Opinion by Philip Smith, President NAAGA
USA – -(AmmoLand.com)- As African American Firearm Owners we work hard, raise our kids, love our families, and be good citizens. Historically we have believed in the Dream of America even when we faced the social realities of Slavery, Jim Crow, and deep Institutional racism. Currently, the reality of Police shootings in our community has been another challenge to this Dream and in many cases has turned into a nightmare for many African Americans nationwide.
We have recently seen several innocent African Americans shot while at home by Police Officers. This is a terribly alarming trend.
To be fair and balanced I understand that the police are normal people trying to do a very difficult job under incredibly difficult circumstances. I think everyone understands that. Most of us could not do it. We respect and applaud those law-abiding officers who do the job the way it is supposed to. I have several officers who are close friends. We even have hundreds of Police Officers who are active and vocal NAAGA members. Those are all good things. But what is not acceptable is to have African Americans at home resting peaceably and being murdered. This must stop and can’t continue. There is no excuse that I will accept how another member of my community was shot and killed.
The latest victim is Atatiana Koquice Jefferson, 28, Fort Worth, Texas who was killed in her bedroom at home 2:30 am in the morning when her neighbor saw her front door open and called the police on a non-emergency police number for a “Wellness Check” just so they can check on her to see if she was ok. She was worried.
When the police arrive at the home an officer, after seeing someone through the window of the home, drew his weapon and fired one shot, killing the woman. According to Forth Worth Police Department body camera footage – ” Within seconds of walking through the gate, the officer peers through a window, where he presumably sees a person. He quickly raises his flashlight in one hand, gun in another. “Put your hands up, show me your hands,” he shouts before firing a shot — all in less than four seconds.
This can’t continue and other shootings like this must stop, we have to do something collectively as people immediately! We need to start this discussion for developing a solution among ourselves, Law enforcement, review of training protocol of officers, and removing those Officers from the Police who can’t or won’t “Protect & Serve”. The intent of this editorial isn’t to attack anyone or group but to find a solution to this issue with no apologies. If this makes some reading this editorial uncomfortable or not in agreement that is ok because at NAAGA we are all family and sometimes family members don’t agree but we still respect each other. So let’s all roll up our sleeves and start doing the difficult work of finding some results that work…..
If we don’t our next generation will be eliminated and suffer.
Please send comments and/or suggestions to [email protected]
National African American Gun Association Convention – August 14, 15, & 16 – 2020!
NAAGA’s Inaugural Convention is 10 Months Away …..
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About National African American Gun Association (NAAGA):
The goal of the National African American Gun Association is to have every African American introduced to firearm use for home protection, competitive shooting, and outdoor recreational activities. We are a civil rights organization focused on self preservation of our community through armed protection and community building. The National African American Gun Association provides a network for all African American firearm owners, gun clubs and outdoor enthusiasts. We welcome people of all religious, social, and racial perspectives. We especially welcome African American members of law enforcement and active/retired military.
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There’s a handgun in my bedroom with my prints on it right now. Does that justify a cop looking through my window and shooting me? Am I not justified in grabbing that same gun if I see people creeping around my house in the middle of the night?
Will, Stuff like this is the main reason that I have for years ordered my alarm monitoring company to never notify the police. The same department involved in subject shooting.
If the situation is carefully investigated (which, to begin with, is all too often difficult to get bureaucrats to do), staging a crime scene successfully is quite difficult.
Another shooting by police that smells bad when they try to spin the shoot in their favor. It would appear another police officer will be going to prison soon if convicted of murder unless it gets covered up. There’s no defense for this senseless shooting of people in their own homes. What was this buffoon thinking that would cause him to shoot first when he was there on a wellness check in the first place? Hello, how about try this first, someone holler through the open door that you’re the police and why you’re there to see if someone comes… Read more »
I realize there’s a perception in the African American community that LEOs are shooting black people at an inordinate pace. In spite of THIS OBVIOUSLY BAD shooting, statistically it doesn’t seem to be true. Statistically LEOs are shooting EVERYONE, not just black people, at an inordinate pace. I’m white, with no criminal record, I don’t carry a gun, and I’ve had multiple LEOs draw and aim their guns at me. Why? LEOs are only supposed to use deadly force when faced with deadly force. So why are they shooting innocent civilians when they shouldn’t even be drawing their guns? Is… Read more »
IF the cop claims he “thought” she had a gun inside and therefore killed her, NAAGA should step in. IF she had a gun while people were creeping around her home THAT MAKES HER THE GOOD GUY. We already know the NRA’s silence will be absolutely deafening if her second amendment rights were violated but NAAGA should be on this like stank on shit. If they don’t, absolutely no one else will.
