I don't always speak out on issues like this, but the tragedy of recent events compels me to say something. As most of you know, I am a proponent of criminal justice reform and of treating returning citizens fairly and equally when it comes to employment, housing, and voting rights. I do see some racial disparities in the justice system, but as a former officer, I know that the vast majority of officers are NOT racist and are NOT at war with the African American community. While some older studies have born out the fact that African American motorists are stopped at a higher rate, despite not offending at a higher rate, there have been relatively few studies about the topic overall. The vast majority of the officers I met in my fifteen years in law enforcement couldn't have cared less what color you were and would have jumped in front of a bullet to save any citizen. You can see that reflected in the fact that they were protecting the BLM protesters and ran toward the gunfire when it erupted.
The poison being spread by many media and social media outlets that portray many officers as racist and every shooting of an African American as an act of racism is a FALSE NARRATIVE that too many people are buying into. This message is dangerous and is the likely cause of the horrific acts in Dallas, Texas last night. I understand that there is anger about the two shootings in two days, and the many more before that. I also understand that the huge increase in violence of the last year or two against the police gets little play in the media. The increased violence against police has likely led to many nervous cops shooting too soon, as appears to be the case in Minnesota. He made a tragic mistake in giving conflicting orders to a black motorist who was legally armed and had a permit. The motorist did not know which order to follow and reached for his i.d.. The officer then mistakenly shot him. He will likely be charged with a crime, and rightly so. Someone that nervous has no business pointing a firearm at anyone, but tragedies do happen. I feel so sorry for his wife and child who were in the car with him. That being said, I do not believe that this was a case of racism on the part of the officer. He appears genuinely shaken up and will likely have to pay a steep price for such a poor decision. Not enough facts have come out about the other shooting to determine if it was justified or not or whether racism was a factor. I can tell you that the officers were likely on edge, because they had been sent there on a report of an armed man who had pointed his gun at someone else. Furthermore, the man appears to have resisted the police which resulted in them tasing him and taking him to the ground once that didn't work. No video of this part seems to have been released yet, so I am operating on assumption. The video that did emerge is terrifying to say the least. The problem with the video is that it doesn't show what's going on with the guy's right hand. You hear the other officer yell he's got a gun repeatedly, then you see the shots. There are many technical reasons why it is possible this shooting could be justified, but we will have to wait for the investigation to unfold. If it is determined that they acted improperly, then I have every confidence they will be prosecuted as well.
The point is this. There are no situations, no matter how angry you might be, that justify the slaughter of innocent police officers who were protecting the rights of the BLM protesters to march in opposition to them. Not only is it morally reprehensible and wrong, but it defeats any legitimate message that the protesters were trying to communicate. Violence is never the answer unless you are directly defending yourself, and not in some esoteric theoretical sense, or the lives of your family in a direct attack. The biggest tragedy is that the message of criminal justice reform will likely continue to take a back seat because of situations like this, not in spite of them. There is now a divide between the police and the African American community and among Americans who support both sides. The greater the divide, the less that is accomplished and the more hate that is spewed. Enough is enough. We need someone to serve as a unifier to this nation. We've had enough dividers, so how about we start that conversation instead? Take the time today to say hello to your neighbor or to a stranger on the street. You might be surprised at how a little good will goes a long way.
