They are wrong. Not even many good guys with guns can save you from the wrath of one bad guy with a weapon of war, an #AR15. I wish Cedric Alexander (@Calex_law) was right but experience tells otherwise.
Good guys with guns
I watched the excerpts from the video of the Uvalde gunman entering the elementary school and the subsequent reaction by law enforcement. There were so many conflicting feelings that one likely went through while watching.
Let’s first look at the sad reality immediately after the Uvalde massacre. Law enforcement described the event as if the police officers were heroes. But no one should be surprised. I have never seen a police report that reflected the actual events they are to describe. We cannot forget the statement Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin‘s team submitted after he murdered George Floyd. The police claimed medical distress caused Floyd’s death. The truth looked utterly different.
Uvalde displayed three attributes prevalent in too many police officers. The first is that they take almost no risks in protecting the public. And it was dear for all to see on video. Then again, that is their training. They are mandated to shoot to kill, not if they are in real danger but if they perceive a threat irrationally or not. And that training is a clear and present danger to people of color or in situations when they must protect the public at large from a well-armed perpetrator.
The second attribute is that one cannot ever believe police reports. It is generally a figment of the officer’s imagination to aggrandize or cover up bad behavior or mistakes.
The third attribute is their false bravado. Too many police officers are ready to pump bullets into unarmed non-threatening people of color. It is a frequent occurrence. On a personal note, I am a degreed mechanical engineer, a software developer, a business owner, a writer, blogger, videographer, and radio host, among many other things. And still, the only concerning profile to cops is my hue which is why I stay away from the police at all costs. I still get a physical reaction whether they are following me on the freeway or I encounter them anywhere. Amazingly, the AR-15 used by the Uvalde gunman removed their facade. They have no problem chasing and gunning down the unarmed for a traffic violation but run from the well-armed even as they have all the body armor they need. To hell with the dying children and teachers. Remember, they need to perceive they are in danger. It gives them carte blanch to be cowards or assassins when necessary.
In the video that is in this post, Law enforcement analyst Cedric Alexander wants us to believe that Uvalde was the exception. A few officers are thorough, moral, caring, and respectful of what their job entails. My decades of interaction with cops and narratives from others inform me that what we saw on the Uvalde video is more the norm than some aberration.
I hope the behavior of the police in Uvalde and their subsequent lies and tactics will finally break our devotion to funding them at all costs. After all, the cops had all the hardware they needed. The only thing missing was their competence, courage, and common sense.