In February, an African-American teenage boy was killed.
While we have been hearing news about Trayvon Martin, another shooting that was arguably just as troublesome has been virtually ignored by the media.
On Feb. 1, in Calumet City, Ill., police shot and killed 15-year-old Stephon Watts in his home after the boy’s family called them to help subdue their son, who occasionally had fits of aggression due to a mental disability.
Stephon suffered from Asperger’s Syndrome, a high-functioning form of autism.
According to CBS Chicago, “Police said he had cut one officer with a knife and was acting in a threatening manner, so officers shot him in fear of their own safety.”
Yet, according to Stephon’s family, his “weapon” was merely a butter knife.
The family had called police to the home 10 times since 2010 to help when Stephon became aggressive. In those instances though, the family said they were able to subdue him with a stun gun.
For anyone concerned about justice, the facts of this case are cause for alarm.
While we might not know the full story, one has to wonder what factors in this case have not led to the same public outrage as the Trayvon Martin incident.
Perhaps it is because Stephon was wielding something more akin to a weapon than a bag of Skittles.
Still, if the blade in question is a mere butter knife, does this justify the shooting of an innocent, mentally disabled boy?
Perhaps it is because the incident in Calumet City involved police performing their regular duties.
But should police be given less scrutiny for wrongful killings than private citizens?
Police are given a lot of power; in some instances, they are given the authority to take a life. But shouldn’t this power come with more oversight and responsibility?
Perhaps it has to do with the fact that the officers felt threatened after he allegedly cut one of the officers.
But surely the police had more options to subdue Stephon without resorting to lethal force, right?
We do not bring this up to say that the Trayvon Martin case should be dismissed, but shouldn’t both of these cases be given equal attention?
Of course, there has been outrage over this case. Members of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, local politicians and the Rev. Jesse Jackson have commented and led protests over this issue.
But the buzz from social media and national news outlets has not come close to the coverage and commentary surrounding the Trayvon Martin case.
Two African-American teenage boys are dead due to troubling circumstances.
Both of these kids deserve equal attention.
