Friday, October 27, 2017

Why Do Some Lives Matter More?

As we move toward another weekend, I've been reflecting on the shooting deaths of two black men in St. Paul last weekend. Why didn't these murders spark the outrage and protests that occur when a black man is shot by police?

http://www.startribune.com/17-people-shot-two-fatally-in-minneapolis-and-st-paul-since-last-week/452630183/

The answer appears to be political. There is nothing to be gained by protesting black against black violence; or is there? Why should only a few shootings be politicized? Why do some lives seem to matter more?

What needs to be asked, is why people are out in the world shooting guns at one another? What is the root cause? Blaming the issues on police is, pardon the pun, a "cop out."

If need be, compare successful individuals within any demographic with those who are caught shooting guns, committing crime and murdering people. What is the difference between the two groups? Is it influenced by economics? Is it absentee fathers? Is it a glorification of street culture? Is it a lack of commitment to education? Is it a broken family structure? I'm just brainstorming here.

But it seems that if "we" as a society decide to blame the police for these social issues when we employee the police to "keep the peace," we are really far off the mark to ever finding a solution to the truth of the problem.

-KJC

http://kstp.com/news/st-paul-police-identify-weekend-shooting-victims/4644139/?cat=12196

1 comment:

The Father of Five said...

Society is such a complicated machine... There are SO MANY moving parts - many of which you mention here. All play a roll.