Just because someone is a police officer should not open them to attack. Police brutality does exist, but rioting and violence are not the solutions. 

On Sept. 13 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, a police officer shot and killed Ricardo Munoz while Munoz chased the officer down the street with a knife. The same night there was already a protest outside the Lancaster police station.

There were no details about the case available to the public at that time the protest started, but they protested anyway. Mental illness or not, Munoz was threatening the officer’s life. They were protesting against an officer who just wanted to survive and go home that night. 

During the protest, bricks, rocks, bottles and other objects were thrown at police. These were officers not involved in the shooting at all but they were still treated as if they were. There is no way to peacefully throw a brick at somebody.

Unfortunately, in many instances it has escalated beyond being against police brutality, and instead is against the police in general.

Recently in California, two officers were shot while minding their own business in their patrol car at a train station. Meanwhile in New Jersey, two officers and their 10-day old baby were almost killed when someone fired indiscriminately into their home. 

“I don’t know what the motive is at this time, but I do know that this is a targeted attack against this residence that the officers reside,” said Camden Police Chief Joseph Wysocki in a news conference about the New Jersey shooting.

After the verdict came out in Breonna Taylor’s case last week, two Louisville police officers were shot amid protests. Whether the verdict was right or wrong in Taylor’s case, escalating with violence and attempting to murder those who protect us is never the answer. 

Look back at history, what are some of the most memorable and noteworthy protests? The March on Washington. The Greensboro sit-ins. The Montgomery bus boycott. Three prominent protests from history.

In each case, while the protestors were abused verbally and physically, they remained peaceful. Their resolve to their cause is what made these protests stand out, not because they were looting stores or assaulting people. You never heard of these protestors standing outside of a hospital saying “I hope they [expletive] die,” about two police officers who were shot.

This is why we should not punish those who protect us for simply doing their job. If a police officer makes a mistake, they should be treated like anyone else who makes a mistake. Innocent until proven guilty.

Share