This is an article about a police killing of a white guy here in my city, Mesa, Arizona, at the beginning of 2016. The cop who did the killing is currently on trial for 2nd degree murder.

The point of the article is not to minimize that people of color are being killed in droves, but that police themselves are simply out of control. Apparently the video of the killing, which has not been released, is horrible. I know Mark Geragos is awful, but this is his statement on the video:

I know why they have not released it. It’s not bloody. It’s the most chilling, horrific thing you’ve seen in your life. This kid was begging for his life. He raised his hands, did everything the cops told him to do. And then they just executed him. It’s bone chilling. One of the worst experiences I’ve ever had in my life is sitting in a court room with his widow, who watched it for the second time, and she literally went into convulsions. I had to grab her to hold her in a bear hug. It was just awful.

Ben has been with me for eight years and does nothing but the civil rights practice. I’ve been doing criminal and civil rights for 35 years. I’ve seen thousands of tapes. This is light years beyond anything I’ve ever seen… it burns a hole in your brain. I literally had nightmares about it.

It’s got to be horrible if Mark Geragos is shaken up. And I live in this city. Yeah, I don’t trust the police here.

theatlantic.com