On Saturday a deranged lunatic killed two New York City police officers while they were sitting in their car in Brooklyn. Earlier in the day the same psychopath shot his girlfriend in Baltimore. After shooting the policemen he killed himself.
Now on the news and social media I see a lot of right wing rhetoric blaming the protestors, President Obama, Attorney General Eric Holder, NYC Mayor De Blasio, Al Sharpton and others for inciting this crime. NYC police officers turned their backs on the mayor at a news conference. The president of their union said the mayor and others had blood on their hands.
That’s just more lunacy.
This shooter incited himself. He did not need protesters voicing opposition to a very real problem on police abuses to incite him.
I do not think the police actions have earned them to be assassinated. But while right wing rhetoric say protesters have figurative blood on their hands, many police officers have literal blood on their hands. They’ve killed many black men and even children and a system is in place where they investigate themselves with very little consequence except for public outrage.
The police put themselves on a higher pedestal than those they police. Look at the police reaction in Brooklyn on Saturday. They closed down blocks, sent out officers in military, swat and riot gear, closed down subway stops, and had a helicopter circling above the neighborhood. Is that how they react when an officer kills a man suspected of selling loose cigarettes?
These same people who blame the protesters rushed to defend Sarah Palin of inciting the shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Palin had posted cross hairs on Giffords Congressional district. Go figure. Of course Giffords wasn’t out abusing her authority to encourage being shot. Palin also stated “don’t retreat…reload.” Imagine the outrage if Sharpton had said such an inciting statement.
Cops don’t deserve to be shot down or assaulted in any way. They do deserve our respect and thanks for doing a dangerous job from which they may not come home from after each shift. They also deserve scrutiny and accountability. Saying as such and even being angry at them does not make anyone liable for the actions of lunatics.
If this man was incited to shoot cops then who or what incited him to shoot his girlfriend?
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