I’ve taken a lot of time to deliver some well deserved hits on the various Michael Brown Protesters.
However I’d like to draw your attention to a man I disagree who deserves to be mentioned.
Meet the Reverend Jarrett Maupin
I have never met the reverend but by that description odds are we have little in common and likely disagree on most major issues. But after reading this article
Rev. Jarrett Maupin agreed to take the use of force test administered to police officers, in an attempt to prove that police are using too much force when responding to calls. TheMaricopa County Sheriffs Department gave Maupin the three scenarios and here is howMaupin did:
In the first scenario, Maupin did not shoot. The perp hid behind a car, pulling out a gun and shot Maupin. In the second one, Maupin had to break up an argument that was getting physical. When an unarmed man rushed at him, Maupin fired. He said afterwards that the man had forced him to shoot by entering his zone:
And this reaction:
Maupin, who in the past has led several marches against police, including one case where police shot an unarmed man, also led the crowd in a chant of, “We want his badge, we want his gun, we want his job.”
To his credit, Rev. Maupin admitted that he had no real understanding about the compliance issue and that the tests allowed him to see things in a new light:
“I didn’t understand how important compliance was, but after going through this; yes my attitude has changed, this happens in 10-15 seconds. People need to comply for their own sake.”
I can tell you that he is without a question an honorable man and deserves a seat at the table when these things are discussed.
Maupin didn’t have to take this test. He could have maintained standing within his community without even giving lip service to this test.
That fact that he took the time and objectively evaluated it says he’s looking for what’s right not what’s expedient.
He may be wrong but I’ll always sit at the table of a man whose honest, when you have honest men at the table you will get honest & honorable solutions.