What restraint manual are you using?

On Monday, a tragedy occured on the other side of the world.  In actuality it was a travesty.  A man was arrested in America, Minneapolis to be precise, and by the end of that day he was dead.  This man was black and he died at the hands of the police officers who arrested him.  His life was taken from him because, ... well actually there was no reason why.  It would appear this man died that day because he was black.  He should not have died on Monday 25th May 2020, but he did due to the deliberate actions and complicit inactions of others. 

The police officers said he resisted arrested, except this video appears to show a very different story.  This man was George Floyd; he was a son, a friend, a brother, a human being created in the image of God.  He will be missed greatly and mourned deeply because his life was snatched from him due to the conscious choices of other men .  The police officer decided to take another man's life, despite the protests of people around.  His colleagues, in my opinion, are equally guilty, as they did not do anything to stop their work-mate.

From the evidence which has been broadcast via the Internet, it is murder and, in my opinion, should be tried as such.  (Please note, this video is very disturbing.  Therefore, I have not linked it here.  It can be found by typing George Floyd into any search engine).  On the video you hear the officers tell George to get into the car.  However, that is impossible when you have more than one person holding you down with excessive force.  In no sector could what was witnessed be called reasonable restraint, nowhere is it ever taught to hold a person down with your knee on their neck.  Whatever system of restraint you use, this would be deemed excessive.  Proper legal restraint is used for the safety of the person, and others, in volatile situations in order that things do not escalate into something worse.  That was not happened here.  The officer did not even remove his knee when the paramedics were trying to ascertain if George had a pulse.  Thankfully, the police officers involved have been sacked, but sadly only after protests.  They should now be arrested for the crime which they committed.

And sadly, this is not the only time this year that a black man was killed due to the reckless actions of others.  It is both heartbreaking and digusting to hear about these incidents.   And they are just the tip of the iceberg. 

After another such incident in 2014, someone who knows from first-hand experience that being black can cause unsolicited aggression/arrest wrote and performed the following poem. He puts the fear that black people feel and the solution into words much better than I can.  So I will leave it here, I hope that you will take the five minutes it will take to listen.  It is worth it.