Does Fear of Black Men Satisfy the "Objective Reasonableness" Standard?

Does Fear of Black Men Satisfy the “Objective Reasonableness” Standard?

The case that set the standard on when police officers are justified in using excessive force is Graham v. Connor. But how that standard is applied needs deep consideration.

http://www.commondreams.org/views/2016/09/21/does-fear-black-men-satisfy-objective-reasonableness-standard

By: Brian Purnell
Date: 2016-09-21

Another video. Another police shooting. Another Black person body dead on an American road.

Every person is innocent until proven guilty.

That is true for Betty Shelby, the police officer who shot and killed Terence Crutcher in Tulsa, Oklahoma on September 16, 2016.

It also should have been true for Terence Crutcher.

So what did Crutcher do to justify a death sentence?

Enough of these killings have happened to unarmed Black people that citizens can and should begin to ask more serious questions about circumstances that justify police officers using deadly force against citizens. (Photo: Screenshot/Police footage)

Read more »