OK – so whether you are a member or not – write to the NRA. They were not vocal enough about Philandro Castillo’s (sp?) shooting. They should be vocal about this one – if only for the public optics, demonstrating that NRA is not racist. As with Castillo, this is a case made for publicity about hazard out-of-control cops present to legal gun owners.
The “terribly alarming trend” is the frequent use or misuse of so-called ‘Welfare Checks’ for LEOs to trespass or invade your own private property, to snoop, go through open doors, bust down closed doors, shoot through windows ….
all the while asserting ‘officer safety’ and (usually) getting away with it.
Well ENOUGH of that.
James Smith, the neighbor who made the 311 non-emergency call, now regrets doing so. And Aaron Dean has now been arrested and charged with Murder. State from the Mayor of Fort-Worth: “To Mr. James Smith, I know you are hurting today as well. You called police to check on your neighbor because you cared about her safety and wellbeing. You were being a wonderful neighbor and doing the right thing to make sure she was ok. You are the type of person we all want living next door, watching out for us. Atatiana’s death has eroded your own your sense… Read more »
With regard to CPS …
I see the real problem is with the crushing case load. In many jurisdictions, it’s inhuman.
Many case workers mean well, but with their case load, the bullies can take over and when that happens, children and grownups both can be hurt.
Then the system turn on the individual. If you go to court to reclaim your guns or your kids, you have to prove your fitness or innocence …
That is NOT America. That is not the Social Compact.
She was at home. It was in the middle of the night with someone shining flashlights into her home. Why wouldn’t she have her gun? Also, she’s not an African.
The neighbor called the police. If you creep around my house at night, I may point a gun at you too.
What story are you reading? The neighbor is here on film (https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/atatianas-jeffersons-neighbor-regrets-calling-the-cops-if-you-cant-feel-safe-with-the-police-department-then-who-do-you-feel-safe-with-202029808.html) says he regrets calling the police. He called 311 not 911 to do a wellness check. Watch the body cam, never once do ether officer Identify themselves. At the point he shot the victim he was a peeping tom. They had a right to go up to the front door and check on the occupants but they don’t do that.
She did not call the police!
Solutions? “Arm Everyone, and reduce police by about 80%.”
USA, you missed something. The article, and every report, says that “her neighbor saw her front door open and called the police on a non-emergency police number for a Wellness Check”. There was no 911 call involved.
@gk Just how would being armed have made this not happen? I’m in the “arm Everyone” camp myself, but this (according to the currently published “evidence”) is a case of a bad shoot.
Great Question…”and reduce police by about 80%.” Firstly, we have become far too reliant on police for our problems. Will get to that in a second. If we arm everyone, not only will we be able to believe our neighbor can take care of themselves, we become a politer society. Possibly even a bit more responsible. With those two attributes we would have a vested interest in talking to our neighbor to, at a minimum, get their phone number. May even use it before calling a minimal police force. If the police start accepting that everyone is armed, they would… Read more »
Regarding, “If the police start accepting that everyone is armed …..” , what makes you think they don’t already. I know that I consider every adult to be carrying a deadly weapon of some sort. That assumption doesn’t make me more aggressive than normal, if anything it requires me to approach things with a level head and calm demeanor, until given a real reason to act differently. Worked for 22&1/2 years at work and has worked for the last seven years since I retired.
This is the criteria everyone should use. which gets to my point. It’s not easy for cops that are doing these checks on a regular basis to keep control on their behavior. Understandable. If we start to take responsibility for our own lives it would alleviate much of this with some time.
Doctors have this same problem. People bring their kids and themselves in for every little stupid problem. Pretty soon they adopt a one size fits all approach. Environmentalists, which need to be cut back, are the epitome of my position on individual responsibility.
Mea Culpa…Meant to add that we have allowed our government to force us to rely on police to handle our problems. When you put the whole sentence together, it makes sense.
@USA – there are many legitimate uses for 911. Within my experience: bodies on the freeway being run over by multiple cars, Alzheimer patient suffering from exposure after being outside in a creek all night, fire in the park, and multiple occasions of people playing bumper cars on the freeway – though in my case others called 911 when someone running a stop sign flipped my car. While I can provide limited first aid or firefighting – I am not willing to die attempting to pull someone’s body off a busy freeway in the dark (or in the light for… Read more »
if far more of the general population were armed and better able to defend out homes and persons, crime would fall to almost non-existant. Why? The “risk reward” equation, now skewed heavily in favour of the criminals, would radically reverse, then being skewed heavily in favour of the regular folks. I’ve lived in areas where NO ONE ever locked their door, and nothing ever happened. Why? WHen my neighbour’s garage got broken into one night whilst they slept, he went and bought a .38 revolver. Next time the dog barked at night, he saw the light on in the garage..… Read more »
Exactly, or as great philofficer Deputy Cooper said to me, “These things just have a way of working themselves out.”
