On December 23, 2021, LAPD Officer William Dorsey Jones, Jr. pursued a man, wielding only a bike lock, through a busy store. Despite being told to “slow down” and “hold up” by fellow officers, Jones fired a military-grade rifle multiple times, not only killing the suspect but also a 14-year-old girl who was a bystander.
But he’s not a killer, apparently – according to the media.
Headlines described Jones as “heartbroken” and “shattered,” an “Officer Good Guy” who worked in the community to reform policing. He claimed to straddle both Black Lives Matter and the Thin Blue Line.
“As a Black police officer, with everything going on – I have tremendous respect for him,” the New York Times quoted one of Jones’ football mentees.
But did he act respectfully as an officer when he recklessly, and unnecessarily, fired a rifle in a busy store?
This isn't to say that Jones, or any individual, is “evil.” Abolition encourages the idea that we’re all more than the worst and best we’ve done.
But the media and police agencies trying to convince us to sympathize with his Blackness have a more sinister end goal in mind.
They want to repair policing's image, NOT humanize Black people generally. But we don't have to fall for their tricks – we can decide for ourselves to tear down this system, because the SYSTEM certainly is beyond redemption!