07-12-2016, 12:57 PM
Not all black people think alike, of course. I respect and agree with some of sentiments expressed by the individuals in the OP.
I also respect and agree with some of the sentiments of the black surgeon who worked around the clock to care for the Dallas shooting victims. He emotionally admitted that he was sickened by the violence against police, while also admitting that he felt conflicted because his life experiences have led him to fear police and feel sickened by what he sees as some of the unjustified shootings of people of color at the hands of police.
The surgeon was interviewed yesterday, alongside his very close friend (a white male police officer); the two hope that the country can finally start addressing its differences and looking for solutions in the same way they do privately in their friendship. Me too.
Two male black members of Congress were also interviewed yesterday. They are staunchly pro-police and condemn all violence. They shared their stories of being pulled over and targeted by police when they're not in suit and tie, despite doing nothing suspicious or illegal. They, like I, don't' feel conflicted in supporting police and condemning violence while also supporting systemic reform and accountability for willfully bad cops and/or corrupt departments.
Anyway, if the Black Lives Matter movement/policy was promoting the killing of police officers or anyone else, I'd denounce them. They're not, but some black radical groups and protesters are directly or indirectly doing so and I consider them domestic terrorists who hurt the cause.
I support BLM's efforts to bring some of the serious problems related to our criminal justice system to the forefront and push for national change, even though a lot of people who are least affected by the problems don't want to hear it. I think BLM has succeeded on that front and that benefits black lives and all lives, in my opinion.
Better hiring/screening processes for police officers, diversionary programs for youth in Chicago and other high-crime urban areas, better training in de-escalation strategies and situational assessment, more diversity and police training in dealing with the mentally ill, mandatory police body cams to more effectively deter/address violence by civilians and officers, independent investigatory bodies for police brutality cases, and abolishing revenue-generating police policies that negatively impact black citizens disproportionately are all changes that I support, regardless of who's helping to drive them.
I think that the many millions of dollars a year that PDs and city/state governments fork out to settle wrongful death and police brutality suits would be much better spent funding some of those systemic improvements.
I also respect and agree with some of the sentiments of the black surgeon who worked around the clock to care for the Dallas shooting victims. He emotionally admitted that he was sickened by the violence against police, while also admitting that he felt conflicted because his life experiences have led him to fear police and feel sickened by what he sees as some of the unjustified shootings of people of color at the hands of police.
The surgeon was interviewed yesterday, alongside his very close friend (a white male police officer); the two hope that the country can finally start addressing its differences and looking for solutions in the same way they do privately in their friendship. Me too.
Two male black members of Congress were also interviewed yesterday. They are staunchly pro-police and condemn all violence. They shared their stories of being pulled over and targeted by police when they're not in suit and tie, despite doing nothing suspicious or illegal. They, like I, don't' feel conflicted in supporting police and condemning violence while also supporting systemic reform and accountability for willfully bad cops and/or corrupt departments.
Anyway, if the Black Lives Matter movement/policy was promoting the killing of police officers or anyone else, I'd denounce them. They're not, but some black radical groups and protesters are directly or indirectly doing so and I consider them domestic terrorists who hurt the cause.
I support BLM's efforts to bring some of the serious problems related to our criminal justice system to the forefront and push for national change, even though a lot of people who are least affected by the problems don't want to hear it. I think BLM has succeeded on that front and that benefits black lives and all lives, in my opinion.
Better hiring/screening processes for police officers, diversionary programs for youth in Chicago and other high-crime urban areas, better training in de-escalation strategies and situational assessment, more diversity and police training in dealing with the mentally ill, mandatory police body cams to more effectively deter/address violence by civilians and officers, independent investigatory bodies for police brutality cases, and abolishing revenue-generating police policies that negatively impact black citizens disproportionately are all changes that I support, regardless of who's helping to drive them.
I think that the many millions of dollars a year that PDs and city/state governments fork out to settle wrongful death and police brutality suits would be much better spent funding some of those systemic improvements.