2 Officers shot in Dallas tonight during police protest rally

[asta]

Wow! Talk about adding fuel to the flame. I just turned on the Today Show to see a black actress saying the solution to this violence is to punish a police officer as an example and to make black people feel better about being heard. In disgust I turned to CNN and they are still showing the upset girlfriend in Minnesota using emotion to further inflame everything. Please keep in mind that we have still not heard anything from the police about why they shot. This is so irresponsible to keep showing her statements without presenting the other side. I am not saying the police were right, just that some people are judging without even hearing the other side. Further evidence that nothing has been learned from the carnage in Dallas.

 

[gmboy95]

I honestly am done arguing about these things....I am resigned to a country that loves its guns, and is more then willing to rationalize even a couple of dozen 6 year olds being killed. It has become more then evident there will never be less guns in this country, only more....and every time a shooting occurs, it will be reduced to whatever political talking point allows it to be explained away, it was because of "terrorism", "black protesters", "gun free zones", "not enough good people with guns"....there is not a scenario I can think of that does not have a ready made explainer why guns are not the issue, including the execution of 5 public servants....so Gun people, you win...I am switching to protection mode with my children. Speaking to them about how to navigate in a world where guns are everywhere, where the excuses to discharge a weapon become more and more loose by the day. Where a simple confrontation that at one time could be handled with fists, can now be considered a chance to "stand your ground". Where our world has become a place where it is NOT ok to both mourn the loss of good hard working police officers, AND mourn the senseless loss of young black lives, while demanding accountability for those senseless acts. The way things are now, you have to "pick a side" in that scenario. I mourn the loss of those five officers AND all the other senseless victims of gun violence, and the many senseless reasons those deaths occur that don't fit neatly into a gun-centric narrative.

 

[CPanther95]

You are not getting my point. The poster was saying not to rush to judgment about the true intentions of the police shooters. But isn't that what the protesters were doing in the first place, protesting the police shootings based on some video snippets, and nothing more?

You'd think they would have learned their lesson in Ferguson. The movement lost all credibility when they failed to acknowledge that their actions in Ferguson were premature and continue to this day to consider Brown an example of Police brutality against blacks.

You can't complain about bad cops and expect anything to change when you willingly hang the good ones out to dry as well.

 

[rickybobby]

Wow! Talk about adding fuel to the flame. I just turned on the Today Show to see a black actress saying the solution to this violence is to punish a police officer as an example and to make black people feel better about being heard. In disgust I turned to CNN and they are still showing the upset girlfriend in Minnesota using emotion to further inflame everything. Please keep in mind that we have still not heard anything from the police about why they shot. This is so irresponsible to keep showing her statements without presenting the other side. I am not saying the police were right, just that some people are judging without even hearing the other side. Further evidence that nothing has been learned from the carnage in Dallas.

Hopefully, someone challenged her on this on Today.

 

[CPanther95]

I honestly am done arguing about these things....I am resigned to a country that loves its guns, and is more then willing to rationalize even a couple of dozen 6 year olds being killed. It has become more then evident there will never be less guns in this country, only more....and every time a shooting occurs, it will be reduced to whatever political talking point allows it to be explained away, it was because of "terrorism", "black protesters", "gun free zones", "not enough good people with guns"....there is not a scenario I can think of that does not have a ready made explainer why guns are not the issue, including the execution of 5 public servants....so Gun people, you win...I am switching to protection mode with my children. Speaking to them about how to navigate in a world where guns are everywhere, where the excuses to discharge a weapon become more and more loose by the day. Where a simple confrontation that at one time could be handled with fists, can now be considered a chance to "stand your ground". Where our world has become a place where it is NOT ok to both mourn the loss of good hard working police officers, AND mourn the senseless loss of young black lives, while demanding accountability for those senseless acts. The way things are now, you have to "pick a side" in that scenario. I mourn the loss of those five officers AND all the other senseless victims of gun violence, and the many senseless reasons those deaths occur that don't fit neatly into a gun-centric narrative.

If you want to see what the future of a "gun-free" America looks like - just look at Chicago.

 

[cornflkgrl]

I honestly am done arguing about these things....I am resigned to a country that loves its guns, and is more then willing to rationalize even a couple of dozen 6 year olds being killed. It has become more then evident there will never be less guns in this country, only more....and every time a shooting occurs, it will be reduced to whatever political talking point allows it to be explained away, it was because of "terrorism", "black protesters", "gun free zones", "not enough good people with guns"....there is not a scenario I can think of that does not have a ready made explainer why guns are not the issue, including the execution of 5 public servants....so Gun people, you win...I am switching to protection mode with my children. Speaking to them about how to navigate in a world where guns are everywhere, where the excuses to discharge a weapon become more and more loose by the day. Where a simple confrontation that at one time could be handled with fists, can now be considered a chance to "stand your ground". Where our world has become a place where it is NOT ok to both mourn the loss of good hard working police officers, AND mourn the senseless loss of young black lives, while demanding accountability for those senseless acts. The way things are now, you have to "pick a side" in that scenario. I mourn the loss of those five officers AND all the other senseless victims of gun violence, and the many senseless reasons those deaths occur that don't fit neatly into a gun-centric narrative.

