Breonna Taylor Was Not The Target Of Racial Injustice. Confronting the Fallout.
/By: Deon Joseph
This may anger many, but I’m a man of integrity. The truth is not popular in today’s times. It’s not welcome. It’s considered insensitive, rude and condescending. It’s sexist, misogynistic, judgmental and even racist as stated by some I’ve talked with.
When a society gets to that point where facts don’t matter, when emotions outweigh reason, when the truth is considered a thing of evil, when waiting for all facts is considered being neutral in a moment of importance, that usually signifies the beginning of the end of civility, accountability and sanity. It is the harbinger for a world where ambulance-chasing attorneys, political figures and twisted people with ulterior motives become the puppet masters of us all.
Yes I’m an honest man, but I also have a heart. I have compassion. So before I go further, I want to say Rest in Peace to Breonna Taylor. I pray for comfort for her family. No, she did not deserve to die. I mean that from the bottom of my soul. My prayers are with her family.
With that, I still must say what needs to be said.
Everything we were told about this incident was a lie. There is no need to go over the facts again. We have to confront the fallout now.
We all have been played by overzealous and irresponsible reporting by some members of the media, social justice warriors, politicians, social media trolls, professional athletes, celebrities and influencers.
Taylor was not a target of racial injustice. She was an unfortunate and tragic casualty of crossfire as two police officers defended themselves against an immediate threat of serious injury or death after one of them was shot. That’s literally the crux of the story.
How it went from that to what we have been led to believe speaks volumes to how badly we all, Black, white, gay, straight, cop, community, liberals, conservatives are being grossly manipulated and exploited. Someone, some group wants us to tear each other apart.
We are all being pitted against each other for ratings, and a movement disguised as a movement of love and peace, that has driven us farther apart than I’ve seen in my lifetime. We have been used and spun up so badly, that lies and the animosity that comes with them is more acceptable and desired that what’s real. We have become addicted to gossip and outrage.
As a cop, I do not mind scrutiny. I do not mind being held to a higher standard. I understand what I do affects people’s lives and freedoms which warrant those standards.
Yet, when we see the damage from faulty and sensational reporting of these incidents and when we see our nation imploding from a rush for more eyeballs and ears, shouldn’t we be holding American media more accountable as well? When our journalists become activists, and embrace “the ends justify the means” strategy in their own personal efforts for social justice, justice, peace, civility and all the things they claim to desire from their actions erode away. Even they won’t be able to live safely in the world they are trying to create.
We all have to do better. We all must be better. I and thousands of officers have accepted the challenge of being better public servants. We are better than we were 10, 20, 30 years ago. But as long as human beings wear a badge, someone is going to disappoint us all. Unfortunately our aforementioned detractors literally cannot wait for one of us to have a human moment to push their varied agendas and stereotypes of any group they deem the enemy of their personal crusades. But just like us, some in our media must be better, and report the facts as they come, and not try to guide people to a thought against anyone or group, no matter their skin color or profession. Because not doing so is literally killing and maiming people.
Our communities must do better by waiting for facts to come out and thinking more critically, as many are extremely intelligent, but in the age of instant gratification, have become intellectually lazy. I can’t judge you for that. Even I have been guilty of that. I try to fight it with every fiber of my being.
Our activists and community leaders have to be better, and stop exploiting marginalized groups for notoriety or for your personal vision of justice that breeds more injustice. Sit down with what you fear. You may just learn they want the same thing when you stop dehumanizing them.
If this doesn’t change soon, we will lose each other. We will lose our humanity. We will lose our decency and any chance at brother and sisterhood in this nation.
I pray you will not be angry with me. I’m at peace with speaking my heart, and am not afraid of losing friends for speaking the truth. True friends don’t lie to friends, even if it hurts.
I consider myself a friend.
God bless.
