Letters to the Editor: Here’s how police can end protests: Stop shooting unarmed Black people

To the editor: After much thought and careful consideration, I have come upon a solution that will end the need for street demonstrations against police brutality. It is so amazingly simple that I’m shocked it has never been presented before now. (“Teen charged in Kenosha killings, Kyle Rittenhouse, praised police,” Aug. 26)

It is a plan so simple and direct in its application that it will assuage the fears of both sides of the political spectrum, save local governments millions of dollars, and improve relations between the police and the communities they are sworn to serve.

I submit this as a Black man and a retired law enforcement officer with more than 30 years of service. Here is my plan:

Stop killing unarmed people of color who have committed no crime.

Allen Humphries, Indio

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To the editor: The political beliefs of the shooter as a motivation will be dismissed by the millions who share them and have not killed innocents in the streets.

The real story is that the local sheriff in Kenosha, Wis., and Fox News host Tucker Carlson have offered explanations for these killings that legitimize the shooter’s actions, if not specifically the deaths. Our president has suggested that violence against protesters is justified.

Societies shift from democratic to authoritarian when civilians are allowed to become violent enforcers of the state’s interests.

Martina Steiner, Long Beach