Driving While Deaf: Daniel Harris, a deaf 29-year-old man, was shot and killed by police in Charlotte.

[AthenaAwakened]

Daniel Harris, a deaf 29-year-old man, was shot and killed by police in Charlotte.

Police claim they attempted to pull Harris over for speeding, but he continued driving home instead of pulling over. Whether Harris fully understood what was happening, since he could not have heard the sirens, is unclear. His family, including his siblings, are also hearing impaired and could often be seen communicating with each other via sign language in the neighborhood.

An outrageous 752 people have been killed by American police so far this year. While some of the cases posed genuine risks to law enforcement, this one is hard to justify. Beyond being unarmed, deaf and mute, Daniel Harris appears to have been a rather small, thin man. Opening fire could not have been the only option the officer had. What threat did Harris pose? Was a Taser or pepper spray used? Could the officer truly not subdue Harris on his own?


If reports from neighbors are accurate, it doesn't appear the officer even tried, but pretty much shot and killed Harris mere seconds after he got out of the car.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nat...deaf-mute-man-sign-language-article-1.2760714

 

[Derec]

If Harris is unable "fully understood what was happening" when police is trying to pull him over due to his disability, then perhaps he should not be driving in the first place.

That is a separate question from the shooting though.

 

[Malintent]

No one jumping on this thread to talk about problems with cops murdering people?

Oooooohhh... It was a white guy that got shot. That's why no one cares. I see.

 

[GenesisNemesis]

If Harris is unable "fully understood what was happening" when police is trying to pull him over due to his disability, then perhaps he should not be driving in the first place.

That is a separate question from the shooting though.

Step 1: always find a way to blame the victim.

 

[Trausti]

No one jumping on this thread to talk about problems with cops murdering people?

Oooooohhh... It was a white guy that got shot. That's why no one cares. I see.

White Lives Matter.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

No one jumping on this thread to talk about problems with cops murdering people?

Oooooohhh... It was a white guy that got shot. That's why no one cares. I see.

Well, if the cops are starting to shoot white people a bit more often, it shows that at least they're making an effort to work on the systematic racial discrimination within their ranks. While it would, of course, be nicer if they could maybe not shoot so many people in the first place, the fact that they're trying to make some baby steps in dealing with their issues is a positive sign that they're attempting to move in the right direction.

In response to this goodwill gesture, I think it would be proper for the black community in Charlotte to reduce their crime rates by 5% to show that they are also willing to put some work into mending the relationship between the two groups.

 

[Derec]

Step 1: always find a way to blame the victim.

Not blaming him per se, just making an observation as to his disability and driving safety. I do know that when I drive aural information plays a significant role, and not only for hearing police (or other emergency) sirens.
Perhaps we should blame his state's DMV though ...

I also did not take a position on the shooting itself. Based on the article it looks bad, but then again it's written by Shaun King, who is not exactly the most trustworthy of writers.

 

[laughing dog]

Step 1: always find a way to blame the victim.

Not blaming him per se, just making an observation as to his disability and driving safety. I do know that when I drive aural information plays a significant role, and not only for hearing police (or other emergency) sirens.
Perhaps we should blame his state's DMV though ...

The DMV did not shoot him - the police did. Unless he was clearly endangering the lives of other civilians with his driving, the police were way out of line.

 

[Derec]

The DMV did not shoot him - the police did. Unless he was clearly endangering the lives of other civilians with his driving, the police were way out of line.

Again, I did not take a position on the shooting yet.
But if he is unable to comprehend being pulled over because he was deaf then the DMV erred in giving him a driver's license.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

Step 1: always find a way to blame the victim.

Not blaming him per se, just making an observation as to his disability and driving safety. I do know that when I drive aural information plays a significant role, and not only for hearing police (or other emergency) sirens.
Perhaps we should blame his state's DMV though ...

I also did not take a position on the shooting itself. Based on the article it looks bad, but then again it's written by Shaun King, who is not exactly the most trustworthy of writers.

Ya, I like that. You're not taking any position, but you're making a point to say how he was probably wrong to be driving and the writer isn't trustworthy. Totally neutral, though.

 

[Deepak]

No one jumping on this thread to talk about problems with cops murdering people?

