It’s horrible. Backlash usually is.
But after so many policemen have received so little accountability in the deaths of innocent people, we shouldn’t be surprised.
I’m not seeing where any of these incidents are “backlash.” A violent criminal shoots a cop in the face. There’s no reason to assume that ties into a national political narrative, though I’m sure the righties will have a field day using this article as evidence of such, and of the need for a brutal crackdown on, um, those people. Conspicuously missing is the fact that, as I recall, shootings of police officers are actually significantly down this year. This is shoddy journalism in service of Breitbartian narratives about Law n’ Order versus a wave of (black) urban criminality.
“shootings of police officers are actually significantly down this year.”
Link?
The totting up of all those police shootings makes it SOUND like there’s an epidemic. How about some context? Are these shootings significantly more and of a different character than have ever occurred in the past?
The author is clearly trying to support the “Black-Lives-Matter-has-put-our-officers-at-risk-so-they-should-just-shut-up-and-go-away-now” point of view.
Clearly there is a need for more guns on the street.
58 firearms deaths so far in 2016. Up from 41 in 2015. But there were 70 in 2007, and 73 in 2011. It appears to be kind of random. And, overall police deaths from all causes are about half what they were in the early 1970’s. Also, the site I’m linking doesn’t pretend to do any analysis. No comparison to any other numbers, just death counts.
http://www.nleomf.org/facts/officer-fatalities-data/causes.html
http://www.nleomf.org/facts/officer-fatalities-data/year.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/
58 firearms deaths so far in 2016. Up from 41 in 2015.
An increase, contrary to your statement.
One: Not my statement. I just knew where to get some numbers.
Two: The number fluctuates somewhat randomly, so the increase may mean nothing.
Three: It’s just one number. It doesn’t tell us who did the shooting, or why. Are firearms suicides included? Probably, but don’t know. Has the total number of officers grown? Probably, but don’t know. Has the total number of guns on the street increased? Oh, yeah.
What we do know is that being a police officer is today is pretty safe, historically. Total deaths in 2015: 123.
1970: 220
1971: 248
1975: 280
1930: 304
1932: 275
Average, 1990-2015: 157
" the simplistic and inflammatory notion of a “war on cops” is completely undercut by one fundamental data point: Intentional attacks on police officers are at historically low levels under President Obama."
So unfortunately both of these police shootings in two days, were committed by black men. Just wait until all African Americans are blamed for this