Officer fires at suspect after acorn hits the roof of his car...

[Ernie]

https://abcnews.go.com/US/deputy-fires- ... =107229338

Current Events
Things that are not part of politics happening presently and how we approach or address it as Anabaptists.

How? Maybe encourage officers to 'do no violence'?

[Ken]

https://abcnews.go.com/US/deputy-fires- ... =107229338

Current Events
Things that are not part of politics happening presently and how we approach or address it as Anabaptists.

How? Maybe encourage officers to 'do no violence'?

1. Guns should be less available in our society and better regulated. So that our police and don't have to be so paranoid.
2. Police should have better training. So they don't fire wildly and at random at every loud sound.

Those would be the two logical policy approaches to solving the problem.

[barnhart]

Ken touches on the problem but I think it goes deeper. More fundamental than the availability of guns is the belief in them, that they are agents of safety, security and benevolence. And deeper than that is the conviction that violence produces peace, safety, prosperity and a just society. Mix with two parts individualism and the result is combustible.

Over twenty years ago I found myself walking a comfortable distance behind two very young, freshly minted NYPD officers. I threw a cup with some ice across the sidewalk into an open trash bin. They spun around in nano second both with a hand on their guns. I noticed both holsters were unsnapped. This was on a main street in a busy shopping district in the middle of the day. It made me reconsider how far away from them I should be. It's a stressful job but shoot first ask questions later is for movies.

[Ken]

Ken touches on the problem but I think it goes deeper. More fundamental than the availability of guns is the belief in them, that they are agents of safety, security and benevolence. And deeper than that is the conviction that violence produces peace, safety, prosperity and a just society. Mix with two parts individualism and the result is combustible.

Over twenty years ago I found myself walking a comfortable distance behind two very young, freshly minted NYPD officers. I threw a cup with some ice across the sidewalk into an open trash bin. They spun around in nano second both with a hand on their guns. I noticed both holsters were unsnapped. This was on a main street in a busy shopping district in the middle of the day. It made me reconsider how far away from them I should be. It's a stressful job but shoot first ask questions later is for movies.

Yes, it is cultural.

There is only so far that individuals and individual groups can go with policy. And that is honestly not very far at all, especially when it comes to gun policy and policy around policing. There are ENORMOUS vested interests resisting change from the entire gun rights world to police unions. So one church or even one denomination isn't even going to make the slightest dent in that.

It might be more productive simply to speak out against the culture of guns in this country. Work to change attitudes bit by bit. That is the sort of incremental change that might make a difference. Unfortunately I think we are actually sliding in the opposite direction. When I was a kid way back in the 1970s there were guns around. Usually an old shotgun in the kitchen closet for fall duck hunting and and old bolt action deer rifle for deer season. Maybe a 22. They were just tools like a drill press or hand saw. Something that you kept up and took care of like any other tool, but that was about it. Now lots of my Menno cousins are seriously into guns. They have big gun collections and spend their time going to gun shows. Completely different. It is now about the guns more than the hunting. This is mostly rural CMC folks. Which is mostly what my close extended family is, at least those who still have Menno affiliation. I have more distant relatives in more conservative groups that I'm not really in touch with.

[Soloist]

Wife: kind of funny, and reminds me of some thing I would do at least if I weren’t nonresistant and had a job like that, as I am very easily startled, and reflexive. just ask hubby about the bee and the crossbow.

Seriously though, this officer might have PTSD. His reaction sounded like how some people react with balloons or even watches, not to mention that the girlfriend claimed the guy was armed.

that was kind of funny to read, but it would’ve been horrifying to be the poor guy in the vehicle. Maybe police officers could have more exposure therapy, or at least doing drills every once in a while to identify and maybe fix jumpy behavior if possible, although it would be pretty hard to do if they are expecting the drill. Also, not parking under oak trees and maybe having padded roofs.

