I am constantly stepping on people’s feet. Even after 15 years, I sometimes put one of my crutches down and think to myself, “the ground is awfully squishy today.” I don’t mean to, but think about all of the things I have to think about when I’m in public: I have to watch what’s coming, what’s right in front of me, how many people are around me, where they’re moving around to and make sure that my crutches don’t get in their way or accidentally lands on their foot. At a certain point, something is bound to happen. Which is why it is difficult to believe that a quadriplegic in a wheelchair intentionally ran over someone’s foot—a cop’s foot for that matter.
Vice News recently reported a story about Devaughn Frierson a man in a wheelchair who was performing tricks in front of friends and who later ran over the foot of the cop. The cop subsequently grabbed Frierson’s wheelchair and attempted to tip it over and throw Frierson onto the ground while shouting “you don’t run over my foot.”
In the video (posted below) you can clearly see Frierson approaching the officers, so obviously, he deserved what he got. In all seriousness, though, this is video is the prequel to what will be the last straw in the argument over excessive force of police officers. It is my worst nightmare, but I believe that real change will not occur in police brutality legislation until the victim is someone who is so clearly a person who is not only unarmed, but someone who could not defend them self in general. If the cop that killed Tamir Rice either did not care or took the time to discern that he was a child holding a toy gun, then what hope do the people who carry around metal objects that look like rifles have? Should I walk around saying “excuse the crutch” in order to save my life in the event I step on the wrong person’s foot? Or does “please excuse my metal appendage” sound more polite? Speaking of appropriate language; warning about the video below.