Ron Scott Is An Idiot

Ron Scott of the Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality is, in my opinion, an idiot.

When Police Officer Brian Huff was shot and killed in the line of duty this past Monday, and four other police officers who injured in the same incident, Mr. Scott went to the scene and made a series of remarks to the news media. Several media outlets carried his remarks, in which he spoke about police brutality and police officers violating the constitutional rights of young black men.

Since then, there has been a certain amount of public backlash against Mr. Scott. He has since said that his remarks were taken out of context. Quite frankly, I don't have a lot of sympathy for Ron Scott.

There is always a need to police the police department, whether it's in Detroit or anywhere else. Citizen groups, such as the Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality, have a legitimate role in addressing allegations of police misconduct and ensuring that it never happens in the first place.

However, when a person - any person - is standing at the scene where a police officer has been killed in the line of duty, the only remark that it is ever appropriate to make is to offer condolences to the officer's family. For anyone to make any other comment, is simply inappropriate.

The Board of Police Commissioners, the City Council, and newspaper editorial pages all exist for a reason. They provide citizens an opportunity to air grievances and present arguments, even ones that might be unpleasant to hear. Mr. Scott should have made his comments there and not at the scene where Officer Huff was murdered, especially while his body was still warm.

Mr. Scott has spent much of this week attempting to backpedal. He has repeatedly argued that his remarks were taken out of context. He has pointed out that the first thing he said was to express sadness about the death of one officer and the wounding of four others. He has insisted that his comments about police brutality where made with the best of intentions.

Quite frankly, I don't care. Mr. Scott is still an idiot.

The only thing he should have said at that instant was to express his condolences to the fallen police officers. Everything else should have waited for a better time and place.

Activist clarifies remarks after cop killing | Detroit Free Press

Update - Saturday, May 8 @ 11:38 a.m.
Ron Scott and Detroit Police Chief Warren Evans were on Fox 2's Let It Rip to discuss the shooting of Officer Huff, Mr. Scott's comments, and the response to said comments. Video from that exchange, as well as video of Mr. Scott's comments, are are all available below.