This past weekend, long-time neighbors called 911 for medical assistance when their 26-year-old son was injured with a kitchen knife. I don’t know the circumstances of the injury, or what happened between the 911 call and the moment a police officer shot their son dead. What I do know is that we must always demand non-violence from law enforcement. We have seen just one other recent gun death in Lexington, and that too was at the hands of police. 

Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan assured the public that the police tried “twice to use non-lethal force,” and that the rest of the family was safely outside the home. These comments leave me with quite a few questions. 

Wouldn’t the police, with their abundant resources and in a context where violent crime is virtually non-existent, have been primarily trained in de-escalation? Where were those skills? 

What were the two non-lethal force attempts? Were these attempts made with the hope and expectation that they would succeed? Why wouldn’t the police have tried non-lethal force 3, 4, 5 times, as many times as necessary? Are they required to use lethal force on the 3rd attempt? 

Wouldn’t the police have anticipated that this man, who had been injured with a kitchen knife, might be holding a kitchen knife? Was this a surprise? Could they not back away? Did they not have a car into which they could have retreated? Did they not have a taser? Did they not have at least 6 strong hands and 3 pairs of handcuffs among them? Did they have reason to believe this man had the mental and physical capacity to commit lethal injury with a kitchen knife? 

Why would a police officer, with training, tactical gear, an array of tools, and accompanied by other officers, shoot one person with no firearm? Would someone without carceral police training and weaponry have escalated this situation in such a tragic way? Would anyone but the police have taken this young man’s life? 

Two lethal police shootings in 5 years is a terrible track record for our town. These outcomes indicate that police don’t keep us safe. Do police exist only to exert control and justify violence? I urge us as a community to demand an entirely different approach. As a first step, we must demand that the Medical Bill of Rights pass. We must never accept that calling for help will result in our children getting killed. We must keep each other safe.  

Some alternatives to calling 911 (when appropriate):

  • Massachusetts Behavioral Health Help Line (833) 773-2445
  • Boston Emergency Services Team (B.E.S.T) (800) 981-4357
  • Cambridge HEART Line (peer-run) (617) 902-0102
  • Mental Health/Suicide Crisis: 988 (24/7) or (800) 273-8255
  • Boston Area Rape Crisis Center (800) 841-8371
  • SafeLink MA (877) 785-2020 

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