Unarmed and Dangerous

Ruben Garcia Villalpando is another man who lost his life at the lethal hands of those meant to serve and protect: the police. It began February 20th when the 31 year old husband and father was in his home in Dallas, Texas after work. According to the Grapevine Police Department, Officer Robert Clark was responding to a business’ burglar alarm when he observed Villalpando’s car and began to follow him. They state that what began as a regular pursuit quickly shifted into a high-speed chase which ended when Villalpando pulled over in the city of Euless.

So why didn’t it end there? Allegedly, Villalpando would not follow the officer’s instructions to stop moving but why should we settle for allegations when there is taped evidence. The incident was recorded by the officer’s dash-cam video but they refused to present it to the public. If the police departments’ claims are ‘to protect and serve’ and they are there to serve justice then there is no reason for them to withhold evidence from the public. The victim’s widow, Martha Angelica Romero, and brother-in-law, Fernando Romero, were given the opportunity to watch the video, stating that it is clear he was unarmed and acting in a non-threatening manner. According to Villalpando’s widow, Officer Clark yelled profanities at Villalpando to which he responded, “Stop calling me MF.I just want to talk to you. Let me explain.”

Martha admits that her husband should have pulled over right away, but he didn’t because he feared his undocumented status might cause his situation more harm. Although the outcome may have been different had he stopped immediately, the issue here is that we have another life snatched away by an armed man with a badge who claimed he felt threatened by an unarmed man. Rumain Brisbon, Reynaldo Cuevas, Tamir Rice, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Tarika Wilson, Antonio Zambrano Montes, and Ernesto Javier Cenepa Diaz are only a few of the innumerable unarmed victims whose lives have been claimed by officers. The worst part is that we rarely see justice occur. After shooting Ruben Garcia Villalpando twice on the chest, leaving a woman without a husband and four children without a father, Officer Clark was sent on paid leave. No charges were filed.

When will this abhorrent abuse of power end? This has gone on far too long. We are human beings and we deserve to be treated as such.