2016 Police Shootings

I may take some backlash for this opinion but then that's what life is all about isn't it?

In terms of all the recent shootings by police of unarmed blacks...we can all agree that many of them clearly cross the line.  The most recent two...Philando Castile in Minnesota and Alton Sterling in Louisiana really do look like an over-extension of force.  We'll need to wait until the facts are in to confirm that what we saw in the video was a fair representation of what occured.  The sheer video evidence is compelling.  For the sake of law enforcement, I hope they have additional evidence to show a threat existed before using deadly force.

Unless additional evidence is released, those officers guilty of excessive force should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.  The only way that all of us will trust the police is if they have a fair and methodical process in dealing with all of us...white, black, hispanic, etc.

Now to bring perspective to this...not all of these shootings are unjustified.  Many of the victims did have guns or toys that looked like guns or acted in such a way as to threaten the life of an officer. Under those conditions, the shooting is justified.  Of course, the courts will determine the viability of that defense in some cases but it is worth noting that not all shootings are unjustified.

That said, the targeting of police officers in Dallas, TX is wrong.  This is tantamount to a mass murder spree.  It is astounding.  Those officers gave their lives helping others get out of the way. They did nothing wrong.  Targeting police is not the answer.

For a little context:  In 2015 Cops killed nearly twice as many whites as blacks. According to data compiled by The Washington Post.  50 percent of the victims of fatal police shootings were white, while 26 percent were black.  More whites and Hispanics die from police homicides than blacks. According to MacDonald, 12 percent of white and Hispanic homicide deaths were due to police officers, while only four percent of black homicide deaths were the result of police officers.

That's not to say we do not have criminal cops on the streets but let's keep it in perspective.