Before we had the Dallas police massacre – initial reports are that five officers dead, six injured – we had this statement about the police shootings of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, LA and Philandro Castile in Falcon Heights, MN, from President Obama – in rust, with my comments in blue:
“All Americans should be deeply troubled by the fatal shootings of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Philando Castile in Falcon Heights, Minnesota. We’ve seen such tragedies far too many times, and our hearts go out to the families and communities who’ve suffered such a painful loss. Troubled about what, Mr. President? Do you know the circumstances of these shootings yet? No you do not. My heart does not go out to the families and communities if one or both of these men did something which caused those officers to shoot. And – again – WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT THE FACTS ARE. But nice of you to suggest the verdict is already in.
“Although I am constrained in commenting on the particular facts of these cases, I am encouraged that the U.S. Department of Justice has opened a civil rights investigation in Baton Rouge, and I have full confidence in their professionalism and their ability to conduct a thoughtful, thorough, and fair inquiry. Brilliant. You are constrained in commenting, but encouraged that your DOJ is immediately treating Alton Sterling’s shooting as a racial incident. That’s some constraint.
“But regardless of the outcome of such investigations, what’s clear is that these fatal shootings are not isolated incidents. How the hell do you know? They are symptomatic of the broader challenges within our criminal justice system, the racial disparities that appear across the system year after year, and the resulting lack of trust that exists between law enforcement and too many of the communities they serve. Repeat: How the hell do you know? Without hearing so much as one word of either officer’s side, you’ve concluded that these are racial executions by rogue cops. And what racial disparities are we talking about? If a segment of the country commits a disproportionate amount of its violent crime, is it a disparity that they get a disproportionate amount of law enforcement attention? I’d love to hear your answer to that…but it will never come.
“To admit we’ve got a serious problem in no way contradicts our respect and appreciation for the vast majority of police officers who put their lives on the line to protect us every single day. Nah, you didn’t do that in the previous paragraph….It is to say that, as a nation, we can and must do better to institute the best practices that reduce the appearance or reality of racial bias in law enforcement. Translation: I don’t know what I’m talking about, but it’s RACIAL RACIAL RACIAL.
“That’s why, two years ago, I set up a Task Force on 21st Century Policing that convened police officers, community leaders, and activists. Together, they came up with detailed recommendations on how to improve community policing. So even as officials continue to look into this week’s tragic shootings, we also need communities to address the underlying fissures that lead to these incidents, and to implement those ideas that can make a difference. That’s how we’ll keep our communities safe. And that’s how we can start restoring confidence that all people in this great nation are equal before the law. There you go. It’s the cops’ fault. Poor community policing. Not a word about what cops in inner city Black communities face every day. Irrelevant’n’immaterial.
“In the meantime, all Americans should recognize the anger, frustration, and grief that so many Americans are feeling — feelings that are being expressed in peaceful protests and vigils. Peaceful? Like last night in Dallas? Michelle and I share those feelings. Rather than fall into a predictable pattern of division and political posturing, let’s reflect on what we can do better. Let’s come together as a nation, and keep faith with one another, in order to ensure a future where all of our children know that their lives matter.” Un effing believable. At the end of this racially divisive diatribe, we get the “let’s come together” line. Who in their right mind believes you?
I congratulate President Obama for making a statement that, in my opinion, provided more than enough material to encourage and inspire people who want to lash out at the police – not necessarily the cops involved in these shootings, any cops would do.
Not at all unlike the racists who, if some offense, real or imagined, were committed by a Black man, looked for a Black man to lynch – not necessarily the one who supposedly committed it, any Black would do.
Would the perpetrators of this massacre have gone on their shooting spree if President Obama’s words were calming, were non-judgmental on the grounds that all the facts are not in? Maybe yes, maybe no.
But with them, and Mr. Obama’s history of making similar comments that divide us racially, I have to wonder how much of what happened last night can be laid at his doorstep.
