First of all, the ‘Washington Examiner’ is one of the least respected ‘rags’ in America. An article in this ‘soon to be forgotten’ publication today, 9/3/16, by Heather Mac Donald, is one of the most racist pieces of misleading misrepresentations I have read in a long time, unless I’m researching FOX Noise.
She wrote in support of all cops; the good and the bad. Along with FOX Noise, she denies the fact that blacks are treated differently than whites in America.
I do not know how old she is, or where she grew up or now lives, but I can speak from experience that this problem has occurred in our nation for as long as I can remember, and I am 70 years of age. The only difference is the existence of cameras. She and the right wing extremists in our nation can continue to live in denial, but the facts are there, and they are undeniable and reprehensible.
Ms. Mac Donald is living in a white world of fantasy and privilege. Let me quote some of her misleading and erroneous statements.
“The idea that the U.S. is experiencing an epidemic of racially driven police shootings is also false, and dangerously so. Several studies released this year show that police officers are less likely to shoot blacks than whites.”
The facts prove otherwise. Statistics prove that the percentage of blacks shot by law enforcement far exceeds those of whites.
“The facts are these: Last year, the police shot 990 people, the vast majority armed or violently resisting arrest, according to the Washington Post’s database of fatal police shootings. Whites made up 49.9 percent of those victims, blacks, 26 percent. That proportion of black victims is lower than what the black violent crime rate would predict.”
The most definitive article regarding deaths caused by lethal force was printed on September 1, 2015. At that time, the number of deaths related to police action was 776; of those 161 were completely unarmed. By November, the number of deaths stood at over 1,000.
Although the numbers Ms. Mac Donald claims are accurate, the percentages are not. Out of every million blacks, five were killed by police, compared to two in every million white or Hispanic citizens. The number of black Americans is disproportionate to those of whites and Hispanics.
Her most blatant lie is embarrassing; for her.
“You would never know it from the activists, but police shootings are responsible for a lower percentage of black homicide deaths than white and Hispanic homicide deaths. Twelve percent of all whites and Hispanics who die of homicide are killed by police officers, compared to 4 percent of black homicide victims.” Really?
Other facts prove that those who are employed to protect and serve the people of our nation are poorly trained. In addition, they should receive psychological evaluations before they are issued a weapon of mass destruction. These truths affect all Americans; the police are no longer your friend.
Individuals such as Ms. Mac Donald, and FOX Noise personalities, claim that the use of force is necessary to protect those who serve in the most dangerous job in America.
The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund reported that 25 officers were killed by gunfire at the time of this article in 2015, with the Officer Down Memorial Page noting that two of those deaths came from accidental discharge of their firearms.
What is more enlightening is that the Bureau of Labor Statistics reveled that members of law enforcement are not among the nation’s top ten most dangerous professions. Among those who lose more lives are loggers, roofers, pilots, and farmers.
Ms. Mac Donald can ‘make-up’ all the statistics she chooses, and a racist remains a racist.
Op-Ed
By James Turnage
Follow me on twitter: @jamesturnagenov
The Truth With No Restrictions 