Condemns police shooting and jeering
As a proud Democrat who knows right from wrong, I want to loudly condemn the shooting of two policeman in Compton, California, over the weekend. That it happened at all is unconscionable. That it seems clearly to have been an ambush on top of that, it is beyond my comprehension.
I was even more horrified to learn that some apparent BLM protesters took it upon themselves to show up outside the hospital where these two officers, one a mother of a young child, the other, a 24-year-old male, and potential future parent, are currently fighting for the lives, to jeer them — to shout such things as ‘Death to the police’ and worse. This is so sick, so depraved, so beyond the pale, that I am shocked to my core. I find it nearly impossible to believe that someone could reach that point, no matter what has happened to them during their lives. But there it is. It has happened.
Let me be clear. I support the BLM movement as clearly worthy and a long time coming. And there is a part of me that wonders how the Black community in general has remained as patient as they have, for so long. But just as I will resist assaults on the rule of law and our nation’s Constitution, I am compelled to point at this weekend’s events with equal horror.
This behavior only takes us backward. It is wrong in so many ways. My heart is with these two officers just as it is with the great majority of reasonable folks who protest as part of the BLM movement.
I fervently hope we can continue to move onward towards a better society for all, free of such acts of violence, where people of all stripes can lead ever safer and healthier lives. We will all be better off from that effort. I remain committed to this goal — no matter how hard or how long it takes to achieve.
Paul Mack
Columbus
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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