Tasered While Black Internet Radio Show Launched

Today, my friend and afrosphere colleague African American Political Pundit announced that he has launched a new Tasered While Black Internet Radio Show, which I hope will include some call-ins by people who have actually had the experience of being tasered.

As I commented at AAPP's blog, I don't think you have to have been personally murdered to understand that murder is bad. Likewise, those of us who haven't been shocked with 50,000 volts yet need to work to make sure that it never happens to us, our children or our neighbors. Because often "tasering" results in electrocuting and dying. And that IS bad.

Of course AAPP and I differ on the role of electric shocks in law enforcement. AAPP believes that they can be used as an alternative to deadly force, but I think that, like choking, the application of 50,000 volts of electricity to people whose physical condition is a mystery to police is a practice that is inherently dangerous and inherently has a high risk that many people will die among those who are shocked. Particularly since that is sometimes the INTENTION of the police who use these weapons.

I don't think electrical shocks have any place in law enforcement, grammar schools, mental hospitals or playgrounds. Electrical shocks are inherently dangerous. Police in the United States operated for 300 years without these weapons.

AAPP says he is willing to see these weapons used as an alternative to deadly force. If he can show me ONE example of a city where deadly force decreased after police had access to electric shock devices, then I might be willing to listen to that argument. However, I suspect that police are continuing to shoot people and, in addition, are electrocuting people who would never have been shot.

Again, I challenge anyone to show me statistics that prove that police shootings decrease when police have access to taser electrocution devices. That's about as likely as rapists using less physical force because they have access to handcuffs. Let's give rapists handcuffs and see if that reduces the physical force used in rapes?