Fund police
Why society does it
THE POLICE did a fine job over the weekend in Little Rock during a Black Lives Matter and a Blue Lives Matter (& Co.) protest. Not to pat ourselves on the back, but so did the newspaper.
It’s really not a pat on our back because this column has no say about how the news section covers or plays news. But there are newspaper editors in this country who would have taken the confrontation, such as it was, and played it top of the front page, in type size usually held in reserve for presidential resignations, alien contact and football games. The better to sell papers and fan flames.
Instead, our editors put the story on page 2B, along with a couple of linked videos. It was the Goldilocks treatment: Not too hard, not too soft, but just right.
The protest and counter-protest didn’t get out of control. Mainly because of Little Rock’s police department. An email from a friend called the actions, and reactions, of local police a “masterful” performance. We’d have to agree.
So many times police are (rightfully) criticized for their actions. So why not give credit where due when they make all the right moves in a situation? For without the cops this weekend, Little Rock could have joined Portland and Seattle atop the Drudge Report. From the top:
Early last week, an organizer called for all the local franchises, coalition groups and allied blocs of Black Lives Matter to gather at the Capitol on Saturday to remove a monument to Confederate soldiers on the grounds there. In the phraseology, grammar and medium of the day, the organizer posted, “This b **** coming down,” in a viral video.
In response, a handful of other groups—such as Arkansas Patriots Militia, Blue Lives Matter, and others—decided to make an appearance as well. Our reporter said more than 150 people showed up. And, again according to the paper, “many of them [were] armed.”
William Sanders of the newsroom broke it down this way:
Arkansas State Police troopers and State Capitol Police officers monitored the situation from vehicles nearby.
“Let’s get it on!” one defender of the monument yelled.
A Black Lives Matter protester with a megaphone shouted from the Capitol steps, directing comments to the protesters circling the monument.
One man, who had his dog with him, shouted at the Black Lives Matter group to “bring it” and challenged the protester with the megaphone to fight him “one-on-one.”
About then, the monitoring police officers got out of their vehicles and formed a line between the opposing groups.
At one point, the protesters lined up across from each other, “shortening the distance between the groups to less than 15 yards.” They shouted at one another, raised fists, and the like. Then Black Lives Matter marched on. Eventually the groups broke up and everybody went home, having had their First Amendment say, and more. For in our considered editorial opinion, yelling “Let’s get it on!” gets close to the line of egging on a riot. But the police showed the better part of valor.
Which, finally, brings us to the point:
WHAT WOULD have happened Saturday night in Little Rock if the police here were actually defunded? And don’t give us the talking point that Defund the Police organizers really don’t want to defund police, but want only to move money around to social services. No: They very much want to defund police departments. All you have to do is ask them.
Can you imagine the 1A-above-thefold story in Sunday morning’s newspaper if there hadn’t been police officers between the two groups, giving both sides something to think about? Remember, some of these protesters were armed. This could have turned into a Neil Young song. Instead, everybody went home safe. And still were able to get their message(s) out.
This is why we fund police.
Or, perhaps better said, this is one of thousands of reasons why we fund police. And why a civilized society will continue to do so.