Everybody matters or nobody matters.
Da’Quain Johnson is certainly not a perfect victim, yet he is still a victim of our police. The police are not supposed to be judge, jury, or executioner. Their job is to uphold the law and keep the peace. Every person deserves their day in court to answer for their accused crimes.
- Supposedly a concerned citizen called 911 to report a person with a gun.
To date no call has been released. We live in an open carry state. Police are not supposed to respond to a civilian being armed.
- Supposedly the police called his activity suspicious.
An adult riding their bike home at night is not suspicious, nor should it be considered so.
- Supposedly the police saw a gun in his hand and it was pointed at them.
There is no video that shows this. If this was on video then we would have seen it. The police are allowed to lie to you. Ergo if it is not on video then we have to assume that there was no gun in his hand.
From the video Mr. Johnson was on his stomach with a K9 officer attacking him. Please, replicate this in your home and see if you can grab an item from your waste and aim it at another person.
I’ve taken a CPL course and a renewal course. Do you know the one thing they drilled into us regarding a threat? If the threat is face down on the ground, or walking away from you, you may not fire. You will be charged with a crime. Once the threat passes it is no longer self-defense.
This is the standard for civilians with little to no training. Law enforcement must be held to a much higher standard.
Earlier this week the police shared a summary of 10 specific Officer Involved Shootings that were deemed justified. You can read the document yourself (https://www.grandrapidsmi.gov/media/3ozl51lt/20260331-grpd-officer-involved-shootings.pdf). I even agree that 9/10 of those were justified.
I respect and support police officers and law enforcement. I believe that they play an important role in our society. I also believe that they need to be held to high standards. Our police should reflect our community and they must uphold the mission statement that they themselves have written: “Safeguard the lives and the property of the people we serve to reduce and prevent crime, seek justice for victims, ensure all people feel safe and are safe at all times throughout our community, and foster trust and positive relationships with the community we serve.”
Mr. Johnson could have, and should have, been arrested safely and held accountable for his alleged crimes. Instead we have another bloody and dead victim of the police.
Everybody matters or nobody matters.
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https://www.woodtv.com/news/grand-rapids/prosecutor-grpd-shooting-daquain-johnson-decision/
The Bulwark
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