Eight shots. Eight shots into the back of a fleeing, defenseless man. If you have not watched the disturbing and jaw-dropping video of a South Carolina police officer shooting and killing a fleeing Walter Scott in the back, then I highly encourage you to do so. I couldn’t help but feel sick to my stomach as I watched yet another instance of police brutality towards a member of a minority population.
It angers me to think about the many similar instances that have occurred where there was not a camera actively capturing such an event–the many times injustices have just been swept under the rug because there was never any evidence. What would the narrative be if this incident had not been captured on video? Would justice have ever been served? Similarly, would the officer in the South Carolina case have tried to claim self-defense if the video had not been taken? In the video, we see the officer place an object next to the body of the individual. Would he have tried to spin the situation by arguing the victim tried to attack him?
I try to see the situation from the perspective of the police officer. If I felt my life was threatened, would I have protected myself? Yes, of course I would have. But this was different. Even though the man was running away, the officer made the decision to shoot instead of pursue, a decision that has cost him greatly and only heightened the already stifling tension between the police and minority-populated communities.
Most police officers are honorable heroes who put their lives on the line every single day to protect us – my dad is one–but these continued incidents do not help my or anyone else’s confidence in America’s police force. No one should have to fear police officers or fear for their lives when they are pulled over. I will not defend the actions of Scott – he should have complied with the officer instead of trying to escape – but it is incredibly hard to justify someone’s life being lost over a broken tail light or fear of a late child support payment.
The irreversible effects of racial profiling is shown in the news, we talk about it among our friends at roundtables and dinner discussions, we even watch it portrayed on dramatic, emotional episodes of television shows, but nothing seems to ever done about it. Something actually needs to be done. It should not be okay for incidents such as these to only become a topic of discussion when a video is made public or when the media decides one of these stories is “the right time to talk about the issue.”
These unfortunate events happen every single day and will continue to do so if we do not hold our police forces accountable for their actions. The officer has since been fired from his job and placed in jail, but he could have been very close to being set free if not for this video evidence. We as a nation must figure out ways to prevent this from happening again in the future. I hope these types of conversations lead to action and the actions lead to renewed relationships between officers and community members where there is combined effort to ensure the safety and quality of life for all.
Vel Lewis is a junior majoring in political science and public relations. Her column runs every other week.
