It is customary to preface all comments on America’s current protest epidemic to recognize that George Floyd died in helpless fear, desperate to breathe. Consider this done.

Now let’s move on. I propose to examine some elements in the current national uproar that deserve more attention. First, and always, there’s that old question often heard in Roman courts, Cui bono? “to whom is it a benefit?” Does this sound cynical? Of course it does. It’s a political question. What would you expect?

It’s a mathematical fact that the Democratic Party’s hold on around 90% of the “Black” vote is vital to its hope to gain and keep control of the national government. If that total dropped to 50% they would have to say good bye to their ambition for national political predominance. That is not a subject for debate among political scientists and pundits. It follows that liberal Democrats have a compelling motive to portray conservative Republicans as the racist enemy of Black Americans, while liberal Democrats are their defenders. The more dramatically they can drive this myth home, the bigger the turn out.

For me the salient oddity in the protest epidemic is the spectacle of progressives attacking themselves. New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland, OR., Oakland, Cal, St. Louis. Washington, Detroit, Chicago, and Minneapolis, are the cities where the protests have been most violent. Liberal Democrats have controlled every one of them for years. Now they condemn their own police without admitting any responsibility for their racist iniquities.

Peter Kirsanow, an attorney and a member of the United States Commission on Civil Rights provides a context for current events. Floyd’s death, he writes is “…but the latest of increasing examples of innocent blacks being disproportionately shot by white cops and targeted by racist white civilians. The narrative is played hourly on cable news shows. It’s embellished by major newspapers across the country. Cynical and opportunistic politicians advance it every election cycle. Hollywood perpetuates the narrative in television and theaters. It’s a mantra of high-school teachers and college professors, regardless of academic discipline. Major corporations apologize for their nebulous complicity. The narrative is a staple of diversity and inclusion offices. It’s ubiquitous on social media.”

In contradicting this narrative Kirsanow cites the following data from the 2018 National Crime Victimization Survey, Census data, FBI Uniform Crime Reports, and other sources:

In 2016, 466 whites were killed by police; 233 blacks were killed by police. Whites are 76.5 percent of the U.S. population (including Hispanics); blacks are 13.4 percent of the U.S. population. Whites commit 59 percent of violent crimes (defined as murder, manslaughter, rape, robbery, aggravated assault); blacks commit 37.5 percent of violent crimes. One out of 8,511 blacks is arrested for murder; one in 58,582 whites is arrested for murder. Blacks are approximately 6.8 times more likely than whites to be arrested for murder. One out of 2,800,438 blacks is arrested for killing a cop; one of 7,674,278 whites is arrested for killing a cop. Blacks are 2.74 times more likely than whites to be arrested for killing a cop.

In 2016, 66 cops were killed in the line of duty; 32 whites and 15 blacks were identified as the killers. More than twice as many blacks (533) murdered whites in 2016 than whites (243) murdered blacks. Black males are 6 percent of the U.S. population. Black males are responsible for 42 percent of cop killings in the last decade. In 2015, a cop was 18.5 times more likely to be killed by a black male than an unarmed black male was likely to be killed by a cop. In 2016, 222 black males were killed by police. 16 were unarmed. 445 white males were killed by police. 20 were unarmed. Between 2012 and 2015, blacks committed 85.5 percent of all black-white interracial violent victimizations (excluding interracial homicide, which is also disproportionately black-on-white).

Millions of Americans have watched videos of joyous celebrations in Lootopia. None of them show policemen engaged in arson, looting, and vandalism. We have to go to the New York Times for an explanation of what’s really going on. I recommend Jamelle Bouie’s “What Happens when it is the Police who Riot in the Streets? Jamelle explains that “rioting police have done as much to stoke unrest and destabilize the situation as those responsible for damaged buildings and burning cars. But where rioting protesters can be held to account for destruction and violence, rioting police have the imprimatur of the state.”

After bemoaning the horrors inflicted by rubber bullets and the excessive use of tear gas, the NYT analyst goes on to explain that America’s police forces exist to enforce social control, especially control over Black folks. WARNING: If you don’t accept this drivel you may be accused of racism. Let’s give this warning a broader application. Colorless People (CPs) participating in one of those conversations, discussions, dialogues, and such about racism are expected to listen to People of Color (POCs), admit their guilt, look ashamed, and feel ashamed. Fail to perform as prescribed will expose you as a racist.

John Frary of Farmington, the GOP candidate for U.S. Congress in 2008, is a retired history professor, an emeritus Board Member of Maine Taxpayers United, a Maine Citizen’s Coalition Board member, and publisher of FraryHomeCompanion.com. He can be reached at jfrary8070@aol.com.

Editor’s Note: As always we welcome and encourage other points of view. Please respond via Letters to the Editor at editor@thefranklinjournal.com.

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