ptsd

"Cops just straight-up lied to the public about what happened until they realized there was so much video."

@carterforva

I think this was the moment my concern for the people of my former hometown flipped into PTSD from my family's own run-in with MPD.

Just to be clear: I am not trying to make the tragedy of Tyre's brutal murder about me. This is me demonstrating the widespread issues with the MPD that I have personally lived through.

Like blatantly lying on a police report.

When my son called 911 for help in the middle of the night, the MPD never showed up. Four hours later, he flagged down a patrol car on the street. When they saw all his guns out in the apartment, they arrested him and charged him with 30 counts of attempted murder (even though no shots were ever fired so I fail to see the attempt of anything here other than drinking himself to death).

The police report, that they posted to facebook, made themselves out to be heroes who practically broke down the door and stopped a mass shooting in progress. The media picked that up and ran with it. My son's mugshot was the lead story on all four Memphis news stations two nights in a row. The headlines called him a "potential mass shooter," even though it was 4:30 in the morning when they arrested him and the streets were deserted.

Two days later, my son was arraigned and the MPD had to present a legal, signed affidavit to the court. Guess what? Totally different story on that form. Not that it matters in the public eye (or my son's online footprint). The damage was done.

I said then, and I maintain today, if my son had been a black man, he'd be dead.

Policing in this country is completely broken. The misconduct is so systemic and widespread. If one really wants to see it, go pull all the police reports and compare them to the court affidavits of everyone they arrested and didn't kill. Because there won't be a legal, signed affidavit at an arraignment for Tyre.

My heart is shattered for Tyre's mother with a painful empathy that I've never experienced before. Our sons were the same age at the time of their police encounters. My family's life is forever changed by ours, but we still have our son. And for that I am grateful.