Letter: Don’t condemn police as villains
The news reports partial, or unsubstantiated information, feeding the frenzy without verifying the actual facts of the event. They condemn the police as the villain in recent excessive force stories, inciting protests and violence.
A cellphone and immediate access to the Internet and social media, anyone can post anything. So what you think you see, may not be the actual event. Actions prior to video being taken, was this person not following police instructions, being aggressive, belligerent, resisting arrest, reaching for a weapon? Rarely, after these videos were released by the news or social media, has the person’s previous criminal history been mentioned.
If confronted by the police, traffic stop, walking on the street or domestic violence, if they tell you to do something, don’t be an idiot, comply.
As a result of the recent videos, police have been assassinated and protesters have gone out in a mob fashion, to destroy, loot and burn innocent businesses, have violent protests, and — of course, lest we forget — trash police and private vehicles.
The president politically blames gun control and not criminal intent.
Bob Page, Kennewick
This story was originally published August 7, 2016 at 3:17 AM with the headline "Letter: Don’t condemn police as villains."