How the Defense of Rayshard Brooks Waters Down the BLM Movement
- Andrew John Yanik
- Jun 25, 2020
- 6 min read
By Andrew Yanik
Instagram Handle: @andre_jyy
June 25th, 2020
To many people hearing this story is a far retrospect of the events that transpired nearly two weeks ago, this commentary should come at little to no surprise. However, in the case in the police shooting death of Rayshard Brooks I still feel an obligation to return to the evidence of the crime and review the evidence (this entire account is according to the police body cam footage, cell phone recording, and Wendy’s surveillance camera footage):
Police arrived to a report of an intoxicated man in a drive through of an Atlanta, GA Wendy’s Restaurant at approximately 11:11PM
Atlanta PD Officers Devin Brosnan and Garrett Rolfe woke up a passed out 27 year old Rayshard Brooks and then told him to step out of his vehicle
The two officers and Brooks talked for about 41 minutes in what seemed to be an overall friendly conversation where Brooks explained that he was at the Wendy’s after drinking with his sister which he said was only light and that he felt comfortable enough to drive through the drive through
Rayshard Brooks proceed to take a breathalyzer test in the ladder end of the conversation which take a few minutes to process, however the test proves to be over the legal limit
Upon recognizing this, Officer Rolfe informs Brooks that “I think you’ve had too much to drink to be driving. Put your hands behind your back for me” and attempts to handcuff Rayshard Brooks
Brooks recognizes this and attempts to break away from the handcuffs and then is taken to the ground in a scramble between himself and the two officers
Brooks manages to wrestle free from the first officer holding him to the ground and then as he stands up, punches the second officer in his face; taking his taser as he recoils from the blow
Officer Rolfe then chases Brooks down the parking lot of the Wendy’s, demanding that he stop running before Brooks takes the stolen taser and shoots it at the officer’s head
As the taser is fired, Officer Rolfe then takes his pistol from his hip and fires three shots at Brooks, eventually killing him
To whomever may want to debate the facts of this case I will provide all of the video footage that has been made available to me of the encounter at the end of this article.
As a conservative, especially one that considers themselves an open and honest ally of the black community (regardless of whatever predominantly white people may scream that I am not) I cannot bring myself logically to say that this shooting by officer Rolfe was unjustified. Perhaps not being a part of the black community by blood makes it easier for me to disassociate myself from the situation, however I can say wholeheartedly I would not have even bothered to write on this incident if this man was white. Many of course will argue that this man would never have been killed if he was or may work to simplify the incident to say that “resisting arrest shouldn’t be a death sentence” or that “DUI/sleeping in your call is not a death sentence”. To the former argument, I would certainly demand how you prove that and point to the over one million successful DUI arrests over the course of 2018. To the latter, I would change the statement entirely, as resisting arrest and attempting to harm an officer are often a very common “death sentence” that oftentimes the political left demands is so deeply unjust and systemically racist.
All of this of course is besides the point of this essay, as the title implies. All of the people who burned down the Wendy’s and turned the area around the burned restaurant into a “Police autonomous zone” have quite literally added fuel to the flames of political divisiveness as we see it today. What used to make issues like this eventually come to a close would of course be the collective condemnation of the people who committed this arson and took over United States soil, but that is not the case as we see it. This is not to say that the right would be leaps and bounds closer to supporting Black Lives Matter, as right leaning people often jump to the side of police before all the facts are even revealed, yet this same case and the reaction to it only continue to confirm these same people’s biases. The case of Rayshard Brooks serves as a perfect example to the right that the Black Lives Matter group and those who openly support the events that followed as a quid-pro-quo are beyond reason and only seek to divide the country even more; just as Black Lives Matter supporters claim the right is as well. Once again, it is the seemingly unconditional loyalty, and I demand stress on the word unconditional, to any black man killed by white police officers that makes many conservative not only refuse to support but continue to grow hate for the cause.
Although those who react violently to the sho
oting death of Rayshard
Brooks who most obviously contribute to the problem as they do so in a very obvious and physical fashion, it is those in government that do the real damage. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance-Bottoms said in press conference following the shooting “While there may be debate as to whether this was an appropriate use of deadly force, I firmly believe that there is a clear distinction between what you can do and what you should do...I do not believe that this was a justified use of deadly force.” Many at home, myself including wonder what someone would have to do to warrant the use of deadly force if not the previously cited that resulted in the death of Brooks, but of course this is not about an honest assessment of the situation, but instead about maintaining power, as many Democrats demand justice and reform for Brooks and his family for what they believed was not just his killing but his execution at the hands of Garrett Rolfe. Now we see Officer Rolfe not only without a job as the Atlanta Mayor fired him within the same conference as she was previously cited, he has now been charged with murder where he could potentially face the death penalty if found guilty.
As many outside with an understanding of the law and the Atlanta mayor included know, Officer Rolfe will most likely be found not guilty in their trial as there is little evidence to support the case of the prosecution. However, the threat to Rolfe and the Atlanta Police Department is not in the courtroom but in the streets instead, as 22 riots and 17 homicides followed the death of George Floyd and the count continues to grow at the time this essay has been written leading many to believe that mob rule has a growing influence in the justice system today.
On a final note, I once again reiterate that there is a major difference in the belief that “black lives matter” and support of the group “Black Lives Matter”. Every death of a black man at the hands of a police officer is the hill that the organization will die on; becoming the obvious reason why the group is considered so divisive; not because an overwhelming majority of the country do not believe that “black lives matter; The Rayshard Brooks case is now a prime example of this. I reach out to both sides of the aisle on this article, although many may see it as a conservative push due to the political landscape today. I ask of everyone who reads this to avoid picking sides before all of the evidence is available as all of us understand how little we can trust the media today. Conservatives should never unconditionally take the side of a police officer just as Liberals should not unconditionally take the side of a black man that the police looked to detain. Make your decisions and pick your sides on a case by case basis, something I will admit many conservatives would not have done if the case of George Floyd for example did not receive such massive national attention. Demand of yourself to not be intellectually lazy if you choose to voice your opinions so loudly as many do, as this laziness creates so much of the unintentional misinformation that floods our political sphere and prevents all of us from having valuable conversations. You are accountable to your opinions and all the research that comes with them, plainly and simply put.
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Work Cited
DUI Arrest Statistics:
Conversation Between Rayshard Brooks and Officers Prior to Shooting:
Struggle Between Rayshard Brooks and Officers prior to Shooting:
Shooting death of Rayshard Brooks from Wendy’s surveillance camera:
Atlanta Mayor Bottoms response to the Shooting Death of Rayshard Brooks:
Death Count Due to George Floyd Riots:
Riot Map of 2020 in the United States:
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