Opinion: Philando Castile was a textbook example of how to act around police. And he was killed.
To the editor: Imagine if a training video was produced that was directed toward young black men with the purpose of instructing them how to avoid conflict with law enforcement. Imagine that this video covered a multitude of scenarios, one of which was how to behave if the young black man is carrying a gun for which he has a permit. (“Protests erupt after Minnesota police officer is acquitted in shooting death of Philando Castile,†June 16)
I suggest that this hypothetical video would instruct young black men to behave exactly as Philando Castile did before being shot to death by a police officer in St. Anthony, Minn. He was forthright in telling the officer he was legally armed; there is no evidence he attempted to draw his weapon.
The officer who shot Castile claimed he feared for his life. Have we
reached a point where any behavior exhibited by a black man can be construed as life threatening? Can no prescribed behavior, however precise and perfect, assure his coming out alive after a routine traffic stop?
Ron Terranova, Huntington Beach
..
To the editor: A police officer was acquitted of all charges, including reckless discharge of a firearm, even though he fired into a car in which a woman and her 4-year-old child were also riding.
Incidents like this are why NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the national anthem.
Arthur Peck, Los Angeles
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