Muhammad Noor Called Killer Cop & Justine Damond Called Most Innocent Victim Ever
The stark distinction between narratives continues to become increasingly different as the story surrounding the shooting of Justine Damond, a White Minneapolis resident from Australia who was shot and killed by a Black police officer after dialing 911 to report a possible assault in the alley behind her home.
Almost immediately, the distinctions in how this narrative would be different from when an unarmed Black person is shot and killed by a White police officer were evident. In less than 24 hours the officer’s name and photo were released to the public, something that never happens when a White officer kills an unarmed Black person.
Next, Fox media literally gave the woman a memorial at the end of their broadcast. This wasn’t Fox news in Minneapolis, but Fox news in Houston, TX. When has a news media platform for a major network ever done and impromptu memorial literally the day after an event like this? My complaint is not about the memorial, but the fact that the same care, concern, and sympathy has not been displayed for Black victims.
To exacerbate the matter, the Daily News released a headline that referred to officer Muhammad Noor as a “killer cop,” something that is definitely not done even in the most egregious situations. Walter Scott was shot in the back five times by a cop that literally tried to plant evidence and change the narrative and that officer was never referred to in the media as a killer cop although the moniker definitely fit.
The vast majority of the shootings of unarmed Blacks have been significantly more egregious than the accidental shooting of Justine Damond, and yet the narrative in those cases has not come close to maligning the officer as in this case.
I was also asked to address the fact that Philando Castile’s mother appeared at the press conference side-by-side with Justine’s fiance. I briefly address this in the video, but I will forego maligning this lady who is obviously still mourning the death of her son, although I don’t agree with her actions.
I don’t expect anything different from the media, but I am demanding more from the Black collective. We must develop and build mediums through which we can tell our own story. We must not hope and wish that somehow the mainstream media will all of a sudden shift their perspective in a direction that does not benefit their inherent interest. We must develop the capacity to tell our own story our way. We must write and speak the narrative in truth and transparency. We must correct the erroneous image of the Black man and the Black community. It is our responsibility!
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