The Dallas shooting has cast a shadow over the Black Lives Matter movement.
This is the beginning of a change in the movement, the time has come for its supporters to decide who they want to be and what kind of impact they want to have on the country they live in.
Five police officers have lost their lives protecting the very people who were protesting them. While there are some cops in the world who do bad things and abuse their power, the majority of them are not like that. When we lose respect for police officers who are only enforcing the law, then we get our communities into trouble.
Black Lives Matter protests the killings of any black person's death by a cop as long as it makes the national news. This is fine. They have the right to protest. But the protest won't mean anything if the person shot was a criminal or acting against the police.
No, a police officer cannot arrest you for being black and doing nothing. Of course everyone knows this is wrong. At the same time, no one should be resisting arrest. Black or white or any color, you obey the police officer. If you're innocent and released, you go, file a complaint against the officer, and prove your case of wrongful arrest to a judge. Police can be wrong and make mistakes, but resisting arrest in these situations almost always leads to bad outcomes.
When we start disrespecting the police who are only there to protect us, they will become less likely to help people in dangerous situations, black or white. They will fear making headlines while trying to keep people safe. Many people don’t realize this, but it would be easier for the police officers on duty to let criminals go instead of responding to calls, because whenever they respond to calls for help, they end up on the news for shooting someone who was a risk to public safety. All this bullying of police does is put civilians at risk to criminals on the streets.
Black Lives Matter can absolutely protest police brutality of innocent people. No one disagrees with this. But they also need to acknowledge the black on black crimes in their communities, because if this were changed even a little bit, police wouldn’t be called as often and put in these predicaments
This is true of any community where there is high crime, no matter what their race is. People in high crime communities need to speak out against criminals and help their police officers keep everyone safe. They can work with their communities to make them safer. At the same time, police officers need to stand with Black Lives Matter and others when there are corrupt officers in their ranks.
Both communities can help each other, but right now they’re too busy playing the blame game. Nothing is solved with fighting, but instead, they need to work together to right the wrongs in their groups. If you have a problem with the laws the police are enforcing, then talk to the politicians that are supposed to be helping you. Support criminal justice reform, but don’t just blame the cops who are following orders. Officers want to help people, they don't want to have to shoot someone. But imagine going to work every day wondering if you're going to make it out alive and continue to do that in order to help people who disrespect your profession.
Change can happen in both communities to make life better. We have to stop blaming and instead come together to make our neighborhoods safer.
