Discussion for article #231531
Police and Protestors have an opportunity with these shootings to address gun violence in the United States. Police unions and chiefs are usually very supportive of gun control, and the reduction of guns on the streets would make them less dangerous for citizens and cops.
I hope that someone in leadership on either side takes this chance to make a change.
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My impression is that the anti-government movement in this country is pro-police, Craig. It’s the anti-police movement that you need to be aware of.
Hmmm. I’ll bet the murder of unarmed black men remained roughly the same.
But no one will even notice.
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The anti-government party (Read Republican) is very pro-police because you can’t run a despotic state without them.
At least five cops were murdered from ambush this year by anti-government right wing extremists. Not that you’d know from reading anything the AP has ever written or listening to NYPD union reps or Rudy Giuliani.
http://mediamatters.org/blog/2014/06/10/how-fox-news-covers-right-wing-cop-killers/199651
http://articles.philly.com/2014-09-18/news/54029927_1_enforcement-dickson-affidavit
-Update-but you’re absolutely right that authoritarian movement rightists tend to send mixed messages about the police when they’re out of power. On one hand, the nihilistic urge to destroy existing democratic institutions and everything that supports them tends to result in anti-police rhetoric whenever there’s any chance police power might be used against them, but the next day, they’ll flip to vitriolic agitation in support of the use of unrestrained force against whatever minority Others are their movement’s preferred scapegoats.
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That’s the problem as it usually is, leadership. Most cops do want gun control. Most Catholics believe in birth control and gay marriage. Most NRA members want 100% comprehensive background checks. Most military people are anti-war. It’s the leadership that’s all messed up in all of them, and that applies to most other organizations.
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Well, actually, the biggest problem is usually who we elect. And part of that is due to gerrymandering.
This is completely stupid. Trends matter. Single year difference cannot be considered at all. The overall trend is a dramatic DECREASE in cop deaths over time.
It’s up from last year, but in line with 2012 which was still way down from all the years prior. 2001 was especially bad, with 241 deaths, the highest in decades. And this current decade is way down from the 70s, where line-of-duty deaths were well above 200 per year. Maybe the increased tension has played a role in the uptick, maybe not, but the article really should provide more in the way of historical context.
2012 was the lowest since 1944, by the way:
http://www.nleomf.org/facts/officer-fatalities-data/year.html