BTW, it turns out that the person creating the problem, wouldn’t even give the Deputies his address, so I did. Then put up cameras, and what do you know? Things were going down exactly as I had been saying they were. Never lie to a cop…it rarely plays in your favor ;))
Over thirty years ago, when I lived in a different house in this town than I do now, I observed that one of the front living room windows that were low to the ground in my next door neighbors house was open and the blinds were messed up. The house was occupied by two females in their early twenties and owned by one of their parents. The windows were never open and with the blinds torn up I was concerned as I got no response from ringing the doorbell and knocking on the front door. I called our local PD… Read more »
The cop should obviously be prosecuted for the crimes he committed, but I don’t see any obvious racism as many media outlets are suggesting. I think that the cop was just a f-up.
“When all you have in your toolbox is a hammer, every problem becomes a nail.”
The entire incident comes down to inadequate vetting in the hiring process by this police dept. Almost every time an incident like this is reported, it involves an officer who carries only one tool in their mental toolbox, an outsized reliance on using their gun.
Which gets to what I tried to point out below. It’s the same as a garage hiring a mechanic just to put a warm body in a stall, whether they are competent or not. More harm than good comes every time.
@USA – Damn. I better stop calling 911 then. I’ve probably called them a dozen times over the years – don’t think there was an arrest following any of those calls. Did have to stick around a couple times for second-responders to show up though — once to insure they collected the old lost man a pair of joggers were pulling from our creek, and the other time to guide fire department to smoldering fire in the park. Heck – I don’t think they even arrested anyone the time I called on behalf of a father who’s ex was screaming… Read more »
The solution is to hold cops accountable.
Whatever happened to a polite knock on the door, even while covering the other exits?
This officer should be up on murder charges; manslaughter at the very least. He has a total disregard for the safety of the citizenry.
I hope the city gets the crap sued out of them as well.
Something to ponder. I was speaking with a friend about this incident yesterday. He was talking as if the Aunt knew and could see what was outside her window. I reminded him that most likely what she saw when looking “out the window” at that time of night was, herself. Because at night, when the lights are on inside the house and it is dark outside, the window becomes a mirror when looking out through it.On the other hand a person looking in has no problem seeing what is going on inside when the room is lighted. In the story… Read more »
She probably heard yelling and could see the flashlight(s) outside, but that’s about it.
You haven’t watched the bodycam video, have you.
@RD, doesn’t look like the lights were on in the room she was in from the bodycam footage, why did he shine his light into the window prior to shooting? The interior would have been lit up clearly for all to see from the outside if it had just like when they were at the front door. We all could see the floor in the room a short distance, but the LEO would have been able to see it all. LEO’s should have announced themselves as police when they were at the lit door and this could have been avoided.
I watched the body cam footage, which Fort Worth released the next morning. The cop parked around the corner, opened the side yard gate and walked into the back yard. He never announced himself.
The woman was in her house, playing video games with her young nephew.
If someone is in my backyard at 2:30 am, they’ll be lucky if I don’t shoot them.
I live in Fort Worth. In Texas, you’re allowed to use lethal force, at night, to protect your property.
I know LINKS are moderated … and that can take too long. So, “Atatiana Jefferson pointed gun at window before Fort Worth officer killed her, nephew told authorities” Courtesy Dallas Morning News: [SNIP] The boy told a forensic interviewer that he and his aunt were playing video games together about 2:30 a.m. Saturday when she heard noises outside. She took her handgun from her purse and pointed it “toward the window” before she was shot, the nephew said, according to the arrest-warrant affidavit. The 8-year-old [nephew] saw his aunt fall to the ground. Jefferson, 28, was pronounced dead at 3:05… Read more »
I found the official statement from CLEAT:
https://www.cleat.org/latest-news/fortworth_ois/
Sad he had to see his aunt murdered.
Under similar circumstances this old white guy would probably be in my bedroom with a handgun or a shotgun in hand. What difference does this make?
We’re getting the whole story. From your comments it’s pretty obvious you either think cops are special and entitled to shoot people in their homes and/or people of color are not allowed to hold guns in their home.
