It does feel as if we are on a “ship on a stormy sea driven about by winds blowing from all four corners of heaven, ” doesn’t it? The crazy is all-pervasive, unrelenting, unpredictable, and exhausting. One thing remains constant and predictable: the rash of unjustified and unjustifiable killings by those sworn to serve and protect.
Day 102 and police have killed 368 people thus far.
Note: The Washington Post also keeps a running tab of police killings and their number is 313. I trust the Killed by Police website as each death reported is accompanied by supporting data.
Race
Saheed Vassell was number 331 of 368. He was a 34-year-old man living in Brooklyn with his parents, his son, and other loved ones. He was a black man and as such he bore out the fact that black people are three times more likely to be killed by police than their white brethren. So far this year, black people make up 19% of those killed while we are only 13% of the population. Saheed would not have been totally unaware of the danger he faced from murderous cops. In fact, in 2008 his very best friend was killed by police. Shot in the back as he fled from them. The history of policing in this country is not one that would give black folks any semblance of confidence when dealing with cops.
“ American criminal justice isn’t one system with massive racial disparities but two distinct regimes. One (the Nation) is the kind of policing regime you expect in a democracy; the other (the Colony) is the kind you expect in an occupied land.”
― Chris Hayes, A Colony in a Nation
Black people live in the colony and the black residents of Crown Heights were well aware of that fact.
Mental Illness
In this bloody Venn Diagram, Saheed would also be included in another component that would make him that more at risk of having his lifeblood spilled on the streets and his survival even less assured. Saheed suffered from mental illness.
Vassell’s father, Eric Vassell, told the New York Times that his son, a welder, had moved to the United States from Jamaica when he was 6. Saheed Vassell had bipolar disorder and had been hospitalized several times in recent years, the elder Vassell told the newspaper.
Saheed’s family also reports that his mental illness was exacerbated by the killing of his best friend by the police. “It was after that death,” they reported, “that he stopped taking his medication.”
In at least a quarter of all fatal police shootings since January 2015, the person shot and killed is believed to have been in the midst of a mental or emotional health crisis at the time of the shooting, according to an analysis by The Post.
At least 289 people have been shot and killed so far in 2018, one in five of whom were in the midst of a mental or emotional health crisis at the time of the shooting, according to The Post database.
Gentrification
The residents of Crown Heights, Brooklyn, where Saheed grew up and continued to live, knew him and loved him. He was one of them. They knew of his continued fights with his demons, they understood him and protected him as best they could. They described him as loving and caring and always with a ready smile.
Longtime residents of Crown Heights are deeply suspicious of the johnny-come-latelies and their motives. The newcomers to the community who call the cops at a drop of a hat. People who did not know Saheed and did not care to know him. Newcomers who see in Crown Heights a refuge from high rents elsewhere and whose presence have the effect of pushing up the cost of rental and of homeownership, and, as is inevitable in this vicious cycle that we have seen played out so many times before, when new people move in, others are forced to move out. And thus the loss of a cohesive neighborhood where the Saheeds of the world are known and protected. Those who protested against the murder are convinced that the call to 911 to come get Saheed and protect them from a deranged killer with a gun could only have come from a newcomer.
Among Brooklyn neighborhoods, parts of Bedford-Stuyvesant and Crown Heights have seen the biggest spike, as home values rose dramatically in the 11216 ZIP code, the study reveals. While the area ranked “just” tenth in the nation overall, the median home value increased by 194 percent – more than in any other Brooklyn neighborhood.
Police Misconduct
Five cops responded to the 911 call. They fired 10 shots at Saheed within mere seconds of arriving on the scene.
“ They just hopped out of the car. It’s almost like they did a hit. They didn’t say please. They didn’t say put your hands up, nothing,” said Jaccbot Hinds, who witnessed the killing.
I must admit that the picture of Saheed running down the street with arms extended does look as if he has a gun. I’d be scared, too. But I’m not a trained police officer. There are a bunch of stuff they could have done differently.
1. Why didn’t the responding cops know Saheed? Saheed had interacted with the cops before. The police — called by some of the same people — had even tazed him the week before. They would have had a report of his illness and of the community’s belief that he was harmless.
2. When they spotted him, why didn’t they withdraw to a safe distance and then attempt to communicate with him?
3. Why didn’t they give themselves time to assess the situation before firing?
4. What about a warning shot?
5. What about one shot and then wait to see the response?
6. What steps did they take to de-escalate the situation?
7. Why did they not take the time to give verbal warnings before emptying their guns on Saheed?
8. Was shooting the only possible option?
.
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So now Saheed’s blood still stains the street, T has lost his father, and Lorna and Eric Vassell will have to bury their son. A community has been traumatized yet again, and mothers will hold their children that much tighter. And for a significant segment of society, everything is as it should be. All’s well in their neighborhoods.
Rest in peace, Saheed. #JusticeForSaheed