Unarmed civilian, police deaths still zero sum game to some‏

It's both surprising and dismaying to me how so many folks in my social circle view the current racial divide regarding policing minority communities as a zero sum game. In their mindset, there is only one issue: unarmed folks wouldn't die if only they obeyed the cops. They will never admit there is a problem of racial profiling and overuse of excessive force, whether a filicide of bullets into an unarmed man or applying a deadly chokehold on a unlicensed street vendor. They will never admit a cop should be prosecuted for such deaths, even when the death arises from incompetence or malice. They attribute police deaths at the hands of a mentally disturbed person to the protesters or the president or the mayor or the attorney general, some even shamelessly claiming these leaders are fomenting a new race war.

 

It's the old 'zero sum game whereby anything admitted to regarding the problems of the ghetto, from massive unemployment in an otherwise growing economy to overzealous police stopping and sometimes killing unarmed citizens, is seen as further diminishing the diminishing white majority. That is tragic because it only delays the solving of institutional problems that lead to senseless deaths, now including police as well as unarmed citizens.

 

Having contributed in a small but invigorating way to achieve full civil rights for blacks and other minorities for over half a century, I've found such work no zero sum game. Every advancement in full citizenship for others, whether due to skin color, religious / non religious affiliation, or sexual orientation improves the citizenship of everyone. Those too blind to see this reality sadly continue to figuratively bang their heads against the wall hoping reality will go away.