Okay, so we now know that the police officer who shot and killed Justine Damond is black.
Yes, and Justine was a white woman from Australia who was soon-to-be married.
The officer that killed her is Mohamed Noor.
Like Justine, he too is an immigrant
This, of course, means little to a rationally thinking person like me. After all, Noor was still a cop, who shot and killed an unarmed person. However, unfortunately, for some, this is an interesting spin on the prevailing racial narrative associated with police violence. For example, someone who read what I wrote about the original story, took the time to hit me up to say that I never mentioned that Justine was killed by a black cop. Mind you, at the time when I wrote about it, the details of the officer were not released. I had no idea that the officer was black, nor did I assume or imply that the officer was white.
What I did point out, was that it was interesting that there was very little said in response to the incident by the #AllLivesMatter crowd. Guess what? I still haven’t heard a thing from them. You’d think that with Justine being a white woman in an affluent neighborhood, this would be the perfect opportunity to counter the Black Lives Matter movement. This was a chance for them to say, “See, white people get shot and killed too. So, shut up with all your silly talk about racism, black people. Yes, all lives matter!”
But no, that didn’t happen.
Where is Blue Lives Matter?
I also find it interesting that there is little rancor from the #BlueLivesMatter crowd if any. I don’t see them coming to the defense of the officer. Where is the GoFundMe account to solicit donations to help him in his defense? Where is all the talk about white-on-white crime being used to justify the seemingly senseless killing of a white woman? Because of course crime is the reason.
It’s possible that with me running in different circles, I have yet to see any of this. It’s possible but highly unlikely. As vocal as these folks were in the face of the killing of a black and brown person, by the police. I’m sorry, but I’m sure they would be out here.
But hey, perhaps I’m asking for too much. Maybe expecting people who have little regard for black lives to actually care about a white woman who was shot and killed by the police is a fool’s errand. I don’t know, but maybe it’s that they really don’t give a fuck about anyone who gets killed by the cops. And, the only time they feel the need to support the police is if the officer in question is white. Because, why ride for a black cop, right?
A Black Man Isn’t Allowed to Kill a White Woman
Speaking of which, I doubt whether officer Mohamed Noor is going to be held accountable for this. Sure, he may have his day in court. Which, if he did, would be nice. However, like every police officer who has ever gotten off, I expect him to do so as well.
Hear me out on this.
I get why folks are saying that the officer Noor is definitely going to jail. Yes, he killed a white woman; and yes, he’s black; and of course, he’s also a Muslim immigrant from Somalia. Like I said, I get it. The officer, in this case, is black, and that “privilege” thing isn’t going to work in his favor. However, what’s being overlooked is the fact that he’s still a police officer. He’s still a member of the fraternal order of “fuck your rights.”
So what does that mean?
It means that per the US Supreme Court, a police officer’s use of deadly force isn’t illegal given a reasonably perceived threat of bodily harm and possible death. That’s when you get the “I feared for my life,” defense. It’s worked so well in the past, why wouldn’t it now?
Aren’t Police Officers Supposed to Stick Together?
There is also the issue of police unions and the power and influence they wield.
Just ask Marilyn Mosby. You know, the Maryland state attorney who tried to bring six Baltimore police officers to justice for the death of Freddie Gray? Mosby is being sued for doing her job. Yes, and like Freddie gray, like Mosby, and a few of the officers changed, officer Noor is black. So, again, it’s just not that simple.
Besides, it’s hard for me to imagine an officer being held accountable for killing someone in Minneapolis. After all, another officer was recently cleared for killing someone in an incident that was caught on tape. In this case, it wasn’t, and there are no real witnesses. So yeah, good luck with that.
But the Officer is Black and Justine is White
But then again, I could be completely wrong. Officer Mohamed Noor might actually serve time in prison for killing Justine Damond. As much as certain folks are angry now that O.J. Simpson is about to be released from prison. I think it’s safe to say that this brother is toast. Hell, the attorney for Justine’s family has called Justine “the most innocent victim” of a police shooting in history. I’m sorry, but it looks like they’re about to put this brother under the jail. In a press conference, Minneapolis Police Chief Janeé Harteau recently said that Justine “didn’t have to die,” and that, “This should not have happened.”
“It goes against who we are as a department, how we train and our expectations for our officers,” she added. Harteau also said that the incident was the result of the “actions and judgment of one individual,” and that, “the body cams should have been activated.”