It started with George Floyd and Derek Chauvin. The world immediately condemned the excessive use of force that led to Floyd's death. The entire world. (I'm sure Huffington Post or some other great journalistic outlet of the sort posted some story about a couple of backwoods, Trump-supporting degenerates that rejoiced in it, but you know, aside from that.) From this clear cut case of police brutality the cries of racism rose. And rose, and rose. This despite any true evidence of actual racism. No where in the video does Chauvin use a racial slur. No where in his 19 year career is there a pattern or support for this claim.
So instead the narrative became the ideology of "systemic racism" and inherent bias in all police work. This became the rallying cry, despite not a single ounce of statistical evidence being put forth. What place do facts and statistics have in a fever-pitch of emotions?
And those emotions boiled over into the ugly riots. Since the great media outlets seem to have collectively lost their dictionaries, there are other words than "protest." Those words are arson, burglary, vandalism, assault, and murder. Through all this, politicians stoked the proverbial fires for public good will and the media encouraged the stoking of actual fires through their one-sided coverage. The "BLM" slogan was soon rivaled by "ACAB," or All Cops Are Bad. Many municipalities threatened to defund their police.
Then the Rayshard Brooks/Garrett Rolfe shooting happened. Just how far the pendulum has swung became instantly clear.
I watched the video. Now here it is important to note, if you don't know me well enough to know already, I am a white, Republican who works in law enforcement. I am not a use of force expert. I have however received the standard training all Colorado peace officers receive and do everything I can to educate myself on use of force scenarios.
Simply put, I thought this was one of the most justifiable shootings I have ever seen. What starts as a polite contact, with background conversation and general questioning suddenly turns violent. Not because the officers used excessive force or were making an illegal arrest. Brooks makes the choice to resist arrest. Brooks over-powers two officers. Brooks wrestles the CEW (Conducted Energy Weapon) away from the officer. Brooks, as he is fleeing, turns back towards the officers, points it at them and discharges the weapon. In every previous case I have heard, and through all my training, deadly force is appropriate and necessary in this situation. I have not met, nor can I imagine finding an officer who doesn't see this as justified.
Rolfe was immediately fired. No hearing, no independent review, no investigation. His supervisor immediately resigned. And now the mob mentality has led to him facing murder charges along with 10 other charges.
This is where those adjectives from early come in. How? How can an officer follow all of his training, be well within the guidelines of his agency, and still have his life ruined in this way?
How does any officer put on a uniform and go to work knowing you are danged if you do and dead if you don't?
How do the majority of Americans remain silent while those sworn to protect them are ripped to shreds?
The mayor of Atlanta, Keisha Bottoms, held a press conference a few days later. There she casually dropped the line that "Brooks was murdered." Later, when talking about the new executive order she was implementing about use of force, she never states that Officer Rolfe acted outside of current guidelines. Instead Bottoms spouted a line about "de-escalation" and not an immediate use of force "when there are other options available." Watch the video. Tell me where the opportunity for de-escalation was. Tell me what other options were available.
As often happens in a tragic situation, the emotional card of "think of all the loved ones he left behind." Why is that card never played back though? If it was your husband, daughter, nephew, guy-on-your-softball-team, at what point can they defend their life? And if you don't think someone pointing a CEW at you, a person who has already shown a willingness to violently oppose police and disarm them, is a deadly situation, then I would recommend you watch a video on people being hit with a CEW. The general charge cycle is 5 seconds. Those five seconds could be your last if a violent criminal completely immobilizes you.
Lastly, the criminal charges themselves. How does a district attorney, someone versed in the law and knowledgeable of things like precedent (the idea that previous cases stand as authority for similar cases, all of which support the use of deadly force when faced with a CEW) bring these forward?
Paul Howard, the DA, is being investigated by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and is in a tight run-off election. Hum...this couldn't be politically motivated could it? Would an attorney really play a popularity contest with a man's life in the balance? Tennessee v. Garner, a Supreme Court case from 1985 alone would seem to say so (Google it up, reading up on Supreme Court cases is always a good thing.)
So what is my point? Is this just a lengthy gripe? No. Its a call to action. There can no longer be a "silent majority." If you value law enforcement, if you think America is a whole heck of a lot better off thanks to the sacrifice of the men and women in blue, then it's time to act.
It's time for MADD and FADD to march in protest for the cops who were trying to take a drunk driver off the streets. It is time for family, friends, and neighbors to stand in front of their various capitol buildings and town halls in unison saying we won't allow those we love, those who serve and protect us to be destroyed. It is time for every person who is of legal voting age to make sure that the politicians who have passed worthless, meaningless, and dangerous knee-jerk legislation to make their voices heard. It is time to fill social media with support for those in blue, to share the stories of those who have protected and respected law enforcement. The "mainstream media" must be drowned out, tuned out, and flushed down the ratings drain.
"We the people" need to take back our country. Not in violence. Not in the "when they pry it out of my cold dead hands" mentality. But instead in a voice of unity, that voice rising above all the other noise, a voice that says "we support law enforcement."
And for those in law enforcement we must be better. We must continue to condemn the Derek Chauvins, to step in and stop an officer who is using excessive force. We must continue to call out corruption, racism, or immoral actions. But we must also continue to support each other, now more than ever. We must train harder, ask each other difficult questions, and constantly seek to improve. We have chosen a dangerous and extremely difficult career. That doesn't excuse us, it should compel us. And with the backing of those who support us we can endure.
America, you must ask yourself one simple question. Do you believe you are safer with police than without? I fear if something doesn't change drastically and change soon, we may not have a choice.
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