National Media Ignores Dillon Taylor Shooting
While national news has been broadcasting 24/7 about the shooting of Michael Brown, another case was going on in Salt Lake City, Utah in which the media's been completely silent. I only recently learned about this case through posts on Twitter.
20-year old Dillon Taylor was shot and killed on August 11 (two days after Michael Brown) in Salt Lake City, Utah by a police officer who was responding to a report of a man with a gun. Taylor (who is white) was unarmed and had just left a local 7-11 convenience store after making a purchase with his cousin and brother. He was wearing earbud headphones and didn't hear the officers commands. When he reached to pull up his pants, the officer (who is black) thought he was reaching for a weapon and fired twice.
Taylor's friends say it doesn't make sense because Dillon never carried a gun. At the time of the shooting, there was a $25,000 bench warrant issued for an alleged probation violation stemming from felony robbery and obstructing justice convictions. Friends say Taylor was trying to turn his life around - he was about to become a father - and he'd had problems ever since losing his parents when he was 12-years old.
Here's the issue - many of the people protesting Michael Brown's death say it's about fighting against police brutality and the militarization of police forces across the country. If that's the case, why isn't anyone saying anything about the shooting of Dillon Taylor? Is it because he has a criminal record? Michael Brown stole from a convenience store and then assaulted the clerk before he was shot, and the proof is on camera so there's no question of his guilt or innocence. The bench warrant issued for Taylor was for an alleged probation violation, and the officer who shot him allegedly had no knowledge of the warrant at the time.
The fact is, neither Taylor nor Brown should have been killed, but the silence of the media is telling. Why should one case matter more than the other?
20-year old Dillon Taylor was shot and killed on August 11 (two days after Michael Brown) in Salt Lake City, Utah by a police officer who was responding to a report of a man with a gun. Taylor (who is white) was unarmed and had just left a local 7-11 convenience store after making a purchase with his cousin and brother. He was wearing earbud headphones and didn't hear the officers commands. When he reached to pull up his pants, the officer (who is black) thought he was reaching for a weapon and fired twice.
Taylor's friends say it doesn't make sense because Dillon never carried a gun. At the time of the shooting, there was a $25,000 bench warrant issued for an alleged probation violation stemming from felony robbery and obstructing justice convictions. Friends say Taylor was trying to turn his life around - he was about to become a father - and he'd had problems ever since losing his parents when he was 12-years old.
Here's the issue - many of the people protesting Michael Brown's death say it's about fighting against police brutality and the militarization of police forces across the country. If that's the case, why isn't anyone saying anything about the shooting of Dillon Taylor? Is it because he has a criminal record? Michael Brown stole from a convenience store and then assaulted the clerk before he was shot, and the proof is on camera so there's no question of his guilt or innocence. The bench warrant issued for Taylor was for an alleged probation violation, and the officer who shot him allegedly had no knowledge of the warrant at the time.
The fact is, neither Taylor nor Brown should have been killed, but the silence of the media is telling. Why should one case matter more than the other?