When Did Policemen Become the Bad Guys?
There were three common elements in the recent racial incidents dominating the national news. Only two, however, are ever mentioned.
The two being repeated over and over are that in each case the victim or victims were black and the victimizers were police officers.
Initially, the reports were that the police officers were white and this verified their racism. Then Baltimore exploded.
Wait a minute!. How could this be? There were six Baltimore police officers manhandling this black subject, but three of them are black, one of whom is a female.
Oh, never mind! Just change the narrative line. Now it is not that white police officers are racists, it is that all police forces are in a vendetta against black communities.
That is why the third common element is so important to emphasize. So why is this fact never mentioned in the rabble rousers’ speeches or on the news?
In every incident, the victim was either committing a crime, or evading arrest, or refusing to comply with the officer’s instructions, or all three. In even the most egregious case of the offender being shot in the back as he was running away, the victim was in violation of the law by failing to make child support payments, and he was evading arrest.
Actually, there is a fourth element common to not only the incidents discussed here but common in every case of condemnation of the police for the way in which they perform their duties.
None of those so quick with the judgments and criticisms cite their bona fides for their opinions. How many of them have been police officers with an understanding of the types of hoodlums they deal with daily? How many times have they had to deal with someone resisting arrest while being surrounded by the arrestee’s cohorts?
If they have never stood in that police officer’s shoes, how can they be so sure of their pronouncements about what could have been or should have been done?
The most absurd comment to be made during this mania over police misconduct was by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. He said that he had to talk with his biracial son about interacting with police. “You train them,” he said, “to be very careful when they have an encounter with a police officer.”
So what would he say to a white son? Would it be something like, “Just ignore those dudes. Give them the finger. They do not know what they are doing.”?
I was taught to respect authority, whether my parents, teachers, police officers, or any adult in a responsible position. If any of them said stop, duck, or any other admonition, I was to do whatever I was told without hesitation or question.
This conduct was also engrained in my children. Each of us has been stopped for traffic violations. In each case, we simply, quickly, and pleasantly answered the officer’s questions and complied with any of his instructions like get out of the car, show me your driver’s license, get your proof of insurance, etc.
Oddly, these interactions with the police did not develop into armed confrontations.
So here’s the perspective.
So long as Al Sharpton and other race agitators’ only song is that their communities are being picked on by the police, there will be more and more incidents of police having to use substantial force to arrest a black individual.
When they start condemning the killing of police officers in the line of duty and start urging all parents to instill discipline and respect for authority in their children, the demonstrations and riots that are now dominating the news will become a thing of the past.
Don’t hold your breath for this to happen.
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