People Need to Make Up Their Minds!

On Wednesday of this week there was a rally in Washington, D.C. which ended with people going to the Capital and rioting, attacking the Capital and breaching the Congressional Chambers. 

 Since then, people are claiming that the police response was based on racism, they have posted cartoons showing police spraying chemical agents on a peaceful protester during last summer’s protests and the next frame depicts an officer running away from a rioter at the Capital. Others have posted a picture that on the left shows National Guard troops surrounding the Capital last summer in preparation for BLM protests, on the right side it shows people climbing up the side of the Capital this past Wednesday and the caption claims that the differences were because of racism. The differences in law enforcement response are being misrepresented in order to anger people and attempt to show systemic racism in law enforcement, however, this will make it more difficult for those wanting change to implement any needed changes.

 As for the cartoon I referenced, it depicts that chemical agents were not used during the riot at the Capital because the rioters were Trump supporters while chemical agents were used on BLM protesters over the summer wanting changes in law enforcement and the judicial system. The creator of the cartoon and those that are sharing it in support of the belief that racism was the reason for the police response, or lack of response at the Capital are not being honest. Chemical agents were used during the attack on the Capital, there is video of chemical agents being used inside the Capital in an attempt to stop the mob advance to interior areas of the Capital, chemical agents created a heavy fog inside and some of the mob were wearing gas masks. There are also videos showing officers outside deploying chemical agents, officers were using weapons similar to paint ball rifles to deploy balls of chemical agents in an attempt to stop the mob advance on the Capital. Other videos show officers with those weapons also responding to the interior of the Capital to assist in retaking control and protecting members of Congress. Despite many videos on social media showing the use of chemical agents by police in an attempt to repel the attack many, including the cartoonist, claim that no such chemical agents were deployed/ used. 

 As for the photo which shows troops around the Capital during the summer and rioters climbing up the side of the Capital on Wednesday is being used to claim that racism was the reason for the difference in the response. This ignores the outrage and wide criticism of the decision to deploy troops to protect the Capital last summer. The general public, civic leaders, government officials and members of the media were critical and said that this deployment shouldn’t have happened. Did that criticism play a part in the Capital Police not requesting assistance from the National Guard in advance of the expected demonstration? At this point it is not known and an investigation into the police response and apparent lack of preparation will determine this, however, it shows that when it comes to law enforcement people need to make up their minds what they want! 

 People need to make up their minds as to what they want from their law enforcement, do they want a law enforcement agency that listens to their citizens concerns and criticisms, implementing changes or do they want a law enforcement agency that just ignores concerns and choose not to make changes where needed? If you want a responsive law enforcement agency that listens to citizens concerns, an agency that takes corrective actions when deficiencies are noted then people need to stop using those changes to claim it is a sign of racism! If changes are made and then a problem occurs in the future; like the deployment (or non-deployment) of National Guard at the Capital, or law enforcement dressed on protective helmets and other equipment people need to work with law enforcement to adjust the policies or response to prevent deficiencies from reoccurring.

 Law enforcement agencies want the communities they serve to have confidence in their agency and how they respond to incidents. They are open and responsive to criticism and adjust policies and operations to be responsive to the community and their criticisms. People demand and deserve a law enforcement agency that is fair and impartial in its enforcement of laws, however that comes with a price! That price is citizens being objective in it’s judging law enforcement and so far, that is not happening in regard to what happened this week in Washington, D.C.

 If you believe that a response was too aggressive, like using troops to protect the Capital last summer and demand that a less aggressive or intimidating response be used in the future, that change should recognized as a response to demands for change. If a law enforcement agency responds to criticism and modifies its preparation for and response to incidents like a demonstration that change should be evaluated to improve responses to future events, not used to claim the change was racist! Ultimately no one benefits, not the community, not the law enforcement, no one! 

 Change can be difficult at times but can be successful when evaluated and judged impartially, not by demanding change and then complaining about that change after it occurs! As I said people need to make up their minds about what they want, a law enforcement agency that is responsive to the citizens they serve or a law enforcement agency that ignores its citizens? Do you want an agency that is flexible and responsive or inflexible and ignores criticisms? 

 That’s My Opinion, What’s Yours