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Duante Wright Sr. shooting could have been avoided

Black men’s fear and police officers panic play a large in these situations escalating.

By Cheryl E PrestonPublished 3 years ago 4 min read
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Duane Wright Sr. and Jr.

The senseless death of 20 year old Duante Wright Sr. is yet another tragedy that could have been prevented. After all the other shootings in recent years that have brought us to this point and all the discussions, here we are again. The image of this handsome young man with his son Duante Jr. is heartbreaking to look at. Here is a child in his father's arms. A little boy named for his dad and who is clearly loved and cherished. Now he will grow up as a statistic of being another little boy without his father in his life.

Duante Sr. did not have to die this way and his death validates that two issues remain among us. They are black men’s fear of dying at the hands of law enforcement and police officers panic when arresting black males. If only both parties could have been able to make better decisions a little boy would still have his dad. This is not about blaming the victim but if Duante had not pulled away from the officer she more than likely would not have reached for her taser and mistakenly pulled out her gun. If the officer had taken her time she would have reached for her taser and Dante would still be living.

The adrenaline rush in both parties had to be extreme in such moments at a time when every action is critical. I don’t know the details of police protocol but I’m certain they have been taught not to act hastily. I understand that when Duante was being cuffed and he lunged back into his vehicle the officer did not know whether or not he was going for a weapon. Stunning him with a taser was probably going to be the right move, only it went wrong. This brings to mind the talk my husband had with our sons about complying with police if ever stopped.

Compliance however does not always result in law enforcement officers calming down. My oldest son was stopped one night because of a broken taillight. He got out of his vehicle to see 3 police cars and at least 6 officers all yelling at him. He was being told to lift his tongue up but in the confusion he simply stuck his tongue out. He had never been in this situation before but instead of calmly addressing him the police officers treated my son as if he were a hardened criminal and was disobeying on purpose because he was hiding drugs underneath his tongue.

The police really need more sensitivity training and must be taught to read has each situation individually of approaching every traffic stop in the same manner. Ever since the tragic death of George Floyd, African American men have been speaking out about how the fear of dying is what makes them not comply, Black men have in their psyche the hundreds of years of slavery where Africans in Smetics and their descendants were killed for little or no reason. Lunch mobs and the lunch mob mentality have caused blacks to be fearful of what will happen when they are in the hands of law enforcement,

The apprehension of a gruesome death is enough to set in motion the fight or flight syndrome. No one knows what Daunte Wright's intentions were. Perhaps he thought he could get into his vehicle and drive off and outrun the police. It sounds so logical to say in such situations that one should just comply but for black men this is often easier said than done. If only it were as simple as compliance law enforcement will do the right thing. From a black point of view it seems that police are too quick to put their hands on a trigger. From a nonblack perspective the answer is always that the suspect should obey the officer’s commands.

While all of this is being hashed out the protests, rioting and crud for justice continue, News outlets are milking the story for all its worth and a family continues to grieve and ask why? People are human and errors are made. There will always be suspects of all ethnicities who resist arrest and police officers of every race who act before they think, Even so, in America, we can’t seem to shift from the narrative of black and white that began in 1619 with the arrival of the slave ships.

From that time black men have been murdered for no reason and also taken away from their families by being sold to other plantations. None of this however brings any comfort to the family of Daunte Wright Sr. and especially not yo his son Daunte Jr. There really is no easy solution so we may as well brace ourselves. Some police officers are going to always be too quick to pull the trigger and many black males will continue to experience the desire to flee for their lives. President Biden as well as Duante's family have asked for peace and calm. This we will never have as long as there are those who feel that protest is the only way to bring injustice to light.

humanity
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About the Creator

Cheryl E Preston

Cheryl is a widow who enjoys writing about current events, soap spoilers and baby boomer nostalgia. Tips are greatly appreciated.

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