I am beginning to wonder if this is all a joke. Do you honestly sit there and think to yourselves "Well, maybe if he had just..." or try to tell yourself that this is all an issue boiled down to respect? You'd be right about the last one, but this issue isn't about respect towards the police community. Rather, the problem lies in the lack of respect that certain members of the police community have for others.
Now wait just a second, before commenting angrily, finish this article. I'll be happy to calmly discuss this topic with you without throwing around insults and being immature. But first, finish reading what I have to say.
Recommended for you
Please keep in mind that I'm not anti-cop. I know plenty of amazing cops who would do anything for their communities. I'm pro-acknowledging that maybe there is a problem instead of trying to downplay the killings of Americans. I'm pro-stating that we all know that there are good cops and that they aren't all bad, but that doesn't change the fact that not all Muslim individuals are terrorists and that you still post on Facebook about them as if they were the same thing.
It is safer in this country to be a white male who rapes an unconscious, drunk girl behind a dumpster than to be a black man with a busted tail light, and this is a problem. There are serial killers who aren't shot, but placed under arrest before serving their time in prison, so put aside your "these people are thugs and criminals and had to have done something wrong and deserve to be shot, the officers were just doing their jobs" attitudes and realize that that is what gas and tasers are for. They are there so no one has to die. 32 years old. No criminal record. Licensed to carry. Killed in front of his 4-year-old daughter. What did he do wrong? Shot when an officer asked for identification? Shot for following directions? Officials ruled the death of Philando Castile a homicide, why can't you?
So, this isn't a post saying that all police officers are terrible. As this DJ and radio host said, it is time to just admit that there are bad cops out there. I may be oblivious to this, but how often do I see a police officer stepping out and stating that what certain officers have done is just...wrong? Condemning them for their actions? Officer Nakia Jones from Warrensville Heights, Ohio stepped up, but where are the rest? There are approximately 120,000 police officers in the United States, and you're telling me that they are staying silent among their own instead of taking a stand to preserve the name of officers everywhere?
I have seen people posting long rants about how much they respect officers, and I get that, I do as well. But can't you just set aside your pride for a second and just admit that maybe, just maybe, these people have actually been murdered?
So, I'm assuming you want to argue that this "isn't a race issue." I'm assuming you're ignoring the fact that some of these cops have had ties to the KKK, such as when multiple members were found within a Florida police department or when the KKK was raising money for Darren Wilson. So fine, let's set aside the race issue and just look at the fact that people are dying. People are dying in your backyard. Fine, this isn't a race issue, but that doesn't change the fact that what is happening here is wrong. And you aren't upset about this? You and your supposedly patriotic soul aren't frustrated that the blood of your fellow Americans is being spilled on American soil, such as Philandro Castile. Let's look past the fact that he is an African American, as even those against the BlackLivesMatter movement will point that out as if that makes him somehow guilty. Castile had no criminal record. He worked at a public school. Philandro Castile was polite, respectful, and he listened to the officer. He was everything that you said that these victims should have been to avoid getting killed, and yet he was shot anyways.
Mark Dayton, the Governor of Minnesota,has even stepped up and said that this is truly an issue that needs to be addressed during a press conference about Castile's death.
As President Obama said, all Americans should be troubled by these shootings. You might not be a fan of Obama, but he is right here. All Americans should be upset. Outraged. In favor of being against the bad police officers out there. Why are we divided on something so simple?
Think about this honestly, please. If you saw the same exact story blowing up with the races swapped, a minority officer and a white victim, would you still be defending the officer?
Not all police officers are bad, just like not all of those shot were doing anything wrong.
And fine, let's just continue to say that this isn't about race. That is fine, and that is your opinion. So, even ignoring that, sit and think about how this still isn't a problem when someone is killed over a broken tail light? Fine, this isn't about race. This is about a few bad cops.
