I really picked that just for the picture. But also because it made me think of a “drug raid” here in Houston a year or so back.Nobody will stand trial in the death of Breonna Taylor because that's the way things work in the world created by our misbegotten "war" on drugs, a world in which very few of us live, and that even fewer of us understand. https://t.co/BeZXli74Qd— Charles P. Pierce (@CharlesPPierce) September 23, 2020
Plainclothes police charged into a house, armed and ready for bear. The warrant alleged the homeowners were dealing in heroin and cocaine. “Black tar” heroin, IIRC, because that’s what they used to call it in the movies to make it sound worse. I don’t remember if Han shot first, but there was a lot of shooting before it was done. Turned out the residents did have some bales of marijuana (again, IIRC), and had guns because of that. But it was not a major drug enterprise, nor was there any pressing need for the raid. There was suspicion of corruption, and the officers were dealt with fairly and charged for their crimes, including the deaths of the people in the house.
No one was charged with “wanton disregard “ for shooting a neighboring house, and no officer involved walked away without consequence. Despite the presence of drugs, the raid was hard to justify. I won’t say it couldn’t be under law, but the deaths could not be defended; or excused. Breonna Taylor died because her boyfriend of two years ago was the suspect, and her current boyfriend fired at armed intruders. How that excuses Ms. Taylor’s death is beyond me. What happened in Louisville is because of Kentucky, and Louisville. And us, and the “war in drugs.” Like most wars, that one has just been another war on humanity.
And we’re still trying to figure out who’s human, and who isn’t.
No comments:
Post a Comment