Rhetoric Race and Religion
On July 17, 2015, Officer Conner Schilling shot and killed Darrius Stewart after a routine traffic stop for a busted tail light. We here at R3 are following the story in an attempt to keep our readers informed and to report how the media is framing the story. The reporting here is from July 19-26.
The Commercial Appeal (as well as other Memphis media outlets) is reporting the Officer Schilling is receiving death threats.
“There have been threats and we are investigating them,” Memphis Police Department spokesman Louis Brownlee said in an email Sunday. Because it’s an active investigation, “there is no further information I can pass along at this time.”
The Washington Post is reporting that Darrius Stewart’s family has hired famed attorney William “Billy” Murphy of Baltimore. He is currently representing the family of Freddie Grey.
Murphy has since resumed a similarly taxing schedule as he takes the train to New York to meet with clients charged with crimes such as racketeering and flies across the country to meet with family members of those who died in police custody. On Saturday, for instance, he flew to Memphis, where he was hired by the family of Darrius Stewart, an unarmed 19-year-old who was fatally shot by a police officer on July 17 during a traffic stop.
Fox 13 offered an exclusive: Inside the Mind of an Officer. In the exclusive, we learn how tough it is being a police officer.
“You can only use deadly force when you are in fear of harm or danger to yourself,” said Collins. That’s the textbook definition, but Collins says in real life, living up to that is tricky. “At a split second moment, only the person that’s holding that weapon can be able to make that determination,” continued Collins. The problem is escalated with today’s climate between the public’s perceptions of police officers says retired Shelby County Sheriff’s Deputy Clinton Miller. “You cannot become emotional,” said Miller.
Miller says the biggest challenge facing cops today is the lack of citizen to officer interaction. “Citizens look at the officers as occupying force,” said Miller. “As an officer, officer safety is first, so an officer who feels like his life is in danger has to make sure that he protects himself and the citizens.”
What are the mayoral candidates saying about the Darrius Stewart shooting.
Memphis Mayor A C Wharton admitted he’s walking a tight rope.
“Keep in mind, you have individuals who have the right and responsibility to deprive you of your liberty: police officers. Everybody wants to make sure they are exercising those rights and responsibilities in a fair and responsible manner.”
Police Union President Mike Williams:
“I know everyone is going to say Mike Williams is going to protect the police officers because he is an officer. Well I have a son out there, I got nieces and nephews out there I don’t want anything to happen to them either.”
Candidate Jim Strickland said transparency works both ways.
“When you are open about it and there is no hidden agendas and it exonerates the police, then you build trust in the police department and that is actually to the benefit of the public and the police department.”
Candidate Harold Collins said sometimes even more is needed.
It’s why he sent the police director a letter asking him to get the U.S. Attorney to call in the FBI and Department of Justice to look into the Stewart shooting.
“I have an extensive career with the District Attorney’s Officer (sic) and Shelby County Government in law enforcement and I am going to hold true to that, but at the end of the day I am also going to hold true to values of honesty, integrity, transparency and giving information when it is accurate.”
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