Release the Charlotte Police Video

The critique is written by the editorial board of New York Times targeting the general public about the social issue ofthe release of Charlotte Police Video; therefore, the stance of this critique represents New York Times’ opinion on this issue, which might indicate the editorial is quite reliable since New York Times is a very reputable news media worldwide.

I agree with the author that “transparency” is the only way and best way to solve this kind of problem.

There is no legal reason to withhold the video from the public, and in this fraught situation, the best way to allay the community’s distrust is complete transparency.

 
        The way to solve this social issue is simple. The Charlotte police should just show the video and find out who is the one that should be responsible for the killing, or maybe it’s the victim’s fault because he did something that make the officer think his/her life safety was threatened by the victim. However, the mayor of the city, Jennifer Roberts, chose not to release the video, which will only lead to more distrust between the civilians and the police. It seems obvious to me that the government is trying to protect the police from being criminalized for what they have done. They might have done something really brutal, so they have to hide it; however, it will only make it even worse by doing that. Now, the police is not only killing, but also covering the fact that people have the right to know.

The board of New York Times also gives a convincing event that happened in Chicago before that the real situation is exactly the opposite of what the police stated. Therefore, it is proven that the police do not always tell the truth. Besides, if there is really nothing to be worried about, why do the police need to withhold the video. The way of dealing with this issue only makes people distrust the police.

What surprised me is that North Carolina legislature even passed the measure this year that allows police departments to withhold camera footage from the public unless a court orders the release taking effect on the first of October when I believe the measure that should be passed is that the video should be released as soon as this social issue has triggered distrust or protest in society, so as to earn trust from the civilians and give both the victims and the police a fair judgement. Nonetheless, Controlling and hiding the truth will only escalate the tension between the civilians and the police.

        To conclude, I agree with whatever the editorial board of New York Times stated in the editorial that transparency is the only and best way to solve this problem, and it is surprising to me that a State government in the United States, a country that emphasizes freedom and human rights, would adopt the method that is used mainly in dictatorship countries, censorship, to deal with this kind of social issue, which, like using oil to put out fire, will only lead to more serious problem and distrust.