The justifiable anger that rippled through the country over the killing of George Floyd spawned unjustifiable looting and rioting. Restoring order to protect people and property is the first job of a mayor. Sitting idle and letting this happen paved the way for a larger breakdown of public safety and order. Oddly, social justice just became more important than social distancing.
Sadly, all this violence is based on the myth perpetuated by the left and the media. Stanford researcher Heather Mac Donald updated her book and penned another fantastic op-ed piece in The Wall Street Journal with facts about the declining murder rate of blacks at the hands of police, “The Myth of Systemic Police Racism.”
In reality, when there is outrage over an unjust police action, blacks do not effect meaningful change by stealing a 72-inch Sony TV. All that does is reinforce stereotypes and harm their community. The “Ferguson effect” becomes a reality. When police step aside, criminals step up, especially when motivated by the myth that blacks are being killed unjustifiably by police in record numbers. This path toward chaos is rooted in a lie. And you cannot simultaneously fight violence while doing violence.
Police shot nine unarmed blacks in 2019 and 19 unarmed whites, according to a Washington Post database. That rate is down from Obama-era numbers of 38 and 32, respectively. There were 7,407 African American homicide victims in 2018, and more than 90% were shot by other blacks. Let’s be clear: Where is the real problem?
These are clear and indisputable facts. Nine unarmed blacks shot by police in a country of 320 million. Our nation is being destroyed based on a lie. Blacks are 53% of known homicide offenders and commit 60% of robberies, even though black males are only 6.5% of the U.S. population. Why then would black people not want strong policing in their neighborhoods since they are the most at risk?