Thursday night’s shooting of police officers in Dallas that killed five officers and wounded five more was the worst massacre of police since 9/11. The gunman was later identified as Micah Xavier Johnson, 25, who was blown up by a police robot while holed up on the second level of the El Centro Community College parking garage early Friday morning.
This incident was initially thought to be the work of several co-conspirators, however the police have not identified any others at this point and the press has labeled him a “lone gunman.” Detectives found bomb making materials and bullet proof vests and a variety of arms in his home, according to Dallas police.
Johnson “wanted to kill white people” according to authorities.
The leaders of Black Lives Matter issued a statement, but it doesn’t seem overly sympathetic to the police offices who lost their lives in the very act of protecting the BLM protests. No statement of thanks to the police officers who gave their lives, no condemnation of the act, no words discouraging future acts of this kind. Read for yourself:
Statement from Black Lives Matter
In the last few days, this country witnessed the recorded murders of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile at the hands of police, the latest victims in this country’s failed policing system. As we have done for decades, we marched and protested to highlight the urgent need to transform policing in America, to call for justice, transparency and accountability, and to demand that Black Lives Matter.
In Dallas, many gathered to do the same, joining in a day of action with friends, family, and co-workers. Their efforts were cut short when a lone gunman targeted and attacked 11 police officers, killing five. This is a tragedy—both for those who have been impacted by yesterday’s attack and for our democracy. There are some who would use these events to stifle a movement for change and quicken the demise of a vibrant discourse on the human rights of Black Americans. We should reject all of this.
Black activists have raised the call for an end to violence, not an escalation of it. Yesterday’s attack was the result of the actions of a lone gunman. To assign the actions of one person to an entire movement is dangerous and irresponsible. We continue our efforts to bring about a better world for all of us.