Quote:I clarified my position which is correct, the NC governor signed a bill into law which makes it impossible for the general public or media to request access to law enforcement's body and dash cam (which the CMPD has released).

 

Riots start because of the media which if there is coverage or a perception that law enforcement is not being transparent then civil unrest begins to happen. 

 

You may not care what a newspaper does, but its clear the Charlotte Observer put pressure on local police and which led to the release of the video, 

 

In regards to what you referenced about the person being killed in a hit and run, I can only speculate as to why there was unrest because their may have been a perception police wasnt being transparent. Im unsure because I dont live there.

The police were doing their job to the best of their ability considering it happened at 430am so there were no witnesses because nothing is open, it was on a country road, no one else was out that time of night and no evidence initially other than the grainy video from a gas station camera that captured the footage in almost complete darkness. Had the video not been captured there would have been virtually nothing to eventually lead the police to the perpetrator.  

 

The family and friends were upset because they weren't doing it fast enough because the dead kid was black. This is not speculation, it was said by family and friends on multiple local media outlets. The police released a still photo of the person in the video to local media for help in identifying the person and/or the vehicle. They kept the family updated as often as they could but it still wasn't good enough or fast enough because the kid was black- and after the photo was released the perp was found to be white. Thankfully after a thorough investigation the person was identified, arrested, charged and is being held until his court date. Sadly, the family and friends still have a chip on their shoulders because they think most, if not all police officers are against the black community. 

 

There are people here who outright say they will not help the police if someone from their neighborhood (race) is in trouble for rape, murder, drug trafficking, robbery, etc. They say it loud and proud and it's the poorer black community that says it. This leads to tensions in our town because known criminals are being shielded from police and allowed to commit more crimes. They eventually get caught but the damage from their crimes is done. Sadly I know families who would not turn a family member in if they commit a serious crime. Personally it ticks me off to no end that this behavior is allowed and encouraged no matter the skin color because it puts everyone at risk of the crimes being committed. Would I turn in a family member if they committed a serious crime? Yes, I would because no one is nor should be above the law.

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