I could not agree more.

All I have to say about any of it is it is so very sad.

 

[rickybobby]

You'd think they would have learned their lesson in Ferguson. The movement lost all credibility when they failed to acknowledge that their actions in Ferguson were premature and continue to this day to consider Brown an example of Police brutality against blacks.

You can't complain about bad cops and expect anything to change when you willingly hang the good ones out to dry as well.

Even last night, they were still chanting the ridiculous "Hands up, Don't shoot". I don't think anyone still spouting this narrative can be appeased.

 

[sunshinehighway]

You'd think they would have learned their lesson in Ferguson. The movement lost all credibility when they failed to acknowledge that their actions in Ferguson were premature and continue to this day to consider Brown an example of Police brutality against blacks.

You can't complain about bad cops and expect anything to change when you willingly hang the good ones out to dry as well.

It's not that cut and dry though.
There were found to be widespread abuses of power in Ferguson by law enforcement. That largely gets forgotten in discussing Ferguson. I find that to be a huge part of the problem with why we, as a society, are not moving beyond this and division is getting worse.
We can't put everything in a neat little box and close it up.

 

[MariMama]

Wow! Talk about adding fuel to the flame. I just turned on the Today Show to see a black actress saying the solution to this violence is to punish a police officer as an example and to make black people feel better about being heard. In disgust I turned to CNN and they are still showing the upset girlfriend in Minnesota using emotion to further inflame everything. Please keep in mind that we have still not heard anything from the police about why they shot. This is so irresponsible to keep showing her statements without presenting the other side. I am not saying the police were right, just that some people are judging without even hearing the other side. Further evidence that nothing has been learned from the carnage in Dallas.

Who was the actress?

 

[lifesavacation]

I honestly am done arguing about these things....I am resigned to a country that loves its guns, and is more then willing to rationalize even a couple of dozen 6 year olds being killed. It has become more then evident there will never be less guns in this country, only more....and every time a shooting occurs, it will be reduced to whatever political talking point allows it to be explained away, it was because of "terrorism", "black protesters", "gun free zones", "not enough good people with guns"....there is not a scenario I can think of that does not have a ready made explainer why guns are not the issue, including the execution of 5 public servants....so Gun people, you win...I am switching to protection mode with my children. Speaking to them about how to navigate in a world where guns are everywhere, where the excuses to discharge a weapon become more and more loose by the day. Where a simple confrontation that at one time could be handled with fists, can now be considered a chance to "stand your ground". Where our world has become a place where it is NOT ok to both mourn the loss of good hard working police officers, AND mourn the senseless loss of young black lives, while demanding accountability for those senseless acts. The way things are now, you have to "pick a side" in that scenario. I mourn the loss of those five officers AND all the other senseless victims of gun violence, and the many senseless reasons those deaths occur that don't fit neatly into a gun-centric narrative.

I get what you are saying and I agree with you. I do want to point out that this isn't a "world" level problem. It's specific to the US. There are many first world nations without the type of gun violence and hatred we encounter.

 

[rickybobby]

If you want to see what the future of a "gun-free" America looks like - just look at Chicago.

If only those guns were arrested in Chicago, all violence would stop. But why arrest guns more than knives? They are both weapons. For every gun arrested, there should also be one knife arrested, to be fair. Otherwise, this would be profiling guns.

 

[Goofy_Disney_Dad]

Reading some of this thread feels like some other kind of rally.

 

[CPanther95]

It's not that cut and dry though.
There were found to be widespread abuses of power in Ferguson by law enforcement. That largely gets forgotten in discussing Ferguson. I find that to be a huge part of the problem with why we, as a society, are not moving beyond this and division is getting worse.
We can't put everything in a neat little box and close it up.

Exactly why we need a real discussion and a true desire to find a solution - or to correct the problems in the current system.

And the reason it is "largely forgotten" in Ferguson is because the idiots leading the movement were trying to create a lynch-mob targeting the Police - in support of a criminal - instead of trying to improve the situation. They co-opted the people that could have been used to help makes things better and they channeled them in a direction that only served the purposes of the movement.

 

[asta]

Who was the actress?

Queen Latifah. And the anchors did not call her on her hate statement. They thanked her and encouraged everyone to go see her movie Ice Age. Serve up a side of rush to judgement with your cartoon.

 

[luvsJack]

The shooter said he wanted to kill white police ifficers. What else can we draw from that? Nothing else to understand. Was it a reasonable reaction? Of course not. But neither is burning your own city. Rioting and destroying the neighborhood you live in. But it happens. I doubt he was part of BLM but that doesn't change the agenda.