I don’t know how to address it as an Anabaptist other than trying not to get pulled over under an oak tree, and make sure none of the children are getting into shenanigans or playing with balloons if I ever get pulled over, although I think my husband would be at more risk than me because he is a sketchy looking character.

[RZehr]

https://abcnews.go.com/US/deputy-fires- ... =107229338

Current Events
Things that are not part of politics happening presently and how we approach or address it as Anabaptists.

How? Maybe encourage officers to 'do no violence'?

Thanks to their sorry shooting ability, no violence was done except to the car.

[barnhart]

Ken touches on the problem but I think it goes deeper. More fundamental than the availability of guns is the belief in them, that they are agents of safety, security and benevolence. And deeper than that is the conviction that violence produces peace, safety, prosperity and a just society. Mix with two parts individualism and the result is combustible...

Yes, it is cultural.

There is only so far that individuals and individual groups can go with policy. And that is honestly not very far at all, especially when it comes to gun policy and policy around policing. There are ENORMOUS vested interests resisting change from the entire gun rights world to police unions. So one church or even one denomination isn't even going to make the slightest dent in that.

It might be more productive simply to speak out against the culture of guns in this country. Work to change attitudes bit by bit. That is the sort of incremental change that might make a difference...

I think this is how lasting change is produced. The first step is to name the problem and own it. This alone will win you a lot of opposition, from strangers and from those close. This is the path of the righteous prophets who are reviled in their day but celebrated after they are gone.

[Praxis+Theodicy]

https://abcnews.go.com/US/deputy-fires- ... =107229338

Current Events
Things that are not part of politics happening presently and how we approach or address it as Anabaptists.

How? Maybe encourage officers to 'do no violence'?

Thanks to their sorry shooting ability, no violence was done except to the car.

Violence was used, but no damage was done.
Violence is a method, a tool for solving problems, a means of achieving an objective. If the use of the tool fails to produce results (i.e., not physical damage was done to another person), does that mean that the tool wasn't *actually* used?
In this case, the failure to produce results was due to happenstance (or a blessed lack of skill from the person using the tool). But what if it was purposeful? What if I pulled out a gun on a cashier and shot at her, purposefully missing but getting *close* to hitting her so that she gives me money from the cash register? This is using violence to achieve an end, even though physical damage wasn't one of the results. The psychological damage works enough to accomplish coersion.

Violence is a means, a technique. Damage is a result, an outcome. I think that in this case, physical damage to a person was not accomplished, but the technique of violence was still employed.
And by the way, even though there was no physical damage to his person, I am sure he suffered some psychological damage from being trapped in a patrol car that is being filled with bullets.

[RZehr]

https://abcnews.go.com/US/deputy-fires- ... =107229338



How? Maybe encourage officers to 'do no violence'?

Thanks to their sorry shooting ability, no violence was done except to the car.

Violence was used, but no damage was done.
Violence is a method, a tool for solving problems, a means of achieving an objective. If the use of the tool fails to produce results (i.e., not physical damage was done to another person), does that mean that the tool wasn't *actually* used?
In this case, the failure to produce results was due to happenstance (or a blessed lack of skill from the person using the tool). But what if it was purposeful? What if I pulled out a gun on a cashier and shot at her, purposefully missing but getting *close* to hitting her so that she gives me money from the cash register? This is using violence to achieve an end, even though physical damage wasn't one of the results. The psychological damage works enough to accomplish coersion.

Violence is a means, a technique. Damage is a result, an outcome. I think that in this case, physical damage to a person was not accomplished, but the technique of violence was still employed.
And by the way, even though there was no physical damage to his person, I am sure he suffered some psychological damage from being trapped in a patrol car that is being filled with bullets.

Yes, I’m sure he did suffer some psychological damage!

[temporal1]

Video: Florida deputy resigns after mistaking acorns falling for gunshots
https://wpde.com/news/nation-world/vide ... ol-vehicle