A Requiem for Dallas

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On Thursday, 5 police officers in Dallas were shot making it the deadliest day for law enforcement since 9/11. The five officers, Brent Thompson, Patrick Zamarripa, Michael Krol, Lorne Ahrens and Michael Smith all had distinguished careers before joining the Dallas police department. The police force was out protecting protestors who were gathered peacefully to bring attention to the two shootings that took place in Louisiana and Minnesota, both of which were captured on camera.

As the protests drew to a close, a lone sniper began firing on the crowd, targeting police officers. The shooter killed 5 and wounded 7. The shooter was reported by authorities to have kept a journal of combat tactics and had a large arsenal of guns, ammunition and bomb-making materials in his home. He was also seen by a neighbor in his backyard practicing military drills. The Dallas Police Chief acknowledged that the attack would have had to have been well-planned. During negotiations in a standoff against police, the shooter stated that he wanted to exterminate whites, “especially white officers.” The shooter was then killed by a bomb- delivering robot.

In response to the horrific attacks, President Obama made a statement from the NATO conference in Poland, reinforcing his call for more gun control. The fact of the matter is, this event was not a gun problem or even a race problem. American citizens are actively hunting police officers and it is being reduced to a side effect of Black Lives Matter or police brutality.

Despite the fact that the 5 officers died in the line duty by of protecting the protesters, the Black Lives Matter movement decided that protests against police should rise to the point of shutting down main highways in several states. Police attempted to remedy the situation, resulting in numerous arrests. While widows and children without fathers are still mourning, the Black Lives Matter movement is taking this opportunity to protest and march nationwide, taking the focus off of the fact that a crazed man killed five people who pledged to protect and serve them.