Eight shots hit Stephon Clark.
Once again the news hits hard.
Eight shots out of twenty or so
Brought him down in his grandma's backyard.

Helicopters circled above.
Police officers on the ground,
Suspecting Clark of a crime yelled out,
"Gun! Gun!" before he was downed.

Clark was holding NOT a gun
But a mobile phone. Officers said
The suspect charged at them before
They hastily shot the unarmed man dead.

But something is fishy: Six shots hit
The man in the back. By and large,
People do NOT normally
Rush backwards when they charge.

In retrospect, as we piece together
The flash of events that transpired,
We learned that after Clark had fallen,
Even more shots were fired.

Stephon Clark is another name
To add to an ever-growing list
Of unarmed black men killed by police
Whose actions cannot be dismissed.

Appropriate use of force is key;
But one thing is undeniable:
We simply can't allow ourselves
To justify the unjustifiable.

-by Bob B (3-31-18)