Following the terrorist shooting in Dallas, of eleven police officers, resulting in the death of five, it would seem the lines have been clearly drawn. But have they? It is being reported, the shooter made statements to police, prior to being blown up by police, in which he made it clear he wanted to shoot white people, police officers in particular, in response to the police shootings of black people.
The shooting took place during, what up until shots were fired, was a peaceful demonstration by the Black Lives Matter group. This group has also arisen in response to black people being shot by police.
What seems to have been the match, in this tinder box of tension, was the two back to back shootings by police, of two unrelated black men. One in Baton Rouge, of a man who was armed and resisting arrest, but who was flat on his back with at least two officers on his chest when he was shot. The second was in Minnesota in which a man, who was legally licensed to conceal carry(it is now being questioned whether the man had a concealed carry permit or not), was shot while sitting in a car, apparently reaching for his permit, after informing the officer he had a gun.
So, it is easy to believe the lines are drawn between the black community and law enforcement agencies. But are there not also lines being drawn between the black community and white America? Are there not lines being drawn between many Americans and government in general? Are we not seeing the lines ever-widening between political ideology? Are not these latest tragedies, being used to broaden those lines for political gain?
Obviously there are far too many lines being drawn. One might believe, and rightly so, each person has drawn a line around themselves, and is ready to defend this small space to the death, if need be. It reminds me of a dog on a short chain. If you approach that dog, it is likely to react violently. It will become aggressive. Why? Because it has such a small world in which to live. Its world consist of four to five feet of chain. All it knows is that small circle of the world.
But if the same dog breaks the chain, and is able to run free, it is more likely to simply run around exploring the new-found freedom, rather than seeking out someone to bite. Is this what we have become as a nation? Are we just dogs on a short chain? Is that why there is so much distrust and anger, and violence?
The Black community in this nation feels, rightly or wrongly, that they are oppressed. They see the police as the enemy, they feel their communities are under siege. Add to this, their perception there is no accountability for officers who shoot black people, and the response is naturally defensive. Now add to this, groups who prey on these feeling of helplessness, groups which take advantage of people’s natural fears, and the potential for violence is incalculable.
On the other side of the line, we have the police. No one will claim the job of a police officer is an easy one, or it is not a dangerous one. These officers put their lives at risk every day, whether it is confronting armed criminals, or simply standing by the side of the highway writing tickets. Following this terrorist shooting of police, and the increase in threats being made for more such shootings, every police officer has to feel as if they have a target on their backs. Now, as they stand by the side of the road writing that ticket, they now have to worry about being shot, and not just being hit by a car. This too will have the effect of raising tension when these officers are called into situations involving black people.
What is the common denominator? Well as in most cases, I believe it is fear. The Black community is fearful of the police, and not just the criminal element. The fear has spread to the law-abiding citizens within this community as well. The police are fearful because this community seems now to have declared war upon law enforcement. And like the dog on the short chain, both remain in their small circle.
I believe for this to end, in any way other than violence, it will require real leaders from all communities, black, white, law enforcement, political, faith-based, all communities, to break their chains, to leave their small circles of the world, to reach out to the other communities, to learn, that in many cases, we all share the same fears, the same desires, the same dreams for our children.
It is easy to hate and fear that which you do not know, to think something about that which you have no real life knowledge of. It is easy to place hateful speech on social media about the police officers, if you have never spoken to one, to discover they have families, they have the same dreams. It is easy to believe the Black community is made up of nothing but drug dealers and criminals, if you have never taken the time to talk with people on a one, on one basis.
Too many times, I believe, the black community sees the police only as the police, they can’t see past the uniform to understand they are just people. The police on the other hand, many times sees certain communities as nothing more than their job. They may have forgotten why they are there, that there are people living in these communities, who are not only under siege from the police, but are also under siege from the drug dealers and criminals.
The Black community has a legitimate reason to be fearful of the police, the police have a legitimate reason to be fearful of the Black community. So the question is, how to work past that fear?
Where are the leaders who will talk of real coming together, without strings attached?
I have not pointed to racism in this post up until now, but it cannot be denied, there is racism involved on both sides. This may be the broadest line of all, and the hardest to erase. I grew up in a home where the “N” word was used, because my parents grew up in a time when it was acceptable. And as hard as it may be to understand, in that very same home, I saw the respect and friendship my father had for the people of color he worked with. My father did not judge a person based on their skin color, he judged them by the job they did, and how they treated him.
I learned to judge people on how they treat me as well. As do most people I would imagine. If we are treated with respect, most will return respect. But have circumstances gone too far, for the police and the Black community, to walk it back to such a simple idea? Is the media partly to blame for fanning the flames? Are our political leaders, and those who want to be leaders, to blame for pandering to their particular bases? Have we as a nation given up on being Americans? And decided to draw lines instead?
