“I don’t care if he was a criminal, none of that matters, Sequette Clark, (Stephon Clark’s mother), is quoted as saying. “Stop trying to justify (the shooting) by looking at a person’s character.”  I see this as a curious mindset.

Any mother whose son was shot to death will have a level of grief beyond my understanding. I can understand Stephon’s mom lashing out at the officers who took his life. What I don’t understand is why so many of the public have seen fit to ignore the facts of the case to the point of creating a positive legacy for a young man who obviously had no regard for his fellow human beings. This seems illogical to me even though I’ve seen it so many times before.

Sequette Clark is also quoted as saying, “Everybody should just stop and think about what they did at 22 (Stephon’s age when he died).”

Is it really true that most 22 year olds are violent criminals? This has not been my experience. The vast majority of the people I knew of my age at 22 were either busy studying or were in the military or were working for a living. Did the people I knew at that age make the mistakes of youth? Yes. Very few were criminals and of those, most were spending time behind bars.

I see a similarity between Stephon Clark’s death and the death of Trayvon Martin. In both cases the shootings were deemed justified. In the case of Martin, George Zimmerman ( the shooter) was acquitted in court of the charges against him. In Clark’s case, Sacramento District Attorney,  Anne Marie Schubert reviewed the evidence and found no reason to file charges against the officers involved. Yet, protests continue. False legacies have been created. Some believe the young men weren’t accountable for their actions. The Arden Fair Mall was shut down today over fears of danger to innocent patrons from a protest held there.

I remember a case a few years back in which an officer who was pursuing a car thief into a back yard, was attacked and injured by the suspect who hit the officer in the head with a flower pot and then was about to attack him with a garden tool. The officer shot and killed the young man. The youth’s mother vowed revenge for the “unnecessary” killing.  She was grieving. Her anger should have been toward her son for his actions.

Is this a racial thing? Are the cops out to kill young black men? Or have certain individuals become convinced the laws and rules of society don’t apply to them. I tend to think the latter is more likely. And it’s not only a few young black men who seem to feel that way. You can see the same types of behavior in some celebrities and politicians. In fact, I think it may be becoming a trend among youth in general. It is what happens when people aren’t held accountable for their actions by certain governing groups who would pretend to offer relief from such responsibilities.

No, Mrs. Clark, Stephon isn’t dead because of some unreasonable cops’ heinous actions.  The police represent the public and it is their job to protect us from criminals like Stephon.  The public is powerful. You shouldn’t blame a huge crocodile for the inevitable result if your son stuck his head between its gaping jaws.

Stephon is dead because he wasn’t instructed strongly enough to convince him that he must obey the law and had to comply with the orders of law enforcement. Instead,  he put them in a position where they believed they were about to be fired upon.  Whether or not his upbringing included the requirement to comply with law enforcement, he obviously didn’t believe it. That is why he is dead. It’s really just that simple.

Yes, his criminality made a difference. No, most 22 year olds aren’t bad or stupid enough to get themselves killed the way Stephon did.  Most 22 year olds don’t stick their heads into crocodiles’ mouths, even if they think they are entitled to do so.

Rather than blaming the officers for your son’s mistake, wouldn’t it be better to speak out and alert other youth to the simple way to avoid the same fate. Do it in Stephon’s memory.