OPINION:
The problem with people demonstrating against the deaths, often at the hands of whites in positions of authority, of Freddie Gray, Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin and other black men is that the protesters jump to often-erroneous conclusions before all the facts are in (“Freddie Gray was intentionally trying to injure himself, witness says,” Web, April 29). Even many of their slogans, such as “Hands up, don’t shoot,” have proven to be faulty.
It is very risky to base a high-profile case of police brutality and injustice — one which may have widespread implications — on involved individuals, as these people often were engaged in violating the law at the time of their death or just before they died, or else had a long criminal history.
Often they are far from being upstanding members of the community. For example, Gray had previously been arrested more than 20 times for drug dealing and other offenses. Eric Garner was selling illegal, untaxed cigarettes, Michael Brown had just committed a strong-armed robbery at a convenience store and Walter Scott had an outstanding warrant against him for failure to pay child support.
KENNETH L. ZIMMERMAN
Huntington Beach, Calif.
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