Michael Brown, Eric Garner and Freddy Gray are at the core of the current mantra “Black Lives Matter.” No one can disagree with the cause de jour. Black lives matter just as much as any others. Skin color, ethnic background, culture or religious belief do not determine the value of a life.
Fanned by the media, the current tension is being given legs. Alleged justifications in support of rioting, burning and looting are being given credibility. We hear that the police are too aggressive, they victimize the citizens and they are the oppressors of people of color. Hog wash.
More blacks are incarcerated than any other group because they commit more crimes, not because that are targeted by law enforcement. In fact, by huge margins more blacks are killed by blacks. By comparison, a miniscule percentage of blacks die at the hands of the police.
But back to the incidents at the center of the recent uprisings; what’s being shoved under the rug are the facts:
Ferguson, Missouri, the section of New York City where the Garner incident occurred and, now, Baltimore have the same demographic and socioeconomic profile. They are enclaves of poor minorities living in crime-riddled neighborhoods.
Let’s start with Ferguson… Mike Brown lost his life at the hands of a white police officer. That’s true. What was repeatedly reported was that he had his hands up. That’s not true. However, that did not stop thousands of people from striking the “hands up don’t shot” pose in public demonstrations, sporting events and even in Congress. It is still voiced today, regardless that it was soundly disproved by eye witness accounts. Michael Brown was a criminal, a thug, a brut and a very aggressive individual who ran up on the wrong side of the law. The Ferguson police responded to the demonstrations as they had been trained to do when they faced anarchy in the streets. Like war riots are “messy.” No one wants to see the looting, destruction, burning and violence on the streets of a US town. It can’t be allowed to continue even if feelings are festering.
Eric Garner in New York City was approached by police officers, and their sergeant --who happened to be black -- for a minor infraction, but one requiring legal enforcement. He resisted. He was wrestled to the ground. People claimed that he was subjected to a choke hold and cried out that he could not breathe. Perception can become reality. Mr. Garner, a mountain of a man, necessitated considerable effort to subdue. I have reviewed the pictures and video of the event and can’t see a choke hold by definition. What I do see is a forceful takedown. As to not being able to breathe, Eric Garner was obese and a sever asthmatic. Of course he couldn’t breathe. The version that seems to be adhered to is that in spite of his protestations, Mr. Garner was ignored by the police and their supervisor. Sorry folks, but that’s not true either. For those reasons the Grand Jury refused to indict the officer. Bill de Blasio, New York City’s inexperienced, progressive Mayor chose to allow the protesters to block bridges and streets for hours. Yes, I said, “allowed.” He completely misread the situation, and even fanned the flames with his story about telling his bi-racial son to be wary of the police and announcing it to the world. The result, two officers were attacked and killed. Appeasement and acquiescence be damned. Rioters, thugs and criminals have to be stopped and stopped at the first instance when a peaceful protest turns violent.
Baltimore is the most recent manifestation of how a community’s simmering resentment of law enforcement can erupt into carnage. Freddy Gray is dead, that is true. The circumstances of his death are just now being revealed. Not all the facts are in, but in truth, some suspicion may be warranted. However, facts are facts and must be uncovered. Just because Mr. Gray died in police custody does not mean they intentionally killed him. That’s why we have laws and courts and procedures to deal with such situations. Over the period of days after the death occurred, the people of Baltimore were agitated, angry and on the verge of violence. When rioting first broke out, that city’s Mayor, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, took the same stance as Mayor de Blasio, and even went further. Although she now denies it, she said, “We are going to allow those who wish to destroy space to do so.” Virtually giving permission to burn her city down, attack police and generally engage in aggressive, violent and destructive behavior. Even Maryland’s Governor, Larry Hogan, hesitated to take action. At first, he stated that the rioting and looting did not constitute a state of emergency requiring deployment of the National Guard or even establishing a curfew to clear the streets. So, for an entire night Baltimore burned.
Ask yourself what has changed since the major riots of the seventies. The black community still feels victimized by everything – life in general – crime – drugs -- disintegrating families – poor education – you name it. Many of those aspects are true, but who’s to blame? Is it the government and all the attendant agencies and institutions including the police? Or is it a lack of purpose, drive or ambition because the entitlements to the poor keep them housed, fed and clothed killing incentive to achieve? Is it easier to take than to go out and get better on your own?
Liberal and progressive governments are not about to acknowledge that the victim mentality in minority communities is a big chunk of the problem. In fact, they aim to perpetuate it. Fifty years of throwing money at the poor has yielded nothing, except keeping the poor poor. They have been sustained and alive but all the rhetoric has done nothing to change their condition. Even the people of color who have achieved magnificent careers and risen to prominence don’t hold themselves up as examples of what can happen if you try. They, too, preach the gospel of giving more. It’s as if they direct their experience and education toward supporting taking from those who have made it in this country and giving the poor more reasons not to strive to improve their lives. It’s not about generating success, fostering motivation or creating opportunities to break the endless chain of poverty, but more about being the gift horse.
Education, self determination, drive and ambition are the only things that will ever level the playing field. You can’t wave a magic wand and turn a sow’s ear into a silk purse, no matter how much you want it. Incentives to achieve, to learn, to prosper are the only things that will ever have an impact -- not incentives to maintain the status quo.
Until the cycle of poverty in communities of color is broken, history will repeat itself endlessly. Poverty will beget more poverty, families will continue to crumble, drugs, violence and crime will continue to be a way of life.
And yes, riots will explode in those towns with regularity.