We need to remember that the Socialist-Democrats and their media operatives need divisive rhetoric to maintain their political hegemony with the “people of color” demographic.
As was pointed out by the author of “The War On Cops,” black and Hispanic officers are way more likely to shoot a suspect than a white cop.
And what was pointed-out by many commentators is the fact that in Ferguson, there was no “hands up, don’t shoot.” Never happened. But, that’s the “liberal” narrative.
What did happen in Furgeson was that a guy who had just robbed a store was told to get out of the street, and instead of complying, tried to grab the cop’s gun. The DOJ concurred.
This is not to say that I believe the Baton Rouge and Minnesota shootings to be justified. I don’t, at this point, believe they were. However, we need to remember that blacks commit murders at a rate eight times that of whites. Vast disparities exist through the gamut of crimes committed, with blacks leading the way in all categories. Just look at Chicago, St. Louis and Baltimore- even Wilmington- all run by Socialist-Democrats and all Murder Towns.
So, let’s blame the cops. Ridiculous. Try obeying the law.
No wonder the jails are full of black people. For murder, assault, rape, robbery and so on. Just go to Obama’s own FBI website for the statistics.
“The Black community in this nation feels, rightly or wrongly, that they are oppressed. They see the police as the enemy, they feel their communities are under siege. Add to this, their perception there is no accountability for officers who shoot black people,” – Frank
Replace “feel” with know and “perception” with recognition and you’d have hit the nail.
The “black community” is under siege by roving gangs of black criminals that make any public space virtually uninhabitable at night. Blacks are eight times more likely to commit murder than whites, even though they are only thirteen-percent of the population.
Socialist-Democrats and black grievance promotors like Jackson and Sharpton are always calling for an “open dialogue” on race. In other words, let’s continue to blame whitey. Why not look openly at reality? The reality is that the black race in America is the most violent and uneducated demographic. The reality is that blacks commit more murders, assaults, rapes and other violent crimes and fail to finish high school at a rate much higher than any other demographic. These are facts that must no longer be swept under the rug.
I am sick and tired of the left blaming whites for what is an internal problem. Quit having babies at fifteen. Go to high school. Quit selling drugs. Get a job. Let’s place the blame for the dysfunctional black community where it rightly belongs; the black community.
Rick,
Read your preceding comment and explain how that is supposed to attract black voters to the GOP.
Most black voters- the uneducated dupes- actually think that the Socialist-Democrats care about them. What the Socialist-Democrats really care about is keeping them on the Plantation and themselves in the Big House.
Most black Republicans are higher educated and more upwardly mobile than their Socialist-Democrat brethren. They haven’t fallen for the grievance trap set for the unwitting. They understand that in America, anyone can make it. They are more concerned with schools, civil order and jobs than handouts.
The Plantation voter who always pulls the D lever should come to understand that to succeed, it usually helps if you graduate from high school and don’t get pregnant at fifteen.
That’s how you see it from “the Big House” ?
The Big House is political office.
“There is another class of coloured people who make a business of keeping the troubles, the wrongs, and the hardships of the Negro race before the public. Having learned that they are able to make a living out of their troubles, they have grown into the settled habit of advertising their wrongs — partly because they want sympathy and partly because it pays. Some of these people do not want the Negro to lose his grievances, because they do not want to lose their jobs.” ….Booker T. Washington
There’s a class of white people who make a business scapegoat the poor, blacks and minorities. Mostly uneducated hate driven old white rubes.
“The “black community” is under siege by roving gangs…” – rick
Whatever Booker T. Washington said a century ago, today, the ‘roving gangs’ are the cops.
Whatever Booker T. Washington said a century ago….…delacrat
Is still relevant today. See Sharpton, Jackson, Obama and the rest of today’s race hustlers.
Time changes- technology advances- but mankind stays the same. You can’t “invent” new human characteristics. Anyone who has read Horace, Shakespeare or Pope know’s this to be obvious.
…. today, the ‘roving gangs’ are the cops.
Yeah, like in Murder Town? Chicago? New Orleans?
Blacks murder blacks by the thousands, year in and year out. Where is Obama? Where is Jackson? Where is Sharpton?
They aren’t around on the fundemental black murder proclivity because there is no political advantage to be gained in doing so.
As an aside, isn’t it curious how many of these guys arguing with cops are carrying guns? And that in most cases, they have extensive criminal records? I guess gun toting criminals are the norm in the “black community.”
Go march with Black Lives Matter, and after the camera crews leave, they can rob you- or worse. In case you don’t know it, you are what’s known as a “useful idiot.”
“Blacks murder blacks by the thousands, …” – rick
Well, whites murder whites by the thousands.
By your twisted logic, that would justify police murders of white people.