Between The Lines: The Online Art/chive of Informes Informales

02/26/00 Special Pocho News Bullet-in Rise in Police-Related Shootings Triggers PIG Response by Victor Payan
Pocho Neighborhood Watchdog In response to the growing public outcry against the Amadou Diallo shooting verdict in New York and the meteoric rise in questionable police-related killings across the country, the National Police Information Group (PIG) has released a list of common items that officers can mistakenly identify as weapons.
The extensive list, which was compiled using actual incidents and hypothetical situations encountered while playing the computer simulation game "Police Quest 4: Darryl Gates' Open Season," hopes to inform the public about scenarios which may result in their untimely demise.
"We want the public to know that we are working with them," said PIG spokesperson Gus Tapo. "If we shoot someone, no matter how many times, we don't want public opinion to backfire on the police. So we are making it easy for people and letting them know in advance that if they are carrying something in their hand, it may spell certain death for them as far as police officers are concerned."
The list, which includes items such as wallets, combs, harmonicas, sunglasses, bus passes, sticks and even moustaches, gives insight into questionable shootings from the police officer's perspective.
"People seem to be hung up on looking at police shootings from the victim's perspective," says Tapo. "Sure, twenty, thirty or even forty bullets might look bad if they're coming at you, but think about how they look from an officer's point of view. We had a case in Los Angeles where a Hispanic suspect covered his mouth to sneeze. Suddenly a moustache looks like a gun, and well, forty bullets later, we have a situation. In Hispanic communities in particular, where men may sport very large moustaches, you can see where this can be frightening to six or seven officers."
Other items on the list, which critics claim are ludicrous, include sandwiches, Pokemon cards, ice cream cones, candy bars, seeing eye dogs and even shadows.
"A shadow can appear very threatening in a crisis situation," says Tapo, "especially if the suspect's hand is darkly complected, as would appear on a person of Hispanic or African American persuasion. Some people might say this is racist, but it's just not true. We had a Caucasian gentleman in Boston who was shot twelve times in the groin when police thought he was brandishing a knife at them. It turns out he was only taking a leak. In San Diego, a homeless man was shot sixty-five times for carrying a pack of gum. When asked what he was carrying, all nine officers involved in that shooting reported that they heard him say 'gun.' Let's just say that in that case, the victim's last breath was a fresh one."
Civic watchdog organizations such as the Los Angeles-based Bullet Stoppers, are crying foul about the PIG list.
Bullet Stoppers spokeswoman Naomi Mates claims that the list is nothing more than a catch-all excuse designed to exonerate officers involved in future police shootings.
"Saying it's okay to shoot a man ten times for waving a stick? That's just ridiculous," says Mates. "If it weren't true, it might almost be funny. Just because someone is poor and lives in the ghetto, doesn't mean the cops have to treat them like they live in the Lodz ghetto. And Barrio should not automatically mean Bury You. What are we supposed to do with our hands when we're stopped by cops? Grab our knees, stick our heads between our legs and kiss our asses goodbye? I don't think so. We cannot tolerate a police culture which finds such horrendous acts of violence acceptable. We demand accountability."
PIG spokesman Tapo is quick to point out that life is not all sugar and spice for police officers. "It aint easy being a cop. Those people who live in these dangerous neighborhoods need to understand that for middle class police officers who go in there and do their jobs every day, it can be quite frightening, even without someone pulling a wallet on them. The pressure is incredible. The adrenalin alone can cause them to react as if they were on drugs...and if they really are on drugs, it just compounds the effect. Many officers develop alcohol and spousal abuse problems as a result. Do you think they shoot people just because they can or what?"
Tapo maintains that the best course of action for concerned citizens is to cooperate fully with police officers at all times. "If Amadou Diallo had not gone for his wallet when he was approached by four armed, tough-looking white guys in street attire at night in a bad part of town, he might not have been shot," says Tapo, adding "Remember, I said might not have been shot."

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