ACLU accuses Washington police of 'murder' and tries to incite race mob

The shooting death this week of a black 18-year-old in 
Washington, D.C., is by no means an open-and-shut case of police 
brutality.

The American Civil Liberties Union, however, believes otherwise.

The alleged pro-civil-rights group tried Thursday to incite a 
mob against law enforcement officials in the nation’s capital 
following the shooting death of Deon Kay.

“DC police murdered Deon Kay yesterday,” the ACLU said on Sept. 
3 in a since-deleted tweet to its nearly two million followers. 
“He was just 18 years old. His death is yet another painful 
reminder that violence and racism is endemic to policing in this 
nation.”

The ACLU added, “We demand justice for Deon, and every life 
taken by DC police.”

What is going on here?

A police officer killed Kay on Wednesday, that is true. But the 
18-year-old died under unclear and yet-to-be-determined 
circumstances. We simply do not have enough information to 
declare Kay's death a “murder.” Not even close.

Police officers were dispatched to southeast Washington 
Wednesday afternoon after receiving a call about a man with a 
gun. When they arrived, they saw a small crowd gathering around 
one car. Two people then fled from the car, prompting officers 
to give chase. Kay was reportedly in the passenger seat of said 
car. As law enforcement officials pursued, the two suspects 
split up. A couple of officers went after Kay, corralling him 
outside an apartment complex, where he was then shot and killed. 
Body camera footage of the incident shows Kay had a firearm in 
his hand at the moment he was shot. It appears Kay may have also 
tried to drop his weapon just before he was killed. The footage 
also shows that Kay was shot in the chest while running toward 
one of the police officers.

Black Lives Matter activists and even the District’s own anti-
Semitic council member Trayon White, speculated that Kay was 
unarmed and shot in the back.

Officers rendered first aid and rushed Kay to a hospital, where 
he was pronounced dead.

Even with the body camera footage, it is difficult to make out 
what, exactly, happened that evening. It is difficult to tell 
whether Kay “brandished” his firearm, though it appears he was 
indeed holding one when he was shot. It is difficult to tell 
whether Kay attempted to drop his firearm as an officer shouted 
repeatedly, “Don’t move!”

The point is that the circumstances surrounding Kay’s death are 
unclear, and we will not know what happened until there is at 
least a preliminary investigation.

But try telling that to the ACLU, which claimed Thursday that 
the police had “murdered” the black 18-year-old.

How could anyone make that determination sans a formal (or even 
an informal) investigation? What would possess a normal, right-
minded person to jump to that very specific conclusion without 
first observing more evidence or waiting to hear the conclusions 
of at least a preliminary investigation? What would possess a 
100-year-old institution whose entire purpose is to know and 
defend the law to do the same?

All is not right at the ACLU, which has for decades prided 
itself on its defenses of due process. It has been obvious for 
some time now that the alleged pro-civil-liberties organization 
is suffering from a serious illiberal rot. At this point, 
though, it appears the rot is institutional.

The ACLU used to act as a defense against mobs. Now, it incites 
them.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/aclu-accuses-
washington-police-of-murder-and-tries-to-incite-race-mob