Anti-police sentiments flared up in Memphis, TN, last night on Wednesday, June 12, after U.S. Marshals fatally shot a local man. A mob, assuming the police had "murdered" the "defenseless" man, reacted violently against police officers in a manner that has become all too common.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said its agents were called to the scene of a shooting involving a federal, regional anti-crime task force. The Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force, led by U.S. Marshalls, went to a house to look for a suspect with felony warrants and saw a man attempt to flee in a vehicle. The man rammed police vehicles several times before exiting with a weapon, and it was then that law enforcement opened fire, killing him at the scene.
A crowd, fueled by rumors, gathered and threw rocks and bricks injuring 25 officers. Several blocks near the scene were cordoned off, and officers had to use tear gas and to disperse the crowd. Only three people were arrested.
What is disturbing is the political reaction by Shelby County Commissioner and mayoral candidate Tami Sawyer. She Twitted, "Every life lost should matter...every single one. How many times will this be ok? It cannot continue to be."
What "cannot be continued," Commissioner Sawyer? Law enforcement investigations that sometimes lead to violent confrontations? Perhaps Comm. Sawyer should address the culture of violence among young blacks that takes more blacks lives than the police?
The national Mainstream Media has also tried to justify and excuse the violence against the police. Little has been said about the arrest warrant, the suspect fleeing and ramming the police cars, and the feared presence of a gun during the violent confrontation.
Nineteen police officers have been shot and killed since January 1, 2019. Furthermore, many communities are suffering from understaffed police departments because it has become a dangerous profession with little respect from some politicians and community leaders.
The crowd and Comm. Swayer's reaction in Memphis last night shows how liberal policies and leftist thinking have made police-community relations worst in America since 2008.