For the second time in two weeks, police officers have been the targets of violence.
Sunday, three officers in Baton Rouge, La., were gunned down.
At this writing, it’s not clear what the motive of the perpetrator was, but it’s suspected it was in retaliation for the fatal shooting of Alton B. Sterling, a black man, on July 5 in Baton Rouge.
Clearly, violence begets violence and as a society we are spiraling out of control until both sides insist they must come to terms through non-violent means.
IN SMALL towns like Iola most of us feel far removed from the threat of violence.
As citizens, we feel protected by law enforcement. And our police officers, likewise, feel no threat from their citizenry. For the most part, these public servants lead blessedly humdrum lives.
That’s not to say there hasn’t been cause for concern.
The tragic death of Chance Shrum in 2007 still haunts us all. In the wee hours of May 15, 2007, police officers used their Taser guns on the young man, who, according to police reports, was spotted walking naked in the north part of town.
Shrum, 20, was unarmed — naturally.
Four shots shocked Shrum into submission upon which he was handcuffed. The slightly built youth then seems to have suffered cardiac arrest. Shrum died before an ambulance arrived at the scene.
While the Kansas Bureau of Investigation found the police officers innocent of any potential criminal charges, the incident continues to leave many unsettled and an example of why it is incumbent for law enforcement officials to use violence only as a last resort.
CITIZENS and law enforcement officials should not feel as if they are walking targets of the other.
But to get each side to lay down their arms requires making a more safe — and equal — playing field, including recognizing the prevalence of racial profiling and having a goal of not only racial equality but also one of equal opportunities.
Fear makes us put up walls — to outsiders, those of different color and faith, and those of different social and economic classes.
Such retrenchment makes us doubt our possibilities as a community.
