I share this by way of starting an open thread for y’all to discuss this week’s deadly shootings — in case any of you are so inclined on a Friday:
SCDP STATEMENT ON RECENT SHOOTINGS
Columbia, SC – South Carolina Democratic Party Chair Jaime Harrison released the following statement today on the shootings that occurred this week in Baton Rouge, LA, Falcon Heights, MN, and Dallas, TX:
“My heart breaks for the families who have lost loved ones in these horrific tragedies, and I pray for a full recovery for those who sustained injuries. We must honor them by coming together, as Lincoln said, ‘with malice toward none, with charity for all,’ to break down the barriers between us that all too often lead to needless violence. We in South Carolina emerged from the tragic deaths of Walter Scott and the Emanuel 9 last year stronger and more united, but this week’s events remind us that we must continue to strive to make our state and our nation the beloved community that Dr. King dreamed of. I think it is imperative that we come together not as Democrats or Republicans but as Americans. In the coming days, I, along with several partners, will announce an event at which I hope we can continue the dialogue and share techniques to improve and strengthen the relationships between law enforcement and all communities, but specifically communities of color.”
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Not very touching — could have been written by anyone willing to call wanton acts of muder just “shootings”.
The acid test for high-minded political pronouncements after murderous outrages should not be begs for good folks coming together (good folks do come together), but absence of remarks that insinuate any validity for racial divides at the start.
Since 2008, Democrats and Republicans have concluded the “racial divide”, rather than being helped by insincere government pronouncements, have actually become deeper. Mention of a “racial divide” fosters a perception that deserves scant validity. More caucasians and more hispanics are killed annually by police than blacks.
Like the man in the Oval office, the Chair of South Carolina’s Democratic Party might want to appeal to stubborn facts for a change.
Why can we not remember that “there’s only one race and that’s humankind?” Why can’t we remember that we are supposed to be our brother’s keeper, not our brother’s killer? Why can’t we at least try to love our neighbor as ourself? Lord, have mercy upon us!
One way we might minimize the number of shootings is if police were charged with enforcing actual crimes rather than trivial matters. The “broken taillight” stop is more likely an excuse for cops to check out “suspicious” people (i.e. black).
How about we remove that law from the books and just accept that we might have a few more traffic accidents when a taillight is ACTUALLY broken?
And on a larger scale – let’s stop arresting people who smoke pot. Let’s stop putting people (blacks statistically more frequently) in jail for non-violent activities. There are far too many prisons (and hefty government contracts to private firms) to run prisons. Prisons should be for violent people or those who steal significant sums of money. And murderers should be put to death rather than housed for decades. Stop the prison culture that creates even more criminal activity.
Doug, if both of your taillights are out, would you agree to the stop? Lights are a safety issue, most people don’t ever know when their taillights burn out because nobody since 1974 has ever checked theirs.