Most of us know the story by now. An eighteen-year-old black man walked into a store and grabbed a giant handful of cigars and headed for the door. The owner tried to stop him and was pushed aside. The thief, walking down the middle of the street, was asked to stop by a police officer in his patrol car. The young man reached into the car and punched the officer and tried to take his gun. Shots were fired by the officer and the perpetrator was killed.
After many days of deliberation by a grand jury, no indictment was brought against the police officer.
Rioting by the black community ensued. Nearly 100 businesses were looted and burned to the ground. Further protesting occurred in more than 115 cities around the country.
Twenty-four hour cable news networks went to work, further fanning the flames of blacks who took the opportunity of this shooting to showcase how evil whites are toward blacks.
Still, no action has been taken against those who ruined the lives of innocent business owners when they lost everything. Indictments, evidently, aren't important in these cases.
Questions to those who looted and burned: As you have your steak dinner tonight, stolen from the local grocery store, do you feel vindicated? As you watch that NFL game on your newly "acquired" flat-screen television, do you feel the theft is justified? While the local stores are burning to the ground, do you feel your moment as an arsonist exacted the right amount of revenge?
All of this because a young man chose to attack a police officer rather than admit his theft and go peacefully to jail. All because he thought it would turn out well if he could just get that gun away from the cop.
What do we expect of our officer? If they are confronted, just let the villain walk away because it might cause a billion-dollar riot? Is that what we pay them to do?
As the NBA super-star Charles Barkley said, "Many times when we blacks are stopped, we deserve it. Put up your hands and go to jail peacefully. You can always argue your case in court. You know, that even happens to white people."
