Written by Eric Kearsley, Willow Street. This LTE was first published on June 4, 2020 in LNP/LancasterOnline. Reprinted here with permission from the author.
One more example of reprehensible policing tragically reminds us that we still have more work to end the terrible story of racism in America. Every time this happens, we make some progress: there are now more black mayors and more black chiefs of police than ever before, community-based policing is becoming the norm, and body cams are now in widespread use. With all that and more, the murderous act of one cop surrounded by other cops who inexplicably fail to intervene sets off nation-wide protests for justice. Two easy changes: we need a national ban on the use of neck restraints of any sort and police training that emphasizes shared culpability for all on-scene tragedies.
In cities across the country, including Lancaster, we also see images of cops taking the knee to show their support for the people who are in the streets to peaceably protest the brutal injustice we witnessed in Minneapolis. Sadly, there are other, more sinister forces taking advantage of the situation: extremists who just want to sow chaos, looters out to make a score, and an unchecked White House using any means to achieve its ends. We need the overwhelming number of peaceful demonstrators as well as the good cops in this country to help stop the looters and the extremists and then we need the people in November to change the occupant of the White House.
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