Political Gumbo: This Time Let’s Have The Right Conversation

Police released video of a tragic officer-involved shooting.

In the footage Adam Youines, 35, holds a gun to his head and calls the police dispatch and says he is done and all but begs to be shot.

At some point he lurches his car forward and police are forced to open fire.

Yes, it’s hard to watch these kinds of videos.

But we live in a city where transparency is paramount and these kinds of videos must be released to the community. 

Respect to Chief Jason Clawson and the members of the police department for being transparent.

The department has many times released footage ahead of the 45 day limit, and has allowed the press to review footage of incidents absent official PRAs (Public Records Act requests). 

Sadly with all the services and help available, Youines seems to have chosen a route that left many people mourning and asking why.

We have all looked into the darkness at some point, but most people pull back from the abyss. 

And that can be hard. I have been there. 

But no matter how bad it is, begging to be shot by the police is not the answer. Neither is holding a gun to your head.

No matter what’s going on, the world keeps spinning and sooner or later the problems resolve.

You just have to stay here and make a decision to move forward. 

What we don’t need to do now is point fingers.

People will scream why didn’t the police shoot out the tires.

Yeah, I love Mannix too, or is that the A-Team?

Either way, the answer is simple. 

It would not have disarmed the suspect or accounted for the weapon.

In simpler terms, while police were shooting at tires, the suspect could have been shooting at police. 

Police attempted to de-escalate the situation, as did a police dispatcher. 

Yes, police will investigate it and somebody will say the police should have shot the gun out of his hand, or some such nonsense.

But the answer here is simple.

We need to talk about mental health and how people dealing with those issues can get their hands on guns.

If that van had gotten out of the parking lot, we could be having a conversation about a far greater tragedy. 

Thank God we are not having that talk.

Let’s have the right conversation this time.

The National Suicide Hotlines are available 24/7 by dialing 988
Additional help is available at the Didi Hirsch 24-hour Crisis Line: 1-877-727-4747 (en Español: 1-800-628-9454)
LGBTQ – The Trevor Lifeline: 1-866-488-7386
Trans Crisis Line: 1-877-565-8860
Crisis Text Line: Text HELLO to 741-741
People of Color Crisis Text Line: Text STEVE to 741-741