In the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., “Violence as a way of achieving racial justice is both impractical and immoral.” Such would be my response to the man who took it upon himself to dispense a perverse revenge upon the officers patrolling the streets of Dallas, Texas, during a Black Lives Matter protest. This country has been wracked with killing in the past several days, and according to reports, the Dallas sniper was responding to police shootings in Minnesota and Louisiana. His name was Micah Johnson, and he murdered five officers and wounded seven more, in addition to two civilians. Although more information regarding his motive for doing so may be uncovered, for now, it seems as though what happened was simply a reactionary crime of hate and revenge.
Both the shooting in Baton Rouge and Falcon Heights are shrouded in some uncertainty because of the freshness of each case. An officer killing a citizen is no light matter, and proper investigations must be conducted to secure justice. Neither shooting is clear cut, and the Black Lives Matter community responded by holding protests in most major cities across the United States.
Their frustration seems legitimate. According to the Daily Wire, in 2015, African Americans made up 26 percent of police-caused deaths, but only about 13 percent of the total population. Following the case in Ferguson Missouri, there have been many allegations of racism in police departments across America. In Minnesota and Louisiana there is some doubt about whether or not lethal force was necessary, or whether race was a factor. Knowing this, it is difficult to pass judgement on the police officers when the totality of circumstances is unknown.
When looking at cases such as Ferguson, Baton Rouge, and Falcon Heights, it is easy to see why the Black Lives Matter movement has gained so much traction. They are growing on a sentiment of injustice. But that begs the question: why are so many African Americans killed in comparison to the size of their demographic?
The answer may lie in crime statistics. In a speech made by Heather McDonald, she cites that most black men killed by police "were armed or otherwise threatening the officer with potentially lethal force." She also shows that African Americans commit the majority of assaults, murders, and robberies “in the 75 biggest counties in the country, despite only comprising roughly 15 percent of the population in these counties.” Such a disparate amount of crime committed by a minority of the population could lead police to be especially tense and possibly violent when dealing with African Americans. Of course these statistics do not absolve officers of all guilt, but they provide some perspective.
Exploring this topic opens the door to many others, such as why are African Americans convicted of so much crime? Why does law enforcement in America kill so many more people every year than law enforcement in Europe? What can be done about the violent culture in the United States?
The recent tragedies in Minnesota, Louisiana, and Dallas have devastated families and communities, and hurt American trust in police forces. In the aftermath of such horrific events, it is prudent to examine the circumstances behind the violence and what can be changed in order to avoid repeats of these events in the future.
Statistics- http//www.dailywire.com/news/7264/5-statistics-yo...
