The 'movement' to end policing? A nation without police is one that nobody wants to live in

Nothing in this country has been the same since that insidious day in May when America witnessed the nearly nine-minute recording of a Minneapolis police officer’s maneuver of pinning his knee to the side of the neck of a man named George Floyd, effectively perceived as contributing to an end of his life over a $20 counterfeit bill he had used at a neighborhood corner market.

That’s the day part of the souls of law enforcement officers, the “blue community,” and law-abiding Americans died alongside George Floyd. None of us has been able to breathe since that day in May, either.

It’s also the day America’s war with its own citizens began; a “movement” of radical groups of people we’ve come to know as Black Lives Matter and Antifa. Both have made their presence well-known in previous uprisings in individual communities during protests over killings of black men by white police officers, a national narrative ignited not by statistics, but by both the media and leaders across America who participated in heightening that perception.

While the statistics do not support their claims, their “force” has grown in greater numbers, including people across all racial lines and socioeconomic classes. Politicians pandering to these groups demonstrated their willingness to go the distance with them. Mayors walked the streets with protesters, while police officers and chiefs of police in some cities thought that taking a knee with those revolting against their existence might show an expression of solidarity. Meanwhile, the media’s degree of sensationalism only served to fan the flames and ignite an even larger false narrative about the American police officer.

The fact of the matter remains that we didn’t accept Colin Kaepernick’s stand against police on September 1, 2016 when he kneeled during the national anthem. Never mind the blue socks with pigs on them. Did our police buy into his narrative then?

Americans have been subjected to the continuous, malicious mistruths about “peaceful protests” all over the country; stories of fiction. The chaos and destruction of our country unfolded right before our eyes. And yet, those of us who represent the majority sat quietly watching communities and businesses burn to the ground as rioters also burned and stomped on our American flag. Innocent people have lost their lives. Police officers have been wounded and killed. Our city and state leaders no longer control our streets.

Police officers across this nation have been ordered by their city leaders to use de-escalation methods while being stripped of their use of tear gas and, in some cities, even their pepper spray. What line of defense have the police been given? With calls to defund police departments around our nation, where are the leaders of this country? New York City has reduced the budget for its police force by a billion dollars, in spite of a significant spike in crime.

Are we heading toward an America without police?

A recent “deadly force” study by Washington State University researcher Lois James found that police officers were less likely to shoot unarmed black suspects than unarmed white or Hispanic ones in simulated threat scenarios. Harvard economics professor Roland Fryer analyzed more than 1,000 officer-involved shootings across the country. He concluded that there is zero evidence of racial bias in police shootings. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, black citizens were about 12 percent of the population in the United States. In the 75 largest U.S. counties, members of the black community were charged with 62 percent of all robberies, 61 percent of weapons offenses and 57 percent of murders. This disproportionate disparity is also reflected in the racial makeup of those victimized by this pattern of activity. It has been reported in New York City that black citizen’s account for just over 24 percent of the city’s population, yet the DOJ has reported 57 percent of all murder victims and 58 percent of those arrested for murder are black. These disparities in New York are repeated in virtually every racially diverse city in America. The real problem facing black communities today is not the police but criminals. The BLM and Antifa narratives are a lie folks. Black-on-black crime, however, is unfortunately true.

There is no government agency more dedicated to the proposition that “Black Lives Matter” than the police. The proactive policing revolution that began long ago has dramatically brought down the inner-city murder rate and likely has saved thousands of black lives. Unfortunately, that crime decline is now in jeopardy. This is tragic because when the police refrain from proactive policing, black lives are lost because of a myth. Sadly, police officers are historically 18.5 times more likely to be killed by a black male than an unarmed black male is to be killed by a police officer.

Stay safe… ‘Blue Lives Matter,’ too.

Lori Cooper is the daughter of a late police officer shot in the line of duty whose perpetrator eluded authorities for 44 years until her own search resulted in his apprehension. Her story has been featured by hundreds of news organizations. She now writes for law enforcement media groups and is a police advocate and guest on national radio and television. She is writing a book about her story, tentatively titled "The Sound of Silence". She can be reached at www.WriterLoriCooper.com