So, after all the tormented examination of some killings by police officers, we get an unarguable revenge killing of 2 police officers.
The killings by police officers, were an odd mix of cases (Brown, Garner, Rice, Crawford), but all involved black men shot by cops in cases where the initial situation involved either very minor crime, or no crime at all. The Rice and Crawford cases involved toy guns that the police didn't know were toys. The Brown and Garner cases involved confrontations that escalated terribly.
But now we get this, a black man, Ismaaiyl Brinsley, killing 2 cops in revenge, "putting wings on pigs" as he reportedly put it on Instagram.
NYC has a melting pot police force, and the 2 cops he killed were not "white" exactly, but not "black" either. Going by surnames and appearances, one looks to have been Hispanic, and the other East Asian. In other situations, if they were victims being lionized by the left, they would already be referred to as "people of color".
The perpetrator, though, is a black-looking man with a Muslim-looking first name, who may have considered himself as a Muslim, who shot 2 cops on anti-terrorism training duty.
Needless to say, the perpetrator, who also shot his own girlfriend, was probably all kinds of crazy. And I think he did us all a favor by offing himself.
Did I mention that NYC protesters were filmed calling for "dead cops"?
This reminds me of the 60s, when the revolutionaries would chant "Off the pigs!". The way it plays out, is renewed respect for the police.
People feel a need for organized protection. They would like that protection to be conducted in a reasonable, non-discriminatory manner. But they really don't like murderous jerks who set out to kill cops. The optics on this are terrible for the left. This is a big splashy case which will command a lot of national attention.
When you demonize the police,
you do not help the cause of peace.
Correction: They weren't on anti-terrorism duty. "In a related story, both were reassigned from an anti-terror beat to enhancing security at a public housing development in Brooklyn’s Bed-Stuy neighborhood — the exact population the NYPD is accused of victimizing."
Bedford-Stuyvesant is a notoriously tough black neighborhood. You may have heard the old Billy Joel song:
I've been stranded in the combat zone
I walked through Bedford Stuy alone
Even rode my motorcycle in the rain
And you told me not to drive
But I made it home alive
So you said that only proves that I'm insane.
Devastating to the shooter's putative cause, and an enormous political gift to his opponents. Now if you happen to have opposed police brutality, there's "blood on your hands."
ReplyDeleteAnother great year of blogging, John. Highly enjoyed.
Police brutality is a real enough problem, too, and I think most people are opposed to it. I think that explains the widespread support for requiring the police to film their interactions with the public.
ReplyDeleteHere in Chicago, in practice, we have the following system. Cops rarely get convicted of misbehavior, but victims of brutality (or their families) often get big monetary compensation from the people who hire the police - namely the taxpayers.
I think it works out this way in other places too. I'm not sure exactly why. It doesn't seem like a great way to do things.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIn Nevada they operate with a similar impunity, though I haven't heard about the payouts.
ReplyDeleteMy maxim: "All cops deserve your respect. Some are honest and decent; the rest are crooked and have guns."