So many negative posts about police. Let me relate what happened 24 and one half years ago. I was working mornings and my wife called frantic about 4 AM. She said the dog (Belgian Shepherd) was barking her head off at the front door. When she tried to go to the front door the dog would not let her near it and she saw the knob moving just a little bit. It was locked. I told her to go get the handgun and stay in the bedroom. I called our police department and told them what was going on. In… Read more »
Why are these officers NOT identifying themselves before they shoot ? And what’s wrong with using the front door first ? Why are their lights NOT on when at the residence ? Not sure if this officer had his lights on or not. But I have seen police shootings where they did not. And this may have helped in identifying them.
seems like texas has problem with shooting innocent and unarmed citizens. maybe they should be better trained to handle situations like this. shoot houses should be part of their training and they should not pass without perfect scores.
@USA – Are you making a play with words on @gregs comment? You do know what he meant by “shoot house” didn’t you?
LEOs need to be vetted a LOT better. The problem is, how do you know someone is in it for the wrong reasons? My first question would be “Why do you want to be a cop?”. Getting a truthful answer to that though? A mind is a terrible thing.
When a man reaches for his wallet, an officer trips on his own feet, falls down and both officers pump 19out of 41 rounds into the man. No charges for officers. NYC Amadou Diallo
So where is that it going to be?
Some, Overly zealous cops again,.let’s not forget red flag laws and couple with a dog!
Gotta use a full view mirror so you are not in line of fire.
Where do you think they will move the case to? I highly doubt the court would move case to another state, and even if they did this case has been on national news so that entire country has already mentally convicted him. Ft Worth police department has publicly stated that presence of a gun inside the house had nothing to do with the shooting and should not have been put out to the public. Now if she had been holding the gun, I could see a CA or NY jury acquitting him since they seem to believe that all gun… Read more »
I have searched about there being a gun of any type in the house and haven’t found anything. Show a source for that info. Even if there was a gun, we have a right to gun ownership and self defense. The body cam footage clearly shows the cop opening a gate and entering the backyard after he parked out of sight of the house. It also shows the cops failure to ever identify himself while he was trespassing in a gated backyard. In Texas a person has the right to use lethal force at night in defense of property, even… Read more »
@wjd – FW-PD has already said that they should not have released that info. They say presence of the gun in the house was irrelevant. Even if she’d had the gun in her hands – department policy and training says that he should not have fired unless fired upon. Tough standard to live up to, and I highly doubt you could get me to wait for someone to shoot me if I thought they were about to. My current understanding is that they found the gun in the house – but not somewhere suggestive that she was holding it. Had… Read more »
@Neville – I strongly agree with Will on this. Most cops are in it for the pay, but only doing what they see as “the right thing”. With over half a million cops, there are definitely some who should not be cops. Yes federal law (Civil Asset Forfeiture) drives corruption into all departments — but on the whole cops are there to help people. Even following horrific shootings like this one – I continue to support cops. Of course, my idea of supporting them includes holding them to a higher standard – which is necessary in order to maintain moral… Read more »
We’re not on the jury. If I were, I’d listen to his professional-liar’s presentation of his case. Short of being on the jury, we are free to jump to conclusions. Going simply by what the FTW-PD has said, I’m comfortable with the conclusion to which I’ve jumped.
Since, like the rest of us, cops have no business sneaking around on private property (like someone’s backyard) – he was somewhere he shouldn’t have been – and shot someone else simply for being inside a house. Seems pretty clear from here!
Is it possible that this officer was trained to do exactly what he did to communicate to people that if they have a gun the police have permission to murder them out of hand, if not direct orders to do so?
Hopefully I am just expressing paranoid fantasy and not correctly describing anti gun planning, though it should be noted that the Fort Worth Police chief is not famous for supporting gun rights.
I knew this was coming, and know that there will be more of it. This is what you get when you disrespect the police by harassing them, dumping water on them, and spitting on them: the bottom of the barrel. All the good cops are leaving in droves to pursue other less demanding careers where their lives are not put into double jeopardy on a regular basis. Jeopardy #1 is the daily grind of making sure you get back to your family alive because the criminal element is always looking to take it from you. Jeopardy #2 comes into play… Read more »
While I see your point – and agree that in many cases the best have left the profession – I also have met many cops who seem pretty competent as well as personable and caring. To extent I act on politics, I did gripe about the Damond shooting. Like most gun owners – I do support the “Lives Matter” movement. We recognize that race should not be part of the equation… Of course I live in a rather safe suburb where police do not (or at least should not) fear for their lives. This is a city of over half… Read more »