The sources for their graphs were the Officer Down Memorial Page and the FBI. I'm not sure what other sources they should cite. Like I said I'm sure this year is going to go against the trend but the statistics show that crime against police officers had been going in the right direction. Hopefully we can get it going back in that direction.

 

Some of the stats were, and they were from 2014 and before. Their 2015 projections fell way short, AND THE ARTICLE IS NEARLY A YEAR OLD. So yea, it's the Washington Post. If you can't tell by the tone of the article that they aren't overly concerned about Law Enforcement with their dismissive bias, well that's on you and mcpapa. I'm done :ohbrother:

With all due respect to all posters in this thread, that's the thing about data. I tends to show historical (dated) figures. It's not rocket science to understand that an up to the minute number is likely difficult to find. So the numbers are correct, and are dated. It doesn't take Ernst and Young to do the math, nor CNN to shock us with a stat that has obviously risen, given the events in July. Officer deaths are up, or your head is down. You know,,,in the sand.

With all due respect to all posters in this thread, that's the thing about data. I tends to show historical (dated) figures. It's not rocket science to understand that an up to the minute number is likely difficult to find. So the numbers are correct, and are dated. It doesn't take Ernst and Young to do the math, nor CNN to shock us with a stat that has obviously risen, given the events in July. Officer deaths are up, or your head is down. You know,,,in the sand.

Agreed 100%. Police are being mowed down at an alarming rate. Unfortunately, the effect of the environment that exists in our inner cities is beginning to manifest itself in pure hatred. There are gonna have to be a lot of tough

questions asked, which will bring answers that I'm not sure this country is ready for.

Agreed 100%. Police are being mowed down at an alarming rate. Unfortunately' date=' the effect of the environment that exists in our inner cities is beginning to manifest itself in pure hatred. There are gonna have to be a lot of tough questions asked, which will bring answers that I'm not sure this country is ready for.[/quote']

 

What is the environment and what are the tough questions ?

^ I was going to start another thread but I think this is the place. I am going to state one perspective that I think collides with the whole BLM movement and other people who point to systemic racism as the cause of unjust police encounters with African American people. Is that really the problem?

 

@Clyde asks what is the environment and what are the tough questions -- in response to another post. I can't speak for that poster but I will state what I think seems to be the current disagreement among two perspectives on what is happening in society.

 

The environment is that there is a false narrative perpetuated by the media and others that is fueling anger in the black community against LE. It is represented by the slogan, "Hands Up, Don't Shoot." We know this did not happen in the way it is presented. A very thorough study by the DOJ debunked this whole thing. Yet the narrative is already set.

 

The media has taken individual incidents of African-Americans who have been shot by police and instead of judging them on an individual basis looking at the circumstances that led to the shooting, the actions of those who have been shot, and the actions of the police in doing so. Some of them have been bad shoots by the police. Some of them have been unfortunate incidents due to extenuating circumstances but you can see that the actions of a suspect led to the shooting. Some of them have been bad judgment by a police officer. Has any of them been because the LEO was a racist?

 

However, all of that is ignored and there is one common factor, an African American was shot by a police officer. So all the incidents are woven together in one narrative with the theme that the police are out to get African Americans, especially young African American males. This has fueled anger at the police and so some extremist feels justified in shooting at police officers. Those who are not extremists, nevertheless, can understand how the police could be targeted and maybe even sympathize with the person who shot at the police. Others won't openly condone violence against LE but feel like police actions of treating black people unfairly during questioning, etc. is the cause of violence against LEOs as a response. To perpetuate a false narrative such as the one represented by the commonly occurring phrase at protests, "Hands up Don't shoot", is a dangerous game to play. It fuels the anger against police.

 

There was a link posted in this thread to an article saying that claiming that there is a war on cops is dangerous because it puts police on edge and makes them more likely to react out of fear, etc. and to act with brutality. Here's the link Once again: There is no ‘war on cops.’ And those who claim otherwise are playing a dangerous game. - The Washington Post

 

By that same logic, we could say that weaving a false narrative of police brutality against African Americans is fueling today's anti-cop reaction that has led some on the edge to act angrily and violently. The media does bear some responsibility. So do those protest groups that perpetuate the "Hands Up, Don't Shoot" narrative.

 

This is what this African American LEO believes and this is what he said to the CNN host who interviewed him.

 

http://www.truthrevolt.org/news/sheriff-david-clarke-demolishes-cnns-lemon-over-hateful-black-lives-matter

 

So this is the environment we live in created by a false narrative. Tough questions would include:

 

1. Is this really a false narrative or is there a war on African Americans by police? What objective proof do you have to support your contention?

 

2. If this narrative is false, why did this narrative get started and then perpetuated?

 

3. Why do African American young men so often find themselves at odds with LE?

 

4. Why do police react the way they do in certain situations?

 

5. Looking at each shooting of an African American person by police separately, what do we learn? Was the actions of the African American suspect the catalyst for the shooting or did the LEO act unjustly? Each case should be judged separately.

 

6. Is it valid for many to point to Black-on-Black violence as the #1 problem faced by the African American community and LE or is that just an excuse for white people to ignore the problems of injustice faced by African Americans as a result of systemic racism?

 

7. In finding answers to those questions, what do we learn and how do we take steps to break down the barriers to peace, unity, brotherhood/sisterhood, and reconciliation? If my underlying assumptions are wrong, I want to know it so I can act based on reality. Ultimately, I want to be able to look at every other human being as a brother or sister with positive feelings towards them not with suspicion or hatred fueled by racism.

 

These are the issues as I see them and I think this is where the divide lies between basically good people who see things differently. What is the way forward?

Edited July 18, 201610 yr by oldgrappler

The environment you would expect involving people who have dealt with extreme poverty and violence for prolonged periods of time. May not be the place for this discussion, though I believe these are contributing factors in the recent violence against law enforcement.

delete.. I can't get it to post the actual video, only the link

CNN is reporting that officials have stated it is clear the gunman targeted police.

 

Also that there is a video showing this was a planned attack.

CNN is reporting that officials have stated it is clear the gunman targeted police.

 

Also that there is a video showing this was a planned attack.

 

I think it's 100% that he was targeting police. You can say that even if you didn't read/listen to his thoughts that we're now coming across. He drew them to him.

^ I was going to start another thread

 

Good discussion points, sir.

 

One issue that I will disagree with you on is that the media set the narrative. The media didn't start the "Hands Up Don't Shoot" mantra. They reported on it. It was already there. We cannot expect them to ignore what people are saying in these protests. Social media helped expand that mantra to other communities more than traditional media.

 

The media reports on what people are talking about in regards to who their audience is. They want eyeballs. If a lot of people are talking about Ferguson protests they're going to cover it 24/7. Any resulting actions - good or bad - are placed squarely on those who take those actions. No different than saying "it's not guns - it's the people" or "It's not BLM - it's the extremists..."

 

I need to read your manifest again to dive into it more.

What is the environment and what are the tough questions ?

 

my response to your question is in post #155. I tried to do the @ ______ thing but couldn't get it to work.

 

That post is not just directed at you, but everyone.

Steven Maxwell ‏@MaxwellKALB 9m9 minutes ago

Long had three guns during attack. Stag Arms, M4 variant, 5.56 caliber rifle.

 

Police believe he may have been in the area for a few days scouting.

One officer is still fighting for his life.

One officer left cover to go help a downed officer. Both were killed.

Chief said the SWAT officer killed Long with a 100-yard shot.