Men's Lives Matter

One thing about the killing of Walter Scott really jumped out at me. I haven't seen the video because I become disturbed quite easily. My morning news played the video a half-second after warning me that the contents "may be disturbing to some." I turned my head, changed the channel and watched a Western.

It is painful to become aware of yet another mis-application of force by a police officer. I know that Walter Scott was a black man. I'm not colorblind. But he was my age. By the time a man reaches fifty, the fight-flight-freeze response is pretty ingrained. The passions have cooled, and the urge to fight has subsided. Walter Scott could have frozen but he chose to run.

No matter the testimony of the officer involved or his fellow officers, the fact is that Walter Scott was shot in the back. That would have been revealed at the inquest, and a murder charge would have been sworn against the policeman.

What has agitated me so much about this incident is that it is reported that Walter Scott chose to run because he was afraid of being arrested on a family court warrant. He fled because he believed that there was a warrant for his arrest for failing to pay back child support.

It appears there was no such warrant. But that doesn't mean his decision to run was not supported by logic. According to NBC News, Scott had been arrested at least three times for missing child support payments.

It is counterproductive to jail men for missing child support payments. They are potentially cut off from their source of income. But that's not the only tool available to family court. They can also have a man's driver's licence or professional license revoked. Family court should not be invested with such police powers. They have far too much civil power as well.

Women file for divorce eighty percent of the time. That may be because there is a powerful financial incentive to do so. Chances are they will be awarded custody of the children. Women are awarded custody of minor children roughly eighty-five percent of the time. The non-custodial parent always pays the custodial parent.

Jailing people for failing to pay child support is something every good feminist should strive to equalize. There is a huge gender gap in warrants and jailings for missing child support payments. A man who is in arrears is eight times more likely to be incarcerated as a woman who is in arrears.

If a woman files for divorce, she should get nothing in the current no-fault system. Child support obligations should be mutually beneficial to all parties. If the man doesn't pay, he doesn't get to see the kids, and the kids will know that they have a selfish asshole for a dad.

My heart breaks for Walter Scott.