The Police Just Burned a Man to Death
For nearly a decade, I have worked with families whose loved ones have been killed in all kinds of situations of police brutality. In video after video…. I have seen the police suffocate unarmed people to death. I have seen the police shoot unarmed people to death. I have seen the police run unarmed people over. I have seen the police beat unarmed people to death. I have even seen the police tase unarmed people to death. BUT…. I can unequivocally say that I have never seen a video quite like this…
It sounds like Jason Jones had already had a wild night. In fact, Jones stumbled (clearly impaired) into the lobby of the Catskill Police Department (CPD) because he wanted to confront the police. To say the least, Jones was not in his right mind. Regardless of his belligerence, Jones was not armed…just impaired. Surely, any police could handle a situation like this, right?
Upon entering the CPD lobby, Jones stumbled around for about 10 minutes. There is no doubt that his agitation is growing by the second. Eventually, Jones decides to rip off his shirt and shoes. Then, he grabs a huge pump bottle of hand sanitizer off the desk of the attendant and douses his entire upper body with the flammable liquid. Immediately after, three officers advance on Jones . One of them pulls out his Taser and fires. Flames shoot up in the air. Screams fill the room. The electricity predictably ignited Jones’s body. Surely, at this point the officers rendered aid, right?
Instead of helping Jones, the officers ran out of the room/into a corner. In fact, these chicken shit officers hid until Jones extinguished the fire himself. As Jones laid on the floor screaming in anguish, the officers/heartless assholes actually tried to put handcuffs on him. These officers offered little to no aid until medics arrived. Six agonizing weeks later (on December 15), Jason Jones died. Surely, these officers have been charged with murder for their actions (either by commission or omission), right?
Turns out, these officers haven’t been heard from much since this incident happened…and…of course…they’re scared for their safety since this video was released. They should be. They immolated a child of God. While I pray for swift judicial punishment, I also pray that the images of a burning Jason Jones will haunt them until they beg both and God and society for forgiveness. Make no mistake, I am a man of God. Otherwise, I would be advocating for much much more.
As for the rest of us, I hope that we realize that the police are now burning people to death (amongst a whole host of other atrocities that are committed on a regular basis). Those who remain silent now are inviting the flames to come for them later. We will either stand together against police brutality or we will be their next victims.
Listen to the call of salvation…
Out in the streets, Jesus screams, “Fuck the Police!”
Amen.
For more info (very graphic images):
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