Another senseless shooting
death shouldn’t be another sad story. It holds lessons to learn, writes Mark O’Mara.
Who should be held responsible for the shooting of Markeis McGlockton? Well, basically everybody. At least we should take this yet-another-sad story of an unnecessary shooting and have it make more sense. Maybe we can even learn something from it.
We cannot ignore the undeniable racial biases that exist in us, in the criminal justice system and in the video we’ve seen of the incident. Had the races been reversed, would this have happened? No, say studies such as Harvard University’s Project Implicit. We all carry biases with us, and they unquestionably lead to disproportionately negative treatment of the black community. So, are there lessons to be learned? Yes, though some will not like to hear them on the heels of yet another death.
Lesson No.1: Don’t park in a disabled parking space. The blue lines and the sign are there for a reason. Even if you’re tired and just finished a long shift or have kids in the car and are quickly sending another passenger in for a minute, there likely are other parking spaces available. Parking in disabled spaces without a permit is a violation of the statute. Lesson No. 2: Leave law enforcement to law enforcement. We have dedicated sworn police officers who risk their lives every day to enforce our laws. Let them do it. If you want to mention your displeasure to somebody regarding his actions, you have an absolute First Amendment right to do so, but do so respectfully, and it shouldn’t turn into a tirade.
Lesson No. 3: Respect women more. I know it may be politically incorrect, but from my World War II veteran dad’s perspective, if you are dealing with a woman, particularly a mom — particularly a mom with kids present — show her the respect and deference that any mother has earned. If you want to make a point over a disabled space, do it with the guy who ran in and picked up a couple of six packs.
Lesson No. 4: Protect your family, but not with violence. You are not allowed to strike other people or knock them to the ground. That is still a battery, if not an aggravated battery. The shooter, Michael Drejka, initially was using only his mouth and that’s what McGlockton should have responded with. It was the increase in violence that led to more violence.
Lesson No. 5: Learn to diffuse the situation. Don’t get out of the car and step into a potentially volatile scene. Would it have been that difficult for McGlockton’s girlfriend to roll up the window, lock the doors, maybe even honk the horn a couple of times?
Lesson No. 6: Be a positive influence. Consider involving yourself in a circumstance with the intent to help resolve the situation. At least three people heard the commotion between Drejka and McGlockton’s girlfriend,
looked over, and did what we tend to do nowadays: ignore it, walk away and do nothing. The same old veteran mentioned above would have seen what was going on and helped diffuse it. That’s what he was taught to do, and we need to get back to that.
Lesson No. 7: If you’re going to exercise your Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms, you must do it responsibly. A gun is an intentional device of death. It must be the absolute last choice, not the default choice. In Florida and everywhere else, you have an absolute right to defend yourself, but your defense must be reasonable under the circumstances. If you’re going to use a gun, it must be only to protect yourself or others from imminent violence likely to cause great bodily injury, not to respond to a strike that has already occurred. That’s just retribution.
A criminal defense attorney will represent the shooter and say that he was in reasonable fear for his life based upon the violent shove, and that his actions were appropriate and protected under the statute. He’ll talk about how the brain reacts when you’re attacked; the adrenaline dump and the tunnel vision and the fear. He’ll remind us to view the circumstances from his client’s perspective as it was happening. And from that view, the shooting may prove to be justified.
But will we learn anything from all of the lessons presented by this one bullet? If history is a teacher, the answer is no. We will continue to antagonize each other, and some of us will use our firearms in ways that the laws of man deem protected. But maybe someday some bullet will actually strike us in a place where we will not only shed a tear, but stop, change direction and listen more to the laws of God.
But the bullets at Pulse nightclub didn’t do it. The bullets at Mandalay Bay didn’t do it. Even the bullets at Sandy Hook Elementary School didn’t do it. So a bullet that killed yet another young black father is probably not going to do it.
I just wish it would happen while I’m still around.