Cops uncomfortable?

Re: “East Side town hall considers justice and police brutality,” Metro, June 28:

Staff Writer Vincent Davis reports that no white police officers attended the town hall. When Officer Richard Odoms was asked why no white officers were in attendance, Odoms asked the attendees to consider how uncomfortable they might feel.

I wonder how uncomfortable George Floyd felt in the last nine minutes of his life while a police officer knelt on his neck. I wonder how uncomfortable Philando Castile felt when being pulled over at least 48 times for minor traffic infractions, most of which were dismissed, before finally being shot to death during the 49th stop.

I wonder if 12-year-old Tamir Rice felt uncomfortable in the seconds between a police car racing to a stop in front of him and an officer shooting and killing him for playing in a park with a toy gun. I wonder if Marquise Jones was uncomfortable in the last moments of his life before being shot by a San Antonio

Brodesky, over the last three weeks when the streets were packed with unmasked protesters, looters and rioters? Did science take a three-week vacation? The hypocrisy is overwhelming. The mistake our politicians made is that they assumed individuals were responsible and accountable, and would follow social distancing protocols.

Bad assumption when you consider those same groups of young people are running around unmasked, tearing down historical monuments across our nation. sadly, the entire class would suffer the consequences.

There is nothing new under the sun. Since the pandemic, many are social distancing — sacrificing time with beloved children and grandchildren, wearing masks and staying home as much as possible — as recommended by health experts. Some are contracting the virus. Now, because of the rulebreakers, we are all suffering the consequences.

For those who think it’s their right to not wear a mask as they go wherever they please with whomever they please, your rights have trampled the rights of others who have done their best to curb COVID-19. No one exists in a vacuum. Hearts are broken and hopes are dashed of containing this virus, of returning to some sort of normalcy.

To the rule-breakers: Please move beyond your elementary school days, choosing to consider the good of all over your own desires.

SAPD Officer Richard Odoms discusses traffic stop procedures during a town hall June 24, which no white police attended. A reader says their discomfort is no excuse for avoiding a discussion about race.

Floyd

Jones

Rice

Castile