July 17, 2016: Police Ambushed in Baton Rouge, at Least 3 Dead; TIME TO TAKE THE SHOOT/DON’T SHOOT CHALLENGE!

A Brief History

On July 17, 2016, national news outlets blared the all too familiar news that policemen had been gunned down while merely doing their jobs.  Reports of at least 3 Baton Rouge, Louisiana cops shot dead and another 3 or 4 wounded while responding to a report of a suspicious man walking down the street with what appeared to be an “assault weapon.”  Initial reports are that at least 1 suspect has been killed by police, but another 1 or 2 suspects are believed to be at large.

Digging Deeper

This horrific incident is believed to be misguided retaliation for the police fatal shooting of Alton Sterling, a registered sex offender and convicted felon armed with a handgun that was shot while fighting on the ground with police.  In the aftermath of the video of this incident, citizens across the nation were outraged by what was perceived to be an “unnecessary” killing by police, with the fire lit and stoked by media reports and politician comments that assumed the police were wrong to shoot Sterling.

Once more, we at History and Headlines challenge any politician, media person, Black Lives Matter activist, or any private or public citizen to undergo any one of the forms of exercise police often go through, generally referred to as “Shoot/Don’t Shoot” training.

We absolutely guarantee that after such an experience, people would not be so quick to criticize police in making the split second decision to shoot or not shoot.  People undergoing such training will find themselves repeatedly being shot by the “perpetrator” when they hesitate to shoot and will find themselves accidentally shooting “good guys.”

The idiocy of people that do not understand such scenarios making sweeping statements about them, people with no experience with firearms, police work and the use of force, is amazing.

Another major blunder is to make martyrs out of thugs that deserved to get shot, such as Michael Brown.

Instead of holding him up as an example of what happens when people misbehave, Hillary Clinton (among other) perpetuates the “Hands up don’t shoot” myth by inviting Brown’s mom to speak at the Democratic convention as if the kid was gunned down in some sort of police violence against Black males when in fact evidence proved the cop shot in self defense.

Police are not always in the right and each and every police shooting needs to be investigated to ensure propriety.  A tiny percentage of police shooting are “bad,” just as a tiny percentage of African-Americans are a danger to police.  Both of these misperceptions need to be thrown out through thoughtful and honest discourse.  There is racism in the United States at all levels, including in the ranks of police.  This problem needs to be addressed.  Black people should not be afraid of police, and White people need to stop acting as if every Black male was going to kill or rob them!  For one thing, all citizens should DO WHAT THE COP TELLS YOU TO DO!  If you fight, run away, pull a weapon or make a move he tells you not to, do not be surprised when you get shot.  That does not mean it is okay for cops to shoot you for any of these things, but this is a good start to avoid being shot!

Question for students (and subscribers): Do police need better training, standards, and equipment?  Please let us know in the comments section below this article.  If you say yes, then understand that this costs money!  You cannot get Olympic athletes with PhD’s, an MD, and a halo by hiring part-timers or paying lousy salary and benefits.  You cannot skimp on training costs, or you will not get the desired results.  And of course, get as many citizens through police use of force training as possible.  We promise it will be a tremendous eye-opener.

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Historical Evidence

For more information, please see…

Martinelli, Dr Ron.  The Truth Behind the Black Lives Matter Movement and the War on Police.  Graphic PrintSource, Inc, 2016.