Oooooohhh... It was a white guy that got shot. That's why no one cares. I see.

When will the lamestream media start reporting on this sort of stuff that's in the OP's link to a news site?

The cushions on my fainting divan are getting worn out by now.

 

[Malintent]

No one jumping on this thread to talk about problems with cops murdering people?

Oooooohhh... It was a white guy that got shot. That's why no one cares. I see.

When will the lamestream media start reporting on this sort of stuff that's in the OP's link to a news site?

The cushions on my fainting divan are getting worn out by now.

I was referring to this group of folks.. It's taking a long time for the "lynch the cops" mob to come out for this one. I still am not seeing it. Too bad this kid wasn't black. Maybe someone would have cared more.

since no one else commented.... I can't imagine how the actions of the police can be justified, but something is certainly odd about the perp's behavior. Deaf or not - flashing lights and a failed PIT maneuver should have been sufficient to get the attention of a completely deaf person. But why not a taser, or some other action? There must be some missing information, for sure.

 

[ksen]

No one jumping on this thread to talk about problems with cops murdering people?

Oooooohhh... It was a white guy that got shot. That's why no one cares. I see.

Athena didn't care so much she posted an OP about it.

 

[Toni]

If Harris is unable "fully understood what was happening" when police is trying to pull him over due to his disability, then perhaps he should not be driving in the first place.

That is a separate question from the shooting though.

It isn't clear but mere speculation that Harris was unable to understand why patrol wanted to pull him over. Nothing suggests that his hearing declined after meeting and fulfilling the states requirements for licensure to operate a motor vehicle. The state apparently saw him as sufficiently competent.

It is also extremely unclear why police officers felt the need to kill a slight, unarmed man mere seconds after he exited the vehicle.

 

[Toni]

When will the lamestream media start reporting on this sort of stuff that's in the OP's link to a news site?

The cushions on my fainting divan are getting worn out by now.

I was referring to this group of folks.. It's taking a long time for the "lynch the cops" mob to come out for this one. I still am not seeing it. Too bad this kid wasn't black. Maybe someone would have cared more.

since no one else commented.... I can't imagine how the actions of the police can be justified, but something is certainly odd about the perp's behavior. Deaf or not - flashing lights and a failed PIT maneuver should have been sufficient to get the attention of a completely deaf person. But why not a taser, or some other action? There must be some missing information, for sure.

Why use a taser on someone who is behaving peaceably and attempting to communicate via sign language?

I see absolutely NO reason to subdue this person. Figure out how to communicate? Absolutely. Ticket? Probably. Figure out how to ensure the driver recognizes when patrol is attempting to pull him over? Certainly.

Tasers should only be used to physically subdue a suspect when other methods are ineffective--and if actual danger exists if the suspect is not subdued. Tasers cans and not infrequent ARE lethal. Not as lethal as guns but bad enough a great deal more caution should be used before deploying them.

 

[laughing dog]

The DMV did not shoot him - the police did. Unless he was clearly endangering the lives of other civilians with his driving, the police were way out of line.

Again, I did not take a position on the shooting yet.
But if he is unable to comprehend being pulled over because he was deaf then the DMV erred in giving him a driver's license.

Once again, it is irrelevant to the actual OP issue. But please continue to find a way to blame someone other than the responsible party - the police.

 

[Nice Squirrel]

The DMV did not shoot him - the police did. Unless he was clearly endangering the lives of other civilians with his driving, the police were way out of line.

Again, I did not take a position on the shooting yet.
But if he is unable to comprehend being pulled over because he was deaf then the DMV erred in giving him a driver's license.

It looks like he did comprehend.

If reports from neighbors are accurate, it doesn't appear the officer even tried [to communicate], but pretty much shot and killed Harris mere seconds after he got out of the car.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

That article is awfully short on facts.

 

[AthenaAwakened]

That article is awfully short on facts.

What facts did it miss? And be specific

 

[Mumbles]

No one jumping on this thread to talk about problems with cops murdering people?

Oooooohhh... It was a white guy that got shot. That's why no one cares. I see.

Noo...that's why nobody has tried to claim that his use of ASL (I assume) was really "gang signs". The BLM supporters were raging about this one online - and note that Shaun King wrote the article Athena linked to.