Jason Harrison's mother called the Dallas police for help transporting her mentally ill son to a hospital. 20 seconds after the officers knocked, he lay dead on his own doorstep.
Jason's crime? Holding a tiny screwdriver and taking a few slow steps forward - something that shouldn't warrant the death penalty.
This month, Jason's family released video from the June shooting. You can watch it here, but be forewarned it is disturbing. It is the family's hope that the video will help reform how police interact with the mentally ill.
When Jason's mother answered the door, she reminded officers he was "bipolar schizo." And yet the officer's response was not to step back and pull out a Taser but to plant his feet, aim his gun at Jason point blank, and scream - even though screaming can agitate the mentally ill. It is also worth noting that Jason was black and the officer white.
I don't want the takeaway from this to be that we shouldn't call the Dallas police when the mentally ill need help. That's not the relationship our communities need to have with law enforcement. Most officers are amazing heroes who risk their lives to keep us safe. All of us deserve to trust these wonderful men and women, and they don't deserve to be dragged down by a few rotten apples.
Tell the Police Chief and District Attorney: Indict the officer who murdered Jason Harrison, fire him pending investigation results, and retrain officers to interact with the mentally ill!
What happened to Jason Harrison last June was both wrong and unavoidable. Taking a few slow steps while holding a screw driver is not a capital crime. The police officer knew that Jason was mentally ill, so his behavior is inexplicable - he should have taken a few steps back to create room between him and Jason, used a Taser or pepper spray instead of a gun, and avoided screaming at an unstable person. The officer may or may not have been able to deescalate the situation, but he certainly didn't have to escalate it. He was called to help Jason, not kill him.
The vast majority of Dallas police officers are amazing public servants. They do not deserve to be tainted by the actions of a dangerous few – and we as citizens deserve to know we can trust our armed law enforcement. Please indict the officer who murdered Jason Harrison, fire him pending investigation results, and retrain the force to safely deal with the mentally ill!
