While I generally count myself as a fan of the columns of Jamala Rogers, I am convinced that the time has long since passed for us to analyze the rationale for murder and crime by continuing to play the “victimization” game. African-American youth must be held firmly and consistently accountable for the hostility and terror they create in our communities. Absent should be the mindset that blames society and a frayed family structure for the failures of the few who “choose” the thug life and glamour of the streets.
Jamala Roger has an impressive history of fighting for justice and fairness when it comes to African Americans caught up in the criminal justice system. However, when it comes to developing sympathy or a defense of the alleged 15-year-old perpetrator, the African-American community should be squarely behind the police on this one. The alleged loss of a young African-American police officer at the hands of a criminal, albeit young, deserves no compassion or understanding of circumstances. We owe ourselves a sense of civility in demanding an end to the madness and violence.
For too long, we have watched and anguished as to an appropriate response to the crime problem in our communities. Too many times, we have placed the blame on an inadequate police force, or an unsympathetic political and social system. There continues to be far too many lives lost, and too many excuses claimed. Unfortunately, we have allowed a “pattern of silence” to turn our neighborhoods into fear zones into which most law-abiding citizens rarely seek to come.
If a 15-year-old African-American thug shot and killed a young, caring, African-American police officer who only wanted to make a difference in his community, that 15-year-old deserves absolutely no sympathy from us.
George R. Cotton, Sr.
Carbondale, Illinois