Baton Rouge is making headlines for something other than LSU football, and it’s not for something positive.
On July 5, Alton Sterling, 37, was killed by Baton Rouge Police Department officers Blane Salamoni and Howie Lake II. Police were called on the scene after an anonymous call was received about Sterling pointing a gun at someone.
Six shots killed the father of five after he was already detained by officers and was rendered motionless.
We’ve heard about other tragic deaths in the past years, something that some of us may have grown numb to. But this happened right here in our backyard, and you can’t ignore it.
The chilling 48 second video of Sterling being shot and killed at point blank range was brutal, disgusting and inhumane. There aren’t enough words to describe it. People who think that Sterling wouldn’t have been killed if he wasn’t outside selling CDs are missing the point.
The issue is that excessive force and gruesome deaths at the hands of an officer of the law has sadly become common in Louisiana.
In 2014, Victor White III somehow shot himself after Iberville Parish officers said White shot himself while being handcuffed in the back of a police car, but that isn’t physically possible.
In November 2015, 6-year old Jeremy Mardis lost his life after two Marksville deputy marshals fired at least 18 rounds into Christopher Few’s car. Few was also unarmed and chased by police for an unknown reason.
Excessive force used by Louisiana police officers isn’t new, but video cameras and social media are. Our generation has been gifted with the use of technology and Twitter and other social media sites.
Often times police officers aren’t condemned or criticized when their actions are out of line. They have a job just like everyone else, to serve and protect — not to abuse power or take advantage of civilians.
While there have been pieces of legislation passed to require officers to wear body cameras to create transparency, for Sterling, the body camera footage might not be as good as they hoped, after the cameras became dislodged from the officers, according to Baton Rouge Lt. Johnny Dunham in an Advocate story.
As a young college student, it sickens me to realize this is the world we live in. After four long years of hard work in college and entering the “real world,” is this what we want to settle for?
Just as many LSU students came together and fought for higher education to be saved, we can fight for this issue to be addressed. Police reform may be needed across the country, but we need to start here in Louisiana.
As LSU President F. King Alexander stated in an email to students, part of LSU’s responsibility is to educate the next generation of leaders and thinkers.
We as students should take that advice and push for more changes.
Joshua Thornton is 21-year-old communications studies senior from Jacksonville, Florida.
