The Latest Crisis: Cop Violence vs Street Violence

Suddenly it seems, a new type of violence—street violence– is competing for our attention. Since the horrible killing of George Floyd on May 25 while in police custody, our nation has been riveted by a Black Lives Matter movement that has rebelled against police brutality against Blacks. It was as if a dam had been broken, as millions took to the streets to rail against racism and police violence. “Defund the Police,” which means different things to different people, became a popular rallying cry among demonstrators.

The movement was such a juggernaut—embraced by every pillar of our culture— no one could have anticipated it could be disrupted by another form of violence– one that, ironically enough, would require a stronger police presence.

But this is the weird moment we have reached in this weirdest of years. A juggernaut movement against police violence suddenly feels a little outdated. The violence that has rocked our cities for months has thrown the protest movement for a loop. Instead of worrying about police violence, millions are now worried about police protection.

“A majority of Americans say they are concerned about rising crime in U.S. cities,” The Hill reported on July 27, quoting a Harvard CAPS/Harris poll.

Presidential candidate Joe Biden, after ignoring the street violence in his acceptance speech two weeks ago, is now condemning it any chance he gets. On Sunday, he issued a statement condemning violence “of every kind by anyone, whether on the left or the right.”

The media also is scrambling to cover the story. As Mark Hemingway wrote on RealClearPolitics on Aug. 28, CNN “finally began fretting about the rioting sweeping the country for months.”

What happened? How could such a big story take so long to finally erupt and capture the headlines?

The first answer is obvious: we’re in an election year. The mainstream progressive media will emphasize what is most helpful to its side. Rioting and violence that suggests the need for more law enforcement is helpful to the other side, so it was downplayed.

Movements are also not good at pivoting. A movement that fights police violence cannot simply turn around and oppose street violence. When demonstrators took over a police precinct in Seattle in early June, it only reinforced the anti-police aspect of the BLM movement.

If the street violence continues and people demand a greater police presence, what happens to the epic movement of 2020 against police violence?

But perhaps the biggest factor in the rise of this story is the increase in concern among voters. According to the Harvard CAPS/Harris poll, the 77 percent of respondents worried about rising crime “are concerned that prosecutors are not prosecuting the crimes” and “single out social media for being used to coordinate violence and in their view not doing much to curb it.”

The violence is real. As columnist Michelle Goldberg acknowledged this week in The New York Times, “There’s no denying that some of the convulsive demonstrations of recent months have given way to violence and nihilistic destruction. When protesters in Seattle tried to set up a radically utopian police-free zone, there were six people shot in 10 days, two of them fatally.”

Between now and election day, we can expect a battle of two narratives: The Biden camp will argue that the violence is being incited by Trump, while the Trump camp will blame the violence on the Democrats running the cities. Among many voters, a key question may well be: Who will make me feel safer?

Beyond the dueling narratives and the partisan finger-pointing, I’m humbled by this turn of events. If the street violence continues and people demand a greater police presence, what happens to the epic movement of 2020 against police violence?

One distinction people often fail to make is between Black Lives Matter as an organization and as a movement. The organization is highly problematic, but the sentiment behind the movement itself is anything but. Blacks have suffered, not just at the hands of police, and deserve their due. Their lives matter. Their movement will continue.

We’re living in confusing and bewildering times. Crises overlap and hijack one another. We’re already numb from the effects of a global virus and an economic shutdown. And with a crucial presidential election looming, we’re compelled to see everything through a partisan lens.

As if all that weren’t messy and confusing enough, with street violence sweeping the nation, now we wonder about the police: Are they the good guys or the bad guys?