Web developer & user interface engineer
Tinkering with the web since 1996

email: joe@artlung.com · twitter: @artlung
San Diego, California, USA
aka joecrawford.com

Clearly.

I write code for a living now.

I was trained as a Respiratory Therapist and worked in hospitals for many years. I was trained to care for people. When I graduated from RT school we were obliged to take a professional oath. “Do no harm” a concept from the ancients.

I have avoided the videos of Garner but this morning I thought I’d go look. It’s horrifying. Yes, that’s a belligerent guy. Yes he may have caused trouble. But once he’s on the ground, at the bottom of a tackle of several men. A human being says “I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe.”

What the hell professional code do police officers swear to?

I’ve watched human beings die. When it can be prevented– When it’s clear as day it DID NOT HAVE TO HAPPEN– When it’s clearly avoidable. When it happens as the result of human neglect, malfeasance, or professional incompetence. That’s a clear moral wrong and those responsible must stand tall before the law and be made to account. It’s all so clear. As clear as the writing on a piece of paper that says citizens of the United States have the right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”

Heartbreaking.

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