Tasing victim shows more restraint than police

So what do we take away from the release of the video of a Milwaukee Bucks basketball player being tased for what should have been a simple parking violation? Milwaukee police finally released the video this week, five month after Sterling Brown was taken to the ground and tased after he parked in a handicapped spot. Unfortunately, it is yet another example of police overreacting to the behavior of a black man. It has become a real problem in Milwaukee, and makes the job of good police officers more difficult. Brown deserves credit for his calm reaction to the incident. When it happened, Brown showed restraint, and not just because the cops cuffed him. In the five months since the January incident, Brown has continued to do his job, without lashing out, without organizing protests. He issued a statement after the release of the video in which he thoughtfully outlined the problem of racist police. He is urging people to not react violently while continuing to push for change. The Milwaukee police meanwhile don’t deserve the same praise. The Milwaukee police chief, while condemning the actions of his officers, promises greater transparency in the future. But why then did it take five months to release the video? And why, when finally making a statement in a news conference to address the issue, simply read a prepared statement and took no questions. If that is what is considered greater transparency, then it seems little is likely to change.