There’s a lot of talk around the 10 minute Mike Brown EyeWitness Crime Scene Video. The press is all over the background conversation that starts at minute 6:30 because of the witness’ report of Mr. Brown “turning back” and attacking the officer. Before you watch it again, I’d like you to consider something that many overlook.

At min. 6:30, the witness is sharing what he saw, while the listener expresses shock as it begins to register in his mind that the man was shot by a police officer. He (and a few others) are floored at this account. He is so stunned, that he asks for the information to be repeated several times. The shock continues for many minutes. It continues on into minute 8:50 where the listener begins to share his own thoughts after he heard the shots go off. 

The listener says that when he heard the shots go off, he thought it was a black person who was “dumpin’ [his gun out] on somebody”. He heard the gun going off from his more distant location, and made that assumption. He then carried that assumption as he walked out to the scene of the crime to investigate the happening. 

He sees the man laying in the street, and the people surrounding the police tape, yet nothing from the scene changes his original conclusion. In his mind, that man is laying dead in the street, because a black citizen killed him.

He then seeks out a witness, and asks for the details around what just happened. He listens to the entire account through the lens of his original assumption. Not until minute 6:55 does it click in his mind that the shooter was not a citizen, but a police officer. He is in complete disbelief for several minutes, asking several times to confirm that this new data is accurate. You can listen to his thoughts on the situation as he shares his original conclusion again with the witness. 

This section of the video should not be ignored. This section should not be dismissed. This section proves two very distinct “norms” that have been adopted by members of this community: 

#1 If you hear gun shots, it is probably a black citizen shooting another black citizen. 

#2 It is shockingly rare for a citizen to be shot by a police officer. 

We should remember these norms when we hear people using this case to sell the idea that the “police are out to kill black men”. Listen to the conversation on this video. The energy of *shock* enters because this shooting is outside of the norms of this community. This is a rare event.

Don’t lose hold of that truth. If it is found that this officer did something tragically wrong in this case, we must remember that this case represents an outlier. Repel the energy that would dare to change your mind on what you know is sound truth. Our society empowers police to serve and protect the citizens. If officers are acting outside of that power, then we remove those officers from their service. We don’t suddenly declare something that is normally “rare”, as “common”. It is not common for police to shoot and kill citizens.

If we can be honest with this, maybe we’ll move to a place where we can stop accepting something that *has* become common in our communities. Maybe we will be ready to change our feelings around Norm #1.