Opinion

Texas Tech Shooting: When White Privilege Leads To White Violence

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[dropcap]1[/dropcap]9- Year old Hollis Reid Daniels was indicted by a federal grand jury Wednesday for possession of a stolen fire arm and capital murder of a peace officer.

“Texas Tech police received a call about a person with a weapon behaving erratically. This call prompted the welfare check that led to Daniels’ arrest and the death of TTPD Officer Floyd East, Jr.”

Daniels shot and killed Texas Tech campus police officer Floyd East Jr. Monday night.

While performing a welfare check police found drugs in Daniels dorm. He was brought to the campus police station for processing before being transported to jail.

While at the station Daniels pulled a gun from his pocket and shot East in the head. Before fleeing the police station, he snatched the dying officers body camera from his chest.

Officers who went into Daniels’ dorm room found marijuana, Xanax, and drug paraphernalia.

Texas’ recently implemented a campus carry law and Daniels lived in one of the campuses carry dorms. However, Daniels was too young to possess a handgun in the state.

Officer Floyd East Jr.

The previous day Daniels encountered the police as well.

Accused Texas Tech shooter pulled over hours before deadly shooting, questioned about stolen gun

“Lubbock police spoke with accused shooter Hollis “Reid” Daniels during a traffic stop early Monday morning, after receiving a report of a terroristic threat and a stolen weapon. LPD officers searched his person and asked to search the car, but Daniels refused consent. Police determined that they did not have probable cause to search the car.”

The police believed there could even be drugs in Daniels vehicle.

“They looked into whether or not a drug dog was available to come and sniff the vehicle and there was not one available.”

This kid was catching breaks all day. From sun up, to sun down. Lucky him.

“Can anyone truthfully imagine the same constitutional courtesies being extended to any suspect of color?”

 White Privilege Led To Texas Tech Terrorism, Police Chief Basically Confirms

“It’s quite literally impossible to believe a Black person of any age or gender would experience the same fate — especially in Texas, where motorist Sandra Bland changed lanes without signaling before she was pulled over and aggressively arrested for a simple moving violation in 2015. Bland would later be found hanged to death under questionable circumstances in her cell.”

I have so many questions. For one, why is Daniels smirking in his mug shot?

Police received a call that someone was behaving erratically with a gun. In addition, he was found in possession of drug paraphernalia and drugs in his dorm room.

Why was he not placed in hand cuffs?

Why was he never searched prior to being brought into the station?

I thought the whole point of searches are to ensure officers safety. I am aware that it was the campus police station but Daniels was caught with drugs in his dorm which is definitely a crime and violation of campus policy.

How was he able to flee after shooting a police officer, from a police station?

Daniels was tackled when he was apprehended. He had just shot a cop and police knew he was armed and clearly dangerous. Yet, they ran up to him within close proximity. The stolen gun he had just shot a cop with was found nearby along with his body camera.

After he was apprehended Daniels confessed to officers, saying he had just did something “illogical.” Yea, you think?! Wtf.

I wonder what his thought process was before he murdered that cop. Probably something along the lines of, “Fuck! Mom and dad are going to find out I do drugs, I better kill this cop before they find out!” Wtf!

If Daniels were Black I could name various ways his apprehension could have gone wrong. In addition, I do not believe he would have received so many breaks leading up to him having the opportunity of murdering a police officer inside of a police station.

As soon as the police have confirmation that you are committing criminal acts and that you may be armed and dangerous, you will never get any breaks from a police officer as a Black person. For some reason when you are a Black person, the police will go out of their way to infringe upon your rights until they prove to themselves if no one else that you have committed a crime.

 

Friends of Daniels have taken to social media to defend his actions.

Daniels father was a councilman and the family operates a business called the Palace Theatre in the small town of Seguin, Texas.

The officer let his guard down because he did not fear this young, white, male as stereotypes in America tell you not to.

This murder committed by Daniels represents white privilege in terms of breaks and opportunity. It also represents the racism and unnecessary, deadly force inflicted upon Black and other people of color in this country by law enforcement.

Slauson Girl is a South Central native who has a love for journalism, history and all things Hip-Hop. She holds a B.A in Critical Race & Gender Theory & a Minor in Journalism. Follow Me on IG @Slausongirl

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