A cycle of madness

Our nation is on edge.

Our collective nerves are shot. Our police are afraid. People in all walks of life are afraid and angry.

Each inappropriate and ill-advised action begets a more dangerous reaction.

The actions of last week have set our stomachs on edge. Video captured the deaths of two black men, one in the nation’s deep south, the other in the north. Both men were shot by police. The footage is disturbing, and it does not look good for law enforcement. In one of the incidents, a Minnesota man’s death was streamed live on Facebook; he was shot while sitting in his car for an alleged taillight incident. The man’s girlfriend said the man, who had no criminal record, was reaching for his identification, and not a gun, because the officer had asked for it.

There is reason for justifiable anger here.

We can’t say with 100 percent certainty that the Minnesota man, whose name is Philando Castile, was reaching for his wallet, but if so, the public has every reason to be outraged. In no circumstance, ever, should a person die at the hands of a police officer while reaching for his wallet during a routine traffic stop.

The video in Louisiana shows a fight that had broken out between Sterling and the officers, where police had Alton Sterling pinned to the ground. The fight ended with Sterling dying from gun shots. The video did not show any evidence that Sterling was holding a gun. Some have defended police officers, saying Sterling had a long history of crime. That may be so, but officers are not judges. A citizen deals with his crimes through the courts and prisons. An officer does not bring justice to criminals. He brings criminals to justice. Juries and judges dole out guilt and punishment; officers do not.

Officers should always be placed under independent and thorough scrutiny any time they take the life of a person. Police are part of our government and they must be held to very high standards. We hope and expect that will happen here.

But just like officers should not make assumptions based on a person’s skin color, nor should we assume bad-apple police represent law enforcement.

Are these instances systemic or isolated? We like to believe they are isolated. Meanwhile, those examinations are happening with formal inquiries across the country.

We woke up Friday morning to the horrible news that five officers had been killed and six injured as violence broke out in Dallas in an apparent reaction to the aforementioned incidents. Righteous anger or not, these actions are evil and despicable. Reports indicated a “sniper” had taken out at least some of the officers. By all accounts, police in Dallas were not engaging in anything violent; in fact, they were not wearing bullet-proof vests at the demonstration so as to be less intimidating and many reports showed officers posing for photos with protesters, who were demonstrating peacefully. The protesters and police were acting properly.

The violence only undermines the intent of the protesters. It only exacerbates the problem, puts more pressure and stress on police — and all of us — meanwhile undermining the debate for more peaceful law enforcement practices.

So here we are again. Another racially tense moment in our country, the latest in an age of unrest.

We found it ironic that at the same time these ugly incidents erupted nationally, our own police force was dealing with conflict in a peaceful and civilized manner.

On Thursday evening, Cape Girardeau police held one of their Neighborhood Roll Call meetings in a neighborhood that has seen its share of violence in the past several months. Like the rest of the nation, the folks who live on North Lorimier are on edge. Flying bullets are an intense concern.

And frankly, some residents there aren’t too happy with how police have handled things. Fair criticism or not, the police and city officials are actively listening to concerns and involved in offering solutions to help the neighborhood improve its safety.

Cape Girardeau police really are trying to engage and not enrage. That does not mean the department is perfect, nor are the officers. But again we applaud these proactive efforts. We hope these public efforts are being matched in private conversations with individuals when they voice their concerns.

We wish we could offer solutions to fix our nation’s anxiety. The solutions are complicated, because the problems are complicated. We do know this: The societal conflicts that divide and trouble us will not be fixed as long as innocent people are being shot, no matter who is holding the gun.