Since the tragic death of George Floyd, there has been a concerted effort by the far-left and members of the Black Lives Matter movement to smear and engage in vast generalizations about police officers and their role in perpetuating “systemic racism” in the U.S. I want to address this and express why skepticism of the far-left’s narrative is necessary. It should be noted that when I refer to Black Lives Matter throughout this piece, I am referencing the organization promoting these ideas, not the phrase “black lives matter.” Black lives are sacrosanct and this phrase is obviously true.

At the time of this article, police shot and killed 14 unarmed Black individuals in 2019, according to a Washington Post database. Additionally, approximately 25% of total victims shot and killed by police in 2019 identified as Black, which is “less than what the black crime rate would predict, since police shootings are a function of how often officers encounter armed and violent suspects,” as Heather Mac Donald wrote for the Wall Street Journal.

For reference, in 2018, Black Americans were 53% of known homicide offenders and committed about 60% of robberies. Additionally, a study conducted by a group of public health researchers in 2016 found that “excess per capita death rates among blacks and youth at police hands are reflections of excess exposure” –– not police bias or racism.

These are just some examples of the bodies of evidence that exist to undermine the idea that the police are systemically racist and exterminating Black people simply because of their skin color. I agree that a question still remains: why are Black people disproportionately exposed to non-lethal force? However, it is very irresponsible to proclaim, as BLM does, that systemic racism is to blame before we have data that can support that conclusion.

To convince all Black Americans that the police are out to get them when empirical evidence provides no basis to support such a claim is immoral and unnecessarily creates tension between law enforcement and the Black community. The two should instead work together to address the criminal activity, safety concerns and any other issues they face.

What makes BLM’s demonization of the police even more bizarre is that Black Americans want police officers in their communities. An Aug. 5 Gallup poll revealed that 61% of Black Americans want the police to spend the same amount of time in their communities and 20% desired even more of a police presence.

Amidst calls from Black Lives Matter to defund the police, with some prominent organizers even pushing to outright abolish the police, it seems BLM opposes those it claims to be fighting for. This is especially true when you consider that 36 of the 50 largest cities in the U.S. have experienced double-digit homicide spikes amid the protests, riots and the pandemic, with minorities being most impacted by the violence. In New York City alone, the number of shooting victims more than doubled from June 2019 to 2020 and 97% of victims were minorities.

Ultimately, these attacks aimed at law enforcement will do nothing to improve the standing of the police or the well-being of those they serve. Americans should condemn Black Lives Matter and the left’s attempt to smear police officers. The unjust and truly tragic death of George Floyd is not representative of the 385 million interactions that police officers have with citizens annually.

Moreover, any meaningful reforms that could be made to policing in the United States do not require giving into Black Lives Matter’s agenda. Racism and police brutality do exist, but distorting the nature of these issues and pitting Americans against one another is not the solution.

BLM Distorts Threat of Police

MARIST CIRCLE