- December 4th, 2022, 3:40 pm
#649030
I hesitated to comment on this incident, but now that the LPD has made a statement and no arrests were made, I would like to address questions about why those present filmed and posted the video of the incident.
In communities where the experiences and history with law enforcement have been largely positive, recording an encounter with police might not make sense. However, in communities where law enforcement was historically used as an instrument of state oppression and terror until as recently as about half a century ago, and where tense relations between law enforcement and these communities are occasionally disrupted by flash points that we’ve all observed in the news, trust is practically non-existent.
In the absence of trust, videos from bodycams and mobile phones have become an instrument of accountability. That doesn’t mean they tell the whole story, but in this instance, it generated enough public interest for LPD to make an official statement very quickly.