Some chose racist-tinged ridicule. Still others, untouched personally, watched from a distance in silence.
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As a result, generations of Americans have no hope for a better way of life.
“There are some who would use the events to stifle a movement for change and quicken the demise of a vibrant discourse on the human rights of Black Americans”, the statement said.
The president first commended Black Lives Matter, comparing it to the abolitionist or civil rights movements, according to a live stream of his press conference. There’s no peace for other minorities who don’t have a fair chance at equality.
Oklahoma City Councilman John Pettis called on more black people to consider a career in law enforcement. “We could say the same things about white hate groups that inspire xenophobia or hatred against Muslims”. The suspect said he was upset at white people.
It followed a protest in central London on Friday, after USA police officers killed Alton Sterling, 37, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Philando Castile, 32, in St Paul, Minnesota. “Please, officer, don’t tell me that you just did this to him”.
“All #blacklivesmatter. Unconditionally”, Nellie Fitzpatrick, director of Philadelphia’s Office of LGBT Affairs, declared on her Facebook page. How many more Eric Garners, Sandra Blands, Philando Castiles and Alton Sterlings will it take? He addressed his piece to “white America”. This kind of senseless violence deserves no place in America, and all of us should come together to condemn it.
“It is more unsafe to be black in America”, said Newt Gingrich, a Republican former House speaker tipped as a possible White House running mate for Donald Trump.
“Violence is the worst response”, he said. Those who choose to believe that black people who are shot or beaten by police deserve it – or, at the very least, believe that Black Lives Matter tactics are divisive – may double down after this horrific murder of the Dallas officers.
Dara Silverman is the national coordinator of Showing Up for Racial Justice, a network launched a year and a half ago. “There’s just a really scary sense of humanity right now”, she said.
Like Sterling, Castile did have a gun. Hillary Clinton, in an interview with CNN, called on white people “to put ourselves in the shoes of those African-American families who fear every time their children go somewhere”. “Let’s not lose sight of the values that unite us, our common humanity”, he said, adding: “A few perpetrators of evil do not represent us; they do not control us”.
There were harsh comments as well. Congressman Joe Walsh even accused President Obama of also being involved, declaring war against the president and Black people. I hope they understand that compassion for Sterling, Castile and others killed by police in no way mitigates the nation’s profound sorrow for the fearless officers killed in Dallas. “But I understand it”. “I don’t know how we can fix it, but it doesn’t seem like talking is working”. “They were wrong and used race to keep others down in order to try and protect their own fragile egos and privilege”. The tension that came to a head in the shootings wasn’t something he’d experienced personally, until now.
Obama, scheduled to visit Dallas next week, described the gunman as a “demented individual” who in no way represented the African-American community.
Hundreds of demonstrators have protested in London against the killing of two black men in the United States. Justice! When do we want it?
But there also were voices of despair. “The consequences of what we saw in Dallas is [sic] due to their efforts”.
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“I did get a little scared, but I wasn’t going to back down”, Jamie Lujan said. I’m not much of a protesting type.
