Did This Life Matter?

http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/05/us/nypd-officer-shooting/index.html

Miosotis Familia

Formerly, the allegations were that white police officers shoot black men. More recently, it is alleged that police officers shoot black men. The emphasis has so far been placed entirely on the police and not on the reason that black men are shot by police. In this latest example, a black police officer was shot by a black man. This seems to mirror the black on black violence across the entire USA. The questions should be who are the people who are using guns and committing violent crimes and why? If they are disproportionately representative of a certain demographic group, then we should ask why is that? Most of us can see the mugshots of those who are arrested for violent crimes. If these pictures show a particular demographic group more often than others, then again, why? It is only normal for humans, who are able to learn by discriminating between things such as hot and cold or dangerous and safe, to begin to see those groups most frequently represented in violent crimes as potential threats. Police officers are humans.

So if at some point as a society "we" want to seriously address these issues, we have to step back from the hysteria of race and address the why questions. Everyone, regardless of their demographic group, has to assume the responsibility for their own actions. This seems to differ from the current, "politically correct" tendency to blame others instead of taking responsibility for your decisions and actions.

Is it still about race?

In my opinion, strengthening families, increasing parental responsibility, becoming educated and employed and reducing the notion that being a "gangsta," or street thug is a way to become "successful," would be of great benefit to everyone in our society. But the changes have to come from within the groups involved. I know that they want some kind of change—because they are out protesting whenever a black man gets shot by a police officer. Unfortunately, the responsibility is always shifted to the police and not to those who are making poor lifestyle decisions.

—KJC