Flashpoints and Finger-Pointing

On Monday night, multiple speakers at the RNC warned about the increased threat to the lives of American police officers, referencing the recent shootings in Dallas and Baton Rouge and proclaiming, “blue lives matter.” But on average, the number of police officers killed in the line of duty--as well as the rate of crime in general--has steadily decreased since the Reagan years. Brooke talks with Eugene O’Donnell, former NYPD officer and current professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, about how reducing the debate to “black lives matter” versus “blue lives matter” distracts from meaningful action that might address the real problems of policing in the US.

Song:

"Totem Ancestor" by Kronos Quartet