Don’t fight prejudice with prejudice

Around 3 p.m. Thursday, two Florida deputies were eating at a Chinese restaurant in Trenton, Florida, when they were shot and killed by a gunman.

According to Gilchrist County Sheriff Bobby Schultz, the gunman fired through the window of Ace China and hit the two officers who were eating inside. Schultz said the two deputies were 30-year-old Noel Ramirez and 25-year-old Taylor Lindsay. He further dubbed the two men as “the best of the best.”

The Miami Herald reported the gunman, as well as the two deputies, were found dead on the scene. The suspect has been identified as 59-year-old John Hubert Highnote.

During a press conference held shortly after the incident, Schultz stated the deaths were not a result of political issues but did hint at the idea of it. He asked the audience, “What do you expect happens when you demonize law enforcement to the extent that it’s been demonized?”

His question is not without reason. Throughout the past several years, police officers have made headlines across the country for targeting minority populations in their arrests and for a slew of accidental shootings, often resulting in the murders of black men. As a result, many Americans have developed an unfavorable opinion of police officers, citing that they are racist or trigger happy. And in suit, Americans have found themselves divided on yet another major issue.

What this gunman did in north Florida is horrendous. It was cruel, heartless and unhinged. More than that, it was disrespectful to the many men and women in uniform who work tirelessly every day to protect us.

That being said, an issue with police brutality against minorities does exist, and we cannot pretend it doesn’t by neglecting to publish stories about it in the media. No amount of respect for our officers deems it acceptable to ignore the fact that glaring racial disparities exist in how police officers use force.

In 2017, Vox released an analysis of FBI data, showing black people are far more likely to be shot at by a police officer than are white people. In fact, despite making up only 13 percent of the U.S. population, black people make up 31 percent of those killed by police officers. When considering the number of people killed by policing while not attempting to attack anyone, the number jumps to 39 percent.

We can’t pretend this isn’t a problem. There is a bias against black people in this country, and that’s true whether you are a police officer or not. When the media publicizes events where black people are once again treated unjustly and with a clear bias, they do it to bring attention to the topic and let people know racism and profiling are still very much alive in our country.

However, despite the fact they are often received as such, these stories also are not published in an effort to demonize police officers. Understandably so, many minority groups have lost faith in police officers and others have been led to believe all officers are evil and racist. But when you are making those assumptions about police officers, aren’t you doing the same thing they are supposedly doing with black people?

The key to fighting prejudice and violence is not more prejudice and violence. Just how we cannot ignore that there is an issue with police brutality against black people, we can’t ignore that there is an issue with Americans profiling police officers.

The uncertainty makes for a less safe environment and for a country filled with even more hate than we currently have.

The lives of deputies Ramirez and Lindsay should serve as a call to action for Americans and officers to stop the epidemic of prejudice in our country. It’s time we stop adding fuel to the fire.