Elected officials had the responsibility two years ago to review officer Bloch's body camera video of the shooting and death of Chieu Di Thi Vo. Instead, they happily voted and approved Stranger to Neighbor and Welcoming Greensboro initiatives that were supposed to show their support for refugees, immigrants and newcomers. Not until May 3, 2016 did they finally decide they had to view the video.
OF ALL THE PLANS we made for the march from Beloved Community Center to the Melvin Municipal Building to support the Vo family, two things we could not anticipate. The first was how the family might react upon viewing the video footage of police officer Bloch shooting their loved one multiple times ("… four bullets struck Vo in the abdomen, with one of the bullets passing through her body. Medical examiners recovered three bullets — two bullets from Vo’s left pelvic area and another from her lower back — one of which went through both of Vo’s legs and one that struck her right hand. " — News Record). Would the family be able to handle it? Maybe they would walk out before they saw it. Maybe they would be so upset they'd want to leave immediately afterward. Maybe they'd wish to make a statement. We didn't know.
The second thing we could not guess was how the mayor and council members would react. Since the regular council meeting was to start soon after they viewed the video, would they delay the start? When they appeared, would they seem upset? Would some absent themselves in anticipation of watching the video or excuse themselves afterwards? Would any betray their feelings during the moment of silence or pledge of allegiance? Would they show impatience with the clownish good cheer of former council member Zach Methany when he presented to the council?
As things turned out, the family conducted themselves with great dignity. Marching though downtown with lots of young people gave them strength. As they disappeared into the municipal building with their attorney to watch the video, we knew the mayor and council members had just completed watching it after listening to the 911 dispatch call. The City Council meeting began with little delay. Methany managed to turn his presentation into an extended commercial about himself and soon reappeared with former mayor Keith Holliday to advocate for free 2-hour downtown parking. Their short presentations became an extended exchange of good feeling and old camaraderie with the mayor and council members. As their banter went on, it seemed that they were delaying purposefully, "a desire on the part of the authorities to act slowly and impersonally, in the manner of planets or vegetables."(Borges). Even when the entire room took notice of the small entourage entering that included a tiny lady with very white hair, our elected officials seemed unfazed. It finally took young people, Gloria, Celine, Lek and Hlois, speaking at the microphone to awake them. Young people sitting behind the family stood up with fists in the air. Nancy Vaughan, the mayor, tried to interrupt the speakers and at this point it seemed clear that if watching the video bothered her, it wasn't going to bother her now. Indeed, her first reaction to the Vo family's request to see the video seemed defensive ("Who is their lawyer?"). Since the family rejected her original offer to see the video (entailing a Byzantine workaround that would preserve the current police-controlled process), her manner seemed resentful. And the rest of the council seemed to share her resentment. Why indeed, they seemed to be saying, did you, the Vo family, make us do our duty as elected officials and watch this awful video?
And doubtless the video is awful to watch. And the only thing that might keep our elected officials from having nightmares about it is their consistent defense of a very bad set of rules that justifies officer Bloch's actions. His main defense seems to be that he performed his job correctly. (Luke: "Aw, callin' it your job don't make it right, boss.")
In early 2014, before Chieu Di Thi Vo's shooting, an 18-year old Brunswick County, NC mentally ill teen was killed by police. He held a screwdriver and had been fighting with his mom. In March a 38-year old mentally ill man was killed by Albuquerque police who said he had pulled two knives and threatened their lives. In 2010-11, 75% of those shot by Albuquerque police were mentally ill. In September, it was reported that more than half those killed by San Fransisco's police were mentally ill. In 2015 NPR reported that of all police shootings, one fourth involved the mentally ill. That same year it was reported that one third of police shootings in Los Angeles involved the mentally ill. A few days ago Charlotte police shot and killed a Lao refugee, Bong Ackhavung. He was mentally ill. The National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) reports that Asians use mental health services at a rate 1/3 of Whites, that serious mental illness costs $193 billion in lost earnings and that adults with serious mental illness die about 25 years earlier than others.
Mayor Vaughan asked why was the family coming forward now, two years after the shooting, to see the video. But a better question she should have asked of herself, a better question all our council members should have asked was, “Why didn't we council members vote and make ourselves watch this awful video two years ago?” On Thursday, May 5, council member Marikay Abuzaiter addressed several of us at the Human Relations Commission meeting, saying in her most respectful way, in her most respectful tone, that she certainly did not wish to give the appearance of any disrespect to the family. Ah, Marikay, that's the same old story. Do your damned duty.