I am so angry right now. How dare someone, for any reason, pull a gun and kill the people who put their lives on the line every day to protect their stupid selves every single day. Every cop I know would take a bullet for me, you and anyone else. For most, its just who they are. And to know some idiot with an agenda has the gall to take their lives is just beyond belief.

Angry about the deaths by cop? Then stand up like a human being and make a difference. Be part of the solution not part of the problem. Are there bad cops? Yes. Just like there are bad teachers, bad dr, bad politicians, etc. But the vast, vast majority are there because its something they believe in. They take their duty seriously and live by it every single day.

The Dallas police officers ran toward the gunfire protecting the citizens in their city. Black, white, hispanic. They didn't pick and choose. They didn't only protect some. They didn't run away. Every one of them should be saluted by the citizens of this country. Not spoken against. No call for violence against them. Saluted and thanked with utmost sincerity.

I know ther are police officers and wives of police officers here. I thank you for the service you do and I pray for your safety.

 

[sunshinehighway]

Exactly why we need a real discussion and a true desire to find a solution - or to correct the problems in the current system.

And the reason it is "largely forgotten" in Ferguson is because the idiots leading the movement were trying to create a lynch-mob targeting the Police - in support of a criminal - instead of trying to improve the situation. They co-opted the people that could have been used to help makes things better and they channeled them in a direction that only served the purposes of the movement.

I disagree about why it's largely forgotten. Honestly I don't want to get into a back and forth about it. There are many reasons it is largely forgotten and to only blame one group for that is unfair and not really productive.

 

[kimblebee]

If you want to see what the future of a "gun-free" America looks like - just look at Chicago.

Or Canada..

 

[Nancyg56]

Yes. One of them men speaking at the press conference early expressed similar thoughts about the shooters motivations. He basically said that is what the shooter is saying about his motivations but his actions don't make sense as a normal reaction and just because he's saying he wanted to kill white people that doesn't mean we should jump to the conclusion that there isn't more to it.

Unfortunately that just what so many do (jump to conclusions) and any other reasons behind this will get lost. Again it'll be a case of people making quick decisions on what this horrific situation was about and a real positive, forward moving conversation will not occur.

I agree. I don't think that we can ever really change this unless we have a open conversation about race and religion in this country. And that will be a long time coming, IMO. If we cannot even discuss it here on the DIS because it gets so nasty, how are we going to discuss it on a national level? Unless we stop pretending that our life circumstances do not mirror everyone else's in this Country, unless we stop pretending that we know how others go through daily lives in different skins, nothing will change. My DH is a truck driver and his perception of officers pulling one over is way different than mine. Yet we are both White, both born and raised in the same area, and have most of the same childhood experiences. He seldom leaves a routine traffic stop (he gets pulled over randomly just becasue of the truck he drives) feeling warm and fuzzy. I get pulled over, I don't leave upset. We have a different experience under very different circumstances on the same set of roads. Now, lets up the ante. Lets change ethnic backgrounds, religions and cities. How can he or I even begin to understand how people are treated, both LEO and citizen, when we cannot even agree on our own experiences in our own community when the only difference between us is what we drive?

So what happens now? The same thing that always happens after events like these. There will be lots of hand wringing and angst among people, questions like "how can this happen" and "this needs to stop" and non-stop coverage by the media ~ until the next big story takes over and for the majority of the public, this will fade into the background and we'll go on about our lives like nothing ever happened.

I don't think so. I wonder if this is a tipping point. I am not willing to diminish anything that has occurred recently, but when the officers who are trying to protect peaceful demonstrations are ambushed, you may begin to see a change in how our LEO's respond to working these demonstrations. No one wants to go back to the Warrior mentality of officers, not when police departments all over the Country are actively trying to balance safety and guardianship, but unless we as a Country do not make a decision in regards to what we tolerate, we may go back ten years, or we will lose good officers. We have to recognize that it will not be the same so we have a responsibility to make sure we have a voice in the outcome.

I think that it may come down to economics. Once people decide that they cannot be protected in an area they stay away. That costs money. I read that the Parks in Disney were manageable this Holiday. Really???? Since when is Disney on the 4th not a cluster? Maybe cost played into this, but how many families chose to go somewhere less "open" and crowded this year in light of the terror attacks that continue to happen around the World? I know you cannot live in fear, and I do not, but if these attacks continue, and if LEO's stop feeling that they are safe from ambush......well people may decide to just stay home. I am sad that I believe that only when the economy feels the pinch will something be started.

 

[Patch'sD]

I think the Dallas PD should allow the robot interrogate the other 3 suspects in custody.

 

[MariMama]

Queen Latifah. And the anchors did not call her on her hate statement. They thanked her and encouraged everyone to go see her movie Ice Age. Serve up a side of rush to judgement with your cartoon.

Thanks.