The events from Kenosha have rocked America
Video footage shows Jacob Blake, a 29- year old black man, walking away from police officers last Sunday. As Blake enters an SUV, officer Rusten Sheskey grabs Blake’s tank top and then shoots him seven times in his back at point- blank range. One account said Blake told officers he had a knife in his possession. Wisconsin Department of Criminal Investigations officers found a knife in the driverside floorboard of Blake’s car and no other weapons were recovered. It is unclear whether Sheskey knew of the knife when he pulled the trigger. Blake’s three children, ages, 3, 5 and 8 were in the car.
Investigations are underway but it is difficult to comprehend how lethal force was the least amount of force necessary to restrain Blake.
The situation in Kenosha was a powder keg. Gov. Tony Evers had declared a state of emergency when police said Kyle Rittenhouse, a 17- year old white Illinois resident, killed two people in two separate shootings on Tuesday night. Rittenhouse’s social media feeds evidenced his love of guns, police and support for President Donald Trump.
Kenosha begs the question: what has changed since George Floyd’s murder?
In Washington, D. C., the answer is nothing. Congress has failed to answer our nation’s clarion call for reform. Despite the fact that the two major Democrat and Republican bills even shared some common ideas — increased data collection where deadly force is used, more training for law enforcement and incentives to wear body cameras — none of these elements have passed.
Just how inept has Congress been? One hundred and sixteen police, criminal and racial justice reform bills have been introduced by this Congress with 92 of these coming after George Floyd’s death. Not one has been sent to Trump’s desk.
Colorado, on the other hand, passed historic, bipartisan criminal justice reforms in June.
Under Colorado law, the actions of the officers involved in the Floyd and Blake shootings would have been illegal. In the Floyd case, Colorado bans chokeholds and requires an officer to intervene if another officer uses inappropriate force. As for Blake, the lethal force would not have been allowed under those circumstances. Body cameras would have been required.
As a society, we have barely scratched the surface of dismantling systemic racism. More action is needed for services like mental health.
But some ideas are non- starters. We cannot abolish the police, rely solely on a peace force, or defund the police at the risk of our own public safety.
Law enforcement is essential in protecting us and even responding to natural disasters. There will always be bad actors, and they must be punished accordingly. Colorado’s reforms and improved training will further protect us from these bad actors and it will collect important use of force and racial data on officers’ encounters with the public to guide policymaking.
Coloradoans, working together, are making real progress.
However, fringe groups promoting mayhem, threaten that progress and are putting our law enforcement officers at risk here in Colorado.
The night before the Blake shootings, a group promoted a “Give Em Hell” get together at the Denver Police headquarters. The group encouraged people to “Bring your gear” and called for the abolition of the police department, but their real agenda was to promote mayhem.
One Facebook posting urged, “Remember that you can’t be violent towards a building so let’s leave our mark. Gear up and go crazy”.
Approximately 75 to 100 people answered this call to arms. One officer was injured with a concussion and third- degree burns after the crowd threw fireworks. This band of idiots also damaged buildings, smashed windows, set fires, and damaged a local Quiznos.
Nine people were arrested, one charged with multiple felony counts.
Inciting violence and vandalism cannot be tolerated. Law enforcement officers are part of the fabric of our community. They are our neighbors, friends, and family members and are overwhelmingly good people.
We can’t let the chaos creators trying to use this moment for violence and anarchy, disrupt our progress. Colorado’s model for civility, good policy and bipartisan work, and functional civil discourse must continue to light our path forward.