It’s not unusual to find a parent who blames the police if their child is killed, no matter the circumstances. Michael Brown’s parents are a prime example. What has become unusual is for a parent to defend the police and condemn their child. But that is exactly what Cyrida Levison of Cleveland, Ohio did, when a local reporter tried to goad her into accusing the police of murdering her son. She didn’t take the bait and put the blame where it truly belonged, on her son. I commend Ms Levison because it is always tough to take anyone’s side against your child.
According to WOIO News in Ohio, a 33-year-old man named Antonio Levison pulled a gun on officers on Oct. 25.
They responded with lethal force — and now Levison’s mother has strong words for other people living his criminal lifestyle.
“It’s not worth it. It’s not worth losing your life running from the police, shooting at the police, you’ve got family — stay with your family,” Cyrida Levison said.
“You run up on a police officer, you might as well expect to die,” she continued.
The mother of the man killed by police was clearly heartbroken, but made it clear that she knew her son’s own actions put him on a path of self-destruction.
“I told him Saturday that was my last time seeing him if you don’t stop,” she recalled. “I don’t want to identify your body and I just identified my son’s body yesterday,” she remembers thinking.
Cyrida Levison openly admitted that her son was a drug dealer and carried at least two guns that she knew of.
“I’m not going to sugarcoat anything,” she said. “I love my son dearly, but it’s not (the police’s) fault. They had to do their job to try and apprehend him.”
When asked by a WOIO reporter if she faulted the police, the mother’s answer was crystal clear.
“No I don’t. Because it’s not their fault. They were doing their job,” Levison replied. “They had to do what they had to do. My son pulled a gun on them. So that’s what happened. They had to do what they had to do, to protect themselves.”
“October 25th, 2017 is when my son’s life was taken from him — because he was being real ignorant.”
Her message is very important. Holding signs and chanting “Black Lives Matter” changes nothing, if the communities most impacted by violence refuse to change their ways.
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