I watched the video. The whole situation looks like a mess, but at least I can see that the policeman was threatened with a taser. I just wonder what the instructions say about the options for handling a drunk man sleeping in a car in Wendy’s driveway. Are there any alternatives to jail? Were there any alternatives to calling the police? What is Wendy’s legal responsibility? Yes, the guy is drunk. He is minimally blocking the traffic. He is sleeping in his car. Would it have been wiser to let him sleep? (BTW, how did he end up at Wendy? Are they fully open in Atlanta? Did he stop by the driveway to eat but passed out instead?).
I am looking at the initial damage (a car with a sleeping drunk man in a driveway, not fully blocking it, just parked in such a way that other clients have to drive around it).
From my standpoint, maybe the initial decision of Mr. Brooks (to sleep on it) was the smart one. And if I am not wrong, if his key was out of the ignition lock, it was not even a DUI.
How could this (uncomfortable, but not deadly) situation turn into such a disaster?
27 y.o. father of four - dead.
Wendy- burned down.
Several cars - burned down.
Traffic - blocked.
Head of the PD department- resigned.
The policeman - fired.
The situation in Atlanta - dangerous.
I just wonder if the net result could be preventable? Surely there should be a more reasonable alternative? For everyone?
It is a catastrophe, what has happened.
I see dire need to introduce more deescalation techniques in police training. Because much as I don’t see anything provoking in the officer’s behavior, he was polite, and Mr. Brooks just turned 180 degrees. But - he was only 27, he is dead, shot in the back, and I can imagine how Mr. Brooks’ family feels. OK, he got drunk celebrating and fell asleep in a car, or chose to sleep on it. Never happened to any of our friends?
First of all, the way the car was parked, it made it seem probable that he had been driving drunk.
Maybe he was and maybe he wasn't. But that's why they gave him a sobriety field test.
And that is for the court to decide. Sure, a cop has discretion. But they also have the right to enforce the laws as well. We don't know what the charges were going to be. Maybe he was just going to jail until he sobered up. But the cop did not do anything wrong or illegal or out of line, for attempting a lawful arrest.
Here is the problem, as I see it. There was nothing to deescalate until Brooks went hog wild and began assaulting the cops. And by then it was too late.
From the start, they were being quite calm, respectful and polite.
Harsh reality is, once someone has punched an officer in the face and begun trying to take the taser out of the others cop's holster, they cannot 'deescalate' anything at that point. For the cops, it is a life and death struggle for them, from that point on.
Mr Brooks was the one who escalated things beyond the point where an officer bus going to allow him to walk away without being arrested. And that was all they were trying to do.
Sure, we could look with hindsight and say maybe they shouldn't have detained him. Maybe they should have cut him a break. But that is up to their discretion. We can't fault them for following the law as they saw it that night.
and in particular, this part really bothers me:
"
But - he was only 27, he is dead, shot in the back, and I can imagine how Mr. Brooks’ family feels."
He was 27 years old. He was not a dumb inexperienced kid. He knew better than to get behind the wheel while drunk. Why shouldn't he be held accountable? He was a grown man, a father of four. Not a college kid on spring break.
It is misleading to say he was shot in the back. That leaves out the fact that he turned around and shot the taser at the officer, and that is what provoked the officer to shoot. By the time the bullets arrived he had turned around already. BROOKS WAS THE AGGRESSOR all the way through this tragic event.
As for how the family feels I am sure they feel awful. And I bet they blame the officer, and not Brooks himself.
I feel sorry for the officer's family. he has been fired and disgraced and vilified. His life is in shambles. They probably have to go into hiding. And was he the one who created this violent situation?
NO, he was polite, respectful, and was making a lawful arrest, when he came under attack by Mr Brooks. And he and his family will be shamed and vilified and hounded by death threats. He lost his career, reputation and retirement benefits.
Mr Brooks will become a martyr and a BLM icon. His family will be celebrated and treated with great dignity and love. Welcomed wherever they go.
I think it is profoundly unfair to sacrifice this officer and treat him like he is no better than that murderer in the Floyd tragedy. It is unfair and we should look more closely at the narrative that BLM is selling.
ACAB! Blue Lives Murder! Is that really an appropriate rally cry when we are trying to find a balance between the police and the community they serve?
