While a 31-year-old mother and a young man lay inside the St. Francis Medical Center in Los Angeles County this weekend fighting for their lives, a crowd gathered outside and chanted, “We hope they die!”
The man and the woman were Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies, both of whom had been shot in the head by an unidentified person who casually approached the deputies’ parked patrol car and opened fire into the passenger window. Both deputies were sworn into office just 14 months ago. And now, they are in the hospital, miraculously still alive, while protesters wish them death.
Update: The gunman walked up on the deputies and opened fire without warning or provocation. pic.twitter.com/cBQjyKkoxJ
— LA County Sheriffs (@LASDHQ) September 13, 2020
The shooting was horrific, and the response to it was evil. These are real people doing the best they can with the resources they’ve been given, but the tension in this country and the persons actively taking advantage of it have now put their lives at risk.
For most, a tragedy like this one is a wake-up call, an alarm that reveals something isn’t right. It’s one thing to protest against the reality of police brutality and to fight for reform. But clearly, the ongoing protests and the subsequent riots have encouraged more than just reform; they’ve encouraged violence. The natural response should be to take a step back and reevaluate; to think through how this could have happened and why a shooter felt justified shooting two officers in the head for no reason at all.
Instead, a group of protesters gathered outside the hospital, tried to block vehicles from entering the emergency room entrance, and threatened other officers present.
“That’s why you’re dying one by one, you stupid f—s. Y’all gonna die one by one. This ain’t gonna stop,” one protester reportedly told a nearby officer.
“You’re next with the f—ing hot pocket,” another man shouted, according to Fox News.
To be sure, these voices do not represent the majority of Black Lives Matter protesters. But why do they feel comfortable protesting on behalf of the movement? Why do they proudly claim to represent Black Lives Matter and its values? This is deeply troubling, and it ought to inspire reform within the Black Lives Matter movement. No organization should ever be home to radical individuals like these, and the movement has a responsibility to disavow them and make it clear that they are not welcome — not now, not ever.
What happened in Los Angeles is proof that we have completely lost sight of the real debate and the real problem. These protests are no longer about racial injustice, social justice, or criminal justice reform. And they haven’t been for quite some time. Rioters have hijacked what could have been a legitimate opportunity for change, and they have destroyed what little credibility the Black Lives Matter organization had. And now, a violent criminal who attempted to kill innocent officers is being heralded by protesters who may not be affiliated with Black Lives Matter but claim to be anyway.
