On Sunday, an 11-year-old child was shot in broad daylight in Harlem, New York City. Performing an arrest in Harlem on Monday, NYPD officers were drenched with water by a mob of idiots.
Though separate, the two incidents reflect two related issues: the increasingly overt disrespect for police officers that has emerged in cities over the past few years, and the inability of police officers to keep communities safe when they cannot do their jobs without fearing unjustified uproar.
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Two videos reflect the problem.
First up, the Harlem police officers being drenched with water and hit with objects.
RESTRAINT pic.twitter.com/MhvXjceiI6
— NYC Scanner (@NYScanner) July 22, 2019
But the next video is even more ridiculous. It shows two other police officers being drenched with water as they walk a patrol route. At least one of the officers appears to be Asian American. I note this in that the absence of left-wing condemnation (as far as I have been able to find) suggests many on the Left regard black lives as being more equal than other minority lives.
We rightly condemn President Trump’s deeply unpleasant racially-tinged rhetoric, so why don’t we condemn this same racial bias?
The video even shows the gall of one teenager who comes right up behind one of the officers and drenches him with a bucket full of water. Neither officer responds, presumably because they fear being blamed for any proportionate response, such as arresting the teenager with reasonable force. A lady recording the video crows with excitement as the officers retreat to a nearby store.
DISRESPECT: This is what #NYPD Officers are faced with today. Petrified to take action. #BlueLivesMatter @NYCMayor @BilldeBlasio @NYPDnews @NYPD73Pct pic.twitter.com/VRpVKBS5Jb
— NYC Scanner (@NYScanner) July 22, 2019
This is intolerable.
Yet it speaks volumes about the culture of victimhood over responsibility that prominent Democrats have endorsed. Why are they not condemning this behavior without hesitation? Why won’t they support police officers doing their jobs and condemn criminality?
But Democrats should be wary. Their error of judgment is one they risk feeling most personally. After all, such selective silence speaks volumes about why Trump was able to win election in 2016 and may again succeed in 2020: most Americans see the silence and hate it.
Is police misconduct a serious issue that demands serious repercussions? As I have written, yes. But those who suffer most from the inability of police to operate effectively are the families who live in these same neighborhoods. Because when the police retreat, the criminals advance.
