This week, Hillary Clinton is providing a national platform at the DNC to Black Lives Matter as well as the mothers of young people killed by police, including the mother of Michael Brown – the thug who tried to kill Officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson. Ms. Clinton’s repeated condemnation of police officers and sweeping allegations of bias, as well as embracing groups calling for police deaths at the DNC convention, could be the final nail in the coffin for losing the support of more than a million law enforcement officers come voting time.
In the last several years, law enforcement and their families have been the victims of politically motivated hate speech levied towards them by the political leaders and activists pandering to crowds who hate police.
In 2009, President Obama accused Cambridge Police of acting stupidly — only to subsequently discover the police did their job and acted properly.
In Ferguson, President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder called the shooting of Michael Brown racially motivated, sympathizing with rioters. Two federal investigations and a Grand Jury found Officer Wilson innocent of any wrongdoing.
Then in Baltimore, six officers were arrested for the death of Freddie Gray. President Obama sympathized with rioters. An activist prosecutor condemned the officers before an investigation was done, and her charges have since been dismissed by a judge based on no probable cause.
When President Obama attended the funeral of five Dallas officers murdered by a racist shooter who wanted to kill white police, he used that platform to first honor our fallen heroes, but then accused police of bias for two deaths still under investigation.
President Obama has invited Black Lives Matter to the White House, providing a tacit endorsement of their actions. Hillary applauds their work.
Recently, some media have misreported many stories before the facts are even in. Recently they misreported that police kill more black men than whites, which is untrue according to the Department of Justice. Bad, agenda-driven reporting only adds fuel to the anti-law-enforcement sentiment nationally.
Also consider the anti-police hate speech from Black Lives Matter, Nation of Islam, and New Black Panthers – who call for police deaths. They chant “pigs in a blanket, fry ‘em like bacon,” or, “what do we want, dead cops – when do we want them – now!”
The political attacks, the media misrepresentation of facts, the political endorsement of racially motivated hate groups calling for police deaths, take a huge emotional toll on the morale of our law enforcement officers.
For Hillary Clinton and the DNC to embrace groups like Black Lives Matter and other activists who call for the death of police, and to give a platform to mothers of violent thugs who attempt to kill police officers, is a national disgrace.
Words matter. People listen. The Democrats have an international stage this week. They should have chosen a better message that shows respect for law enforcement. The noble men and women of law enforcement put their lives on the line every day, without asking your political preference or if you like them. They will do whatever it takes to keep you safe. Their lives matter too.
Rob Michaels is a former police detective who founded Serve & Protect in 2011 to facilitate trauma services for public safety professionals with PTSD symptoms, addictions, or thoughts of suicide. Whether through residential care, trauma therapists, chaplains, or related services including service dogs, equine therapy or other means, Serve & Protect has helped more than 2,500 public safety professionals to date in the United States and internationally. The Serve & Protect hotline will accept calls 24/7 at 615-373-8000.