This article was originally written for the YOMYOMF blog which was closed approximately two years ago and is being re-posted here for archival purposes.
06/24/2016
(Warning: Graphic Video Below) If you’re unfamiliar with the shooting of Map Kong and the investigation, you can find out more here, but apparently there has been a lot going on behind the scenes with it over the last few months that was not made aware to the general public until this week including the following: 1. The grand jury which was in Dakota County (the same county as the officers) decided to clear all three of the shooting. 2. The bodycam video was finally released after the grand jury convened.
If you look at the video above, Map Kong is doing exactly what people described – acting erratically and waving a knife. Obviously he wasn’t in a good state of mind. As police officers tried to calm him down, trying to get a better look at what was inside the car they decided to break the window and tase him. Map Kong then tries to flee with his back turned to police. And then they shot him multiple times.
In the back (and what could be other areas as well) while he was running away… So let’s get this straight. He wasn’t a threat when they were close up to his car and tasing him – they didn’t feel threatened enough to shoot him in the car. But then he runs – and he doesn’t try and run towards any traffic or cars (contrary to what the officers said) – but away into an open area – and that’s when he posed a threat? When his back was turned?
People will have their own opinions – but I stand by the same argument that I’ve said over and over, still after seeing the video: With all of the police officers there and multiple cars, they could have – and should have – subdued him in a different way where he did not have to die.
There ABSOLUTELY was a way to take him down without killing him. And think about all the other times you see or hear about White People who try and get away from the authorities and try to outrun them. Do they get shot in the back? The answer is typically no and in the video dialogue it’s almost as if the officers had already made the decision that if he fled they were going to shoot him anyway. When hundreds of White Men defend their land with armed weapons – not a knife – they don’t pose an imminent threat – but an Asian American man with a knife – who’s running AWAY from the police? Apparently he does, and it begs the question of what is an Asian American man’s life worth?
