Crime occurs in Vancouver daily: cars are vandalized or stolen, homes are burglarized, mail and packages stolen. After the fact, police will come and take a statement if you become a victim, but they’re far too busy to catch the people who committed these crimes.
Too busy doing what? According to The Columbian, the police are dealing with Vancouver’s drug problem by trying to catch a young Black man named Kevin Peterson for illegally selling Xanax, an anxiety medication (“No evidence Peterson fired gun at deputies,” The Columbian, Nov. 11). Is illegally selling Xanax wrong? Absolutely. It’s a felony with a maximum sentence of five years. Should anyone suspected of this crime be shot dead in the street because they run from the police?
The police claim that Peterson had a gun and so was a threat to the police and the public. Even if true, police dramatically increased the threat by chasing Peterson, firing their weapons from multiple directions at night in a populated area, and ultimately killing him in a “volley of bullets.” This is not protecting and serving — this is idiotic and criminal behavior. Kevin Peterson deserved better. We all deserve better.