OF ALL THE PLANS we made for the march from Beloved Community Center to the Melvin Municipal Building to support the Vo family, two things we could not anticipate. The first was how the family might react upon viewing the video footage of police officer Bloch shooting their loved one multiple times ("… four bullets struck Vo in the abdomen, with one of the bullets passing through her body. Medical examiners recovered three bullets — two bullets from Vo’s left pelvic area and another from her lower back — one of which went through both of Vo’s legs and one that struck her right hand. " — News Record). Would the family be able to handle it? Maybe they would walk out before they saw it. Maybe they would be so upset they'd want to leave immediately afterward. Maybe they'd wish to make a statement. We didn't know.
The second thing we could not guess was how the mayor and council members would react. Since the regular council meeting was to start soon after they viewed the video, would they delay the start? When they appeared, would they seem upset? Would some absent themselves in anticipation of watching the video or excuse themselves afterwards? Would any betray their feelings during the moment of silence or pledge of allegiance? Would they show impatience with the clownish good cheer of former council member Zach Methany when he presented to the council?
As things turned out, the family conducted themselves with great dignity. Marching though downtown with lots of young people gave them strength. As they disappeared into the municipal building with their attorney to watch the video, we knew the mayor and council members had just completed watching it after listening to the 911 dispatch call. The City Council meeting began with little delay. Methany managed to turn his presentation into an extended commercial about himself and soon reappeared with former mayor Keith Holliday to advocate for free 2-hour downtown parking. Their short presentations became an extended exchange of good feeling and old camaraderie with the mayor and council members. As their banter went on, it seemed that they were delaying purposefully, "a desire on the part of the authorities to act slowly and impersonally, in the manner of planets or vegetables."(Borges). Even when the entire room took notice of the small entourage entering that included a tiny lady with very white hair, our elected officials seemed unfazed. It finally took young people, Gloria, Celine, Lek and Hlois, speaking at the microphone to awake them. Young people sitting behind the family stood up with fists in the air. Nancy Vaughan, the mayor, tried to interrupt the speakers and at this point it seemed clear that if watching the video bothered her, it wasn't going to bother her now. Indeed, her first reaction to the Vo family's request to see the video seemed defensive ("Who is their lawyer?"). Since the family rejected her original offer to see the video (entailing a Byzantine workaround that would preserve the current police-controlled process), her manner seemed resentful. And the rest of the council seemed to share her resentment. Why indeed, they seemed to be saying, did you, the Vo family, make us do our duty as elected officials and watch this awful video?
And doubtless the video is awful to watch. And the only thing that might keep our elected officials from having nightmares about it is their consistent defense of a very bad set of rules that justifies officer Bloch's actions. His main defense seems to be that he performed his job correctly. (Luke: "Aw, callin' it your job don't make it right, boss.")
In early 2014, before Chieu Di Thi Vo's shooting, an 18-year old Brunswick County, NC mentally ill teen was killed by police. He held a screwdriver and had been fighting with his mom. In March a 38-year old mentally ill man was killed by Albuquerque police who said he had pulled two knives and threatened their lives. In 2010-11, 75% of those shot by Albuquerque police were mentally ill. In September, it was reported that more than half those killed by San Fransisco's police were mentally ill. In 2015 NPR reported that of all police shootings, one fourth involved the mentally ill. That same year it was reported that one third of police shootings in Los Angeles involved the mentally ill. A few days ago Charlotte police shot and killed a Lao refugee, Bong Ackhavung. He was mentally ill. The National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) reports that Asians use mental health services at a rate 1/3 of Whites, that serious mental illness costs $193 billion in lost earnings and that adults with serious mental illness die about 25 years earlier than others.
Mayor Vaughan asked why was the family coming forward now, two years after the shooting, to see the video. But a better question she should have asked of herself, a better question all our council members should have asked was, “Why didn't we council members vote and make ourselves watch this awful video two years ago?” On Thursday, May 5, council member Marikay Abuzaiter addressed several of us at the Human Relations Commission meeting, saying in her most respectful way, in her most respectful tone, that she certainly did not wish to give the appearance of any disrespect to the family. Ah, Marikay, that's the same old story. Do your damned duty.
