Dallas police shooting

Very sad situation, black or police officer, they've all tragically lost their lives. There are too many guns in America.

So sad that shooting someone is seen as a solution to anything. Once again guns are involved, the USA needs to sort out it's a gun happy nation. It might not have averted this situation, but then again if no one had easy access to guns it might have.

Niggly, this agreeing is rather worrying .

I so agree with you

I was in The USA at the time of the Kent State University shootings (police shooting innocent students) and I believe the country is still bearing the repercussions of this, as well as many other wrongs that have never been righted. It has led to bitter over-reactions on both sides, but I suggest anyone looking at the statistics of police on civilian shootings will reach their own conclusions.

The USA seems to be one of the most inhospitable societies on the planet, and these latest tragedies add nothing to the idea that they are getting any better.

There is a great film called "Mississippi Burning", with Willem Dafoe and Gene Hackmann, which shows the conflict between both coloured and white 'Americans' in some savage detail in the 1960s.

It reflected the persistence of the 'colour bar', or apartheid American style.

No lessons appear to have been learned, and almost no progress seems toy have taken place in their society overall. The ease with which they seem to resort to using weapons, and justify their use is insane.

I wonder how the true 'Native Americans' view what has unfolded in what is undoubtedly their land over the past decades, or indeed the past century and more.

Totally agree with anniebach It was only a matter of time though before this happened. The irony is that they have a black president. Where has he been in all what has been going on for years. To quote his own words: The buck stops here.

Yes anniebach, but those particular police officers who were shot were not the ones who killed the victims (as far as I'm aware anyway). Killing random people just because of the uniform they wear isn't right. I agree the police officers involved in the crimes should be held accountable but you seem to be justifying the actions of the gunmen last night because a few policemen took the law into their own hands in a completely different situation?

Good points, Railman. I'd go further and say that the US is a country verging on a breakdown in society.

I don't think America has ever had a society

Sadly Petra he's had to fight every step of the way against the various offices such as the Senate, the House of Representatives (don't ask me to explain their system) and his hands have been tied by groups with strong lobbies and the far right,

The point is that that the obvious murder of a black guy by one/ two white police officers inflamed an already inflammatory situation, so that other people who are in the same racial group feel that they want to attack the people who they see as connected by association to the murderers. A bit like killing an innocent German living in the same street as you, because of the blitz. Totally unacceptable of course, but,if you think about it possibly understandable.

As I see it the main problem with trying to do something about the use of guns in the USA is that it's written into their constitution the Right to Bear Arms. Amendment 2.
So if they changed that it would be like changing the 10 commandments.
Thank goodness we don't have the same racial problems here - there's plenty as it is but at least we don't have the history of slavery to come to terms with.

I agree Petitpois but there have been far too many incidents where policeman who have shot unarmed young black men without sufficient cause, have not been held accountable.

The main reason that these executions are now being seen for what they are is because today's technology enables them to be filmed. It's a horrifying thought just how many innocent young black men have been killed by police without due cause and those responsible have got away with it.

But we do have a history of slavery Tricia not quite in the same way as America perhaps, with huge plantations but slave traders operated from our shores. There have also been recent cases where foreign workers in the UK have been treated little better than slaves.

If you study the history of any country in the world you will quickly realise that the dispossessed existed in every country and were treated like slaves by the rich. For at least part of our history you could not move from your master's feudal fief without his consent.
The saddest part of these shootings is people seeing revenge as the way forward and people seeing someone who is different as not worthy of the same consideration. Is it made worse because of the difference in skin colour because people are shot by fellow citizens or police or army across the world and no-one bats an eyelid as long as it is their own ethnicity group. A death is a death however it came about and thorough investigations should be carried out. What is the solution? Do white officers pursuing a black suspect call in the 'Black Squad' to deal with it and vice versa but then you would be into allegations of discrimination and labelling people as racist? Certainly very strict gun control would help. I think the original idea of carrying guns was so they had a militia. I sometimes ponder how many would be so keen if they were called up to fight in a 'militia' army overseas.

For me the worst thing ( apart from the pointless loss of life) about the Dallas murders ?( Because that is what it was -a murder!)

A young African American guy( although I don't think his colour makes any difference - just using this as context- was asked what happened and he said '" I heard shooting when I was by the parking garage. But it was actually from down the street. So I ran to the garage and saw an officer down....so I put it on Facebook "!!

NOT - I checked to see if he was alive.
NOT - I called for help

no....I put it on Facebook !

And that , right there - sums it all up for me .

Mans inhumanity to man.

Tricia Britain was running the slave trade, it's just that we weren't the ones left with slaves on our doorstep after abolition. Liverpool, Bristol and London were the cities that grew rich on the slave trade.

The International Slavery Museum is well worth a visit. British ships exported manufactured goods from here to Africa, Slaves from Africa to America, and cotton/sugar from America back to here. The Americans probably learnt a lot about how to treat the blacks from our slave traders, like hanging slaves alive from meat hooks.

History is their for us to learn, but we never do, life is very cheap, I will worry about (nearest and dearest), but nothing else, the death of 250 people in Iraq didn't really bother me, I ju8st thought if it would effect the price of petrol.

I watched that film of those 2 policeman shooting that motorist while holding him down made me think that I need a gun for protection.

prove me wrong GNeeters, restore my faith in humanity.

Only you can find the answer to restoring your faith in humanity Gonosuch , if you ever had it or if you did then if you want it restored .

Gononsuch

Very interesting comment from a black community leader being interviewed on channel 4 last night. He said the black community had to look at themselves and see how they valued life.
Perhaps that isn't very clear to some, but hearing the whole interview I understood what he is saying. It relates to our own problems with black people Re guns and knives.

But unless I'm wrong here, the caretaker wasn't armed, he'd reached into his pocket to get out the ID he'd been asked for.

According to his girlfriend, he was carrying a gun legally, and as he reached for his licence in his back pocket he said "I have a firearm on me". His girlfriend says she started shouting that it was a legal firearm, but the officer had probably perceived this as a threat and began to shoot. Tragic. And now 5 more innocent people with families are dead too.

Thanks for the info Maggiemaybe still if he hadn't drawn his weapon I don't understand why the officer believed himself to be at risk.

Very tragic indeed, for all affected.

Yes, you're right, Smileless and Crun, if Britain hadn't organised the transport etc there would perhaps not have been slaves in the USA.
Black people have had such a sad history, worse than the Jews overall.