they have shot him in the leg or the arm holding the knife perhaps?

[wellst0nev0ter]

10. Saw A Video Of Australian Police Handling A Similar Situation

A guy was waving a sword around, which is arguably more dangerous than a knife. The police were faced with several taxing options:

Shoot him?

Use taser?

Waste 6 hours with "verbal interventions".


No, they sent a police dog to take him down.

The tactic was simple yet effective, nobody got hurt and everybody got to get on with their lives. Its a wonder why alternatives are rarely utilized in these situations, especially when it involves minority lives.