Of recent events

[fanw]

The events culminating in last nights attack on the Dallas police force belie a larger problem than what we have focused on so far. This is more than just about police brutality and this is more than about gun control. We have a society with the highest incarceration rate in the world -- yes, the world -- and statistically we specifically target dark-skinned individuals, particularly African Americans. We have a system of mandatory sentencing for minor drug crimes, police forces funded by predatory fines, and severe restrictions on employment for anyone with a conviction, and then have the temerity to blame the African American community for broken families. After her son was killed on Wednesday in a routine traffic stop, Ms Castile said in a statement "we are being hunted" and I don't blame her for that opinion. "Every system is perfectly designed to get the results it gets" as they say in healthcare improvement world, meaning that if you see a disturbing pattern, it is surely the result of systemic issues and not merely random error. Extrapolating this, we have built a legal system which systematically disenfranchises African American men and views their deaths by shooting at point blank range as "accidents". If you don't quite believe this, please read Ta-Nehisi Coates Between the World and Me and get back to me.

It is with horror that I view the sniper attack on the Dallas police force last night. It's clear that at least one person in the community believes they are already at war with the police. In truth, this war has been going on since cowboys shot indians. In this world of videorecorders in every pocket and instant distribution, we in the wider community are only now witnessing it.