Written by Hint: It’s not about race
Checking the headlines today, and there’s all this buzz about a couple of cops getting shot in Ferguson, MO. The city has been a hotbed of violence and tension since the shooting of Michael Brown, a black man, and especially since the white police officer who shot him, Darren Wilson, was not indicted for the shooting.
I’m no fan of cops. They are the guys who strap on guns to unquestioningly carry out the edicts of politicians, just because they won a popularity contest. For a paycheck, these people threaten violence against everybody else for a myriad of “crimes” that almost never involve an actual victim. They threaten, assault, kidnap, rob, and even murder, with legal impunity.
So the temptation to label them as racists is understandable to me. What better way to stir up hate against a group of people that rightfully ought to be hated, right? To be labeled a racist in 2015 is a serious problem, and the debate around that subject has become so distorted that saying “My best friend is black” only serves as proof that you really are a racist. I’m not saying this makes sense, just making an observation.
So if you’re a blatantly dishonest propagandist who just wants people to hate police, have at it folks. That’s a fine smear tactic, just don’t expect me to take you seriously as an accountability activist. You’re completely disregarding the real reason that police and ordinary people are killing each other.
Why Police Kill People
To understand why people are killing police, you need to first look at who started the conflict. Police kill citizens at a rate of 4:1 per the Bureau of Justice Statistics, and the ratio is actually far higher when you look at other sources like KilledByPolice.net.
It shouldn’t be too difficult to understand why that happens. It is their job to kill people.