"Dad! They're Killing Me!"

Several years ago a homeless guy in the small town I live in was shot and killed by the local police department. I had taken the time to get to know him and he was a gentle quiet guy. He lived year round in a tent by the river with his dog as his companion. As town got more crowded and more and more people moved to this small town, some began to complain about this "odd" fellow. The old time chief retired and a new breed of officer came to town. They had no tolerance for "odd" types. He was murdered in cold blood. Eventually the chickens came home to roost for this department and it h since been disbanded, all cops fired and the sheriff now patrols town. We no longer have rookies looking to make a name for themselves at the expense of our local eccentrics.

I have always enjoyed One Flew Over the Cookoos Nest. Another good book with a similar theme is Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.

Mental illness is a tragedy to begin with. How we as a society treat the people who suffer from mental illness says more about us than it does about them. I had seen this video once before, and cannot bring myself to watch it again. Senseless.

I am pleased to see there are some law enforcement types here like Mikenice81 who see the senseless brutality of this murder. I have spent my entire adult life in the fire service and had begun many years ago to be wary of anyone with a badge. It seems that there was an institutional shift about thirty years ago that began to see all members of the "public" as guilty of something and potential criminals. Serve and protect was tossed out and the norm became harass and intimidate. I have been a victim of this over zealous attitude, and have yet been called upon to patch up these same men after they have been in a scrape. Needless to say I acted professionally, but I am still wary of the police only because of the actions and lack of action I have witnessed.

To quote TJ, "When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty."