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With the risk of being accused of Hall of Fame Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher (the first question would be: “Cancel him from something?”) Trifecta of Urlacher, Brett Favre, and former teammate Lance Briggs.
Urlacher said on Instagram: “Brett Favre played the MNF game the day his father died, threw 4 TDs in the first half, and was a legend for playing in the face of adversity. NBA players boycotted the play -offs because a guy stabbed a knife, looking for a criminal sexual assault, was shot by police. “
Except for the absurd comparison of Favre, who chose to play a personal tragedy that had no broader social significance, with the repeated shooting in the back of Jacob Blake (a / k / a “a guy) by police , Urlacher takes refuge in the reckless what about? story that many have adopted in the aftermath of the latest video that shows, for anyone with an honest mind and a human heart, the use of deadly force as other non-lethal means to subdue a suspect easily were available.
Jacob Blake did not stab a knife. He had a knife in the car. (Newsflash: Many people have knives in their cars.) And as noted earlier on our Twitter page today, regardless of whether someone has committed crimes in the past or is currently suspected of committing a crime, no one should be able to exercise the power of judge, jury and executioner about every American citizen without proper process.
The actions of the officers who shot Jacob Blake strike right at the heart of the concerns first raised by Colin Kaepernick in August 2016. People who have the ability to use deadly force should know when and where they use it, and more importantly when and where to net use it. No attempt to post aspirations on the history of Jacob Blake justifies the release of a clip in his back without proper process, not under the circumstances shown in that video. And anyone who thinks it should never be a police officer.
I did not want to address Urlacher’s comments. The problem, however, is that too many people seem to agree with him. And if at that moment we are not ready to shout and shout what is right and what is wrong, when will we ever do it?
