Social justice cannot be attained by violence. Violence kills what it intends to create.
— Pope John Paul II
We are in the holiday season and most families are planning to celebrate the holidays together. This is supposed to be a time of happiness and celebration. Why is it so hard for people to get together and peacefully make a change? What is the good in killing one another to make a change? Can the life of any officer bring about the change we need in this world?
A cold-blooded assassin shot two Police Officers in a gruesome bid to avenge the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown. The shooter who has been identified as Ismaaiyl Brinsley, posted on his Facebook “I’m putting wings on pigs today”.Brinsley, who had a history of mental instability shot his girlfriend in Maryland and headed to Brooklyn. In a press release Robert Boyce, Chief of Detective, stated: Brinsely approached people on the street and asked them to follow him on Instagram, then told them, “Watch what I’m going to do,”. Immediately after he fulfilled his threat and took the lives of Police Officer Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu. It is unfortunate that Brinsley used the Eric Garner and Michael Brown case as an excuse to commit an act of violence.
This is not an article about which side is right or wrong, or who should be dead or alive, or who has the right to take anyone’s life. The fact is that change needs to occur in this country in order to bring peace. In order to accomplish this people need to get together educate themselves on the facts and offer solutions. Violence is not and has never been a solution. Brinsley’s brutal act of taking police officers lives has nothing to do with the fact that there should be improvement with law enforcement training. Moreover, the fact that perhaps there should be a special prosecutor handling cases dealing with police officers.
Everyone should be held accountable for their actions through the justice system responsible for enforcing laws. Truth is both grand jury verdicts of Eric Garner and Michael Brown, were made by a jury of our peers. The law is the law, you can not change the law by killing police officers and causing riots. A majority of police officers in New York are minorities and have been since 2006. The uniform does not make you a racist. All lives matter, regardless of your race, ethnicity, skin color, religion and/or nationality.