Riots and violence in dozens of cities; President Trump fanning the flames by doing what he does best: Speaking (or tweeting) in brash and caustic terms; smug progressives cheering on the disorder from within their gated communities; so-called intellectuals such as Professor Cornel West upping the game with their advocacy of left-wing, statist policies..... Where to begin?
Well, I'm going to repeat something I blogged about back in 2015 ("Something's Amiss") regarding bad apple police officers and the tense black-white dynamics that have played out repeatedly over the past few years in many of our cities.
Most police officers are upstanding people. They risk their lives to protect the public, and their compensation is modest. Their job entails putting up with a great deal of stress, unpredictability and sometimes life-threatening danger. It is often a thankless job, and sadly, the few bad apples among them have tarnished the name of the entire law enforcement community.
The problem is that the bad apples always seem to hang on for way too long. Too often, when one of them commits an egregious act against a minority, there is insufficient punishment. Then, when the officer ends up killing a minority a few years later, we wonder: Why didn't this officer's supervisors take heed when the red flags popped up? That's what many are wondering in the wake of the death of Minneapolis resident George Floyd, who died on Memorial Day. The officer who kneeled on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes is being charged with third degree murder.
In some cases, the obstinate police union digs in its heels against any form of discipline. Unions in general too often defend bad or even criminal performance by their members; we'll see if the newly launched investigations into Floyd's death and the background of the officer charged with killing him reveals this to be the case.
This disturbing pattern of rogue law enforcement officials needs to be addressed. It is true many cops are under extreme stress, fear for their lives and are frustrated with hardened criminals being put out on the streets after doing little time for serious crimes. But it also seems there's a "gung-ho" contingent of officers whose machismo and abuse of authority gets the better of them. It's high time police departments and the governments overseeing them root out these bad elements.
But with all of that being said, there's no question that anarchists such as the Antifa scum have played a big role in the unrest that stretches from coast to coast. Several cities have reported that the majority of the arrests of rioters have involved people from outside the area. And although the corrupt news media has attempted to implicate right-wing militia groups along with lefties such as Antifa, the evidence does not point in that direction.
In addition to the outside anarchists and anger of black Americans regarding the unjust killings of African Americans by police officers, it's quite possible that anti-lockdown mania might also have played a big role in the riots. Untold numbers of people nationwide have been locked down for nearly three months, and they're ready to explode.
We have the pandemic lockdown and Orwellian controls, on the one hand, and anarchy in the cites on the other. And a side note to wrap things up: Some of the insufferable and narcissistic Hollywood entertainers have proudly tweeted out that they have given $100k or whatever to help imprisoned rioters meet bail. If they really cared about helping those who are struggling and need help, that money would go toward helping the black and Hispanic business owners whose small businesses have been destroyed by rioters.
That would make sense. And that's why it's unlikely to happen.
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