Oh, the discomfort created by calling the police “racist,” after yet another slaying of people such as Eric Garner, Michael Brown and John Crawford. Some articles will provide the lists and reports that evoke the pattern of young Black men and boys. The list extends to White people and Black women as well, yet the pattern becomes abundantly clear.

The discomfort should not begin with calling government employees racist, it should begin with those government employees killing our neighbors while walking home or shopping at WalMart. Those officers wear badges that give them the legitimacy of their entire town. If someone can think of other systemic motivations other than racism that drive the shootings of so many unarmed Black boys and men, then everyone should be calling it out and rising up against it. We don’t see politicians leading marches for lack of training in their own police departments, or lack of mental health screening in their hiring practices, or demilitarizing their police forces. Instead the target communities are left on their own to respond, while many leaders will ask for “calm.

Business owners traditionally bear the brunt of community-wide frustration, thus positive police-community relations are in their best interest. In the larger picture, however, destruction of property becomes a less-violent method of blowing off steam amongst those calling for not only justice, but also revenge. Combustible material only needs a spark. Just like 9/11 sparked a multi-trillion dollar global combat and imperial initiative, Rodney King’s videotaped beating became merely the first (and Garner/Brown/Crawford the latest) spark for Americans to push back against domestic police violence.

Will we see organized actions at the homes of police chiefs in Staten Island, NY, Ferguson, Missouri, or Beavercreek, Ohio? Will the candlelight vigils be conducted while surrounding the police departments? There are many ways to demand change, and the hack-tivist group “Anonymous” has vowed to get involved. Ultimately, we all need to do something.

Some of the lessons drawn are that irrational people wielding guns cannot be trusted even when sober and on-duty. George Zimmerman made that clear in the killing of Trayvon Martin; how a man who feels so threatened and under siege can basically shoot anyone at any time as long as he positions himself close enough to the target. Yet how are we to teach our neighbors which police officers are irrational? Which ones leave the house in fear for their lives? Which ones enjoy the training simulations a little too much? Which ones have a racist tendency? Which ones have control issues and possibly have other violent incidents (at home or on the job) under their belts? Are we all subject to execution if we do not follow every command? (Those who would answer “yes” to that last question are admitting that we should live in a fascist nation where government rules the people, rather than people rule the government.)

In Ferguson, Mike Brown did what anyone should do when facing an apparently crazy man with a gun: he ran. The officer apparently tracked him down and finished the job. The aftermath is almost as troubling, where the police respond to civil unrest with military force rather than employing a strategy of de-escalation.  Police refuse to report the name of the shooter.

In Staten Island, the police could not handle a man doing no more than children at a lemonade stand. Eric Garner was selling single cigarettes without a storefront or any sort of vendor’s license, and the disturbing video should make anyone uncomfortable that this could be a government response to such a “crime.”  Officer Daniel Pantaleo is suspended without his gun, while another officer and four EMT’s (who hardly responded) were suspended without pay.

In Beaverton, John Crawford was holding a BB gun, readily available in the BB gun aisle, at WalMart.  He was on the phone with his partner, and mother of his children, when she heard him say “it’s not real,” and then Sgt. David Darkow and Officer Sean Williams opened fire.  They are on administrative leave.  A woman running from the scene also collapsed and died. It is likely that the in-store cameras will shed a bit more light on the story, and it is ridiculous that the Walton Family has not quickly ordered that the video be provided to Crawford’s family.

Will the world of video force massive changes in how we deploy police in the community? Or will it make us all numb to overt violent control? Communities are already demanding officers wear cameras at all times, with strict liability for whenever the camera mysteriously doesn’t work. With today’s technology, we can stream the video of every officer back to a control panel and database. Knowing you’re being watched, knowing you need to be on your best behavior, works for everyone whether they are wearing a badge or not.

The most important thing to remember when lionizing or demonizing police officers is that they are just regular people, flaws and all. But we invest in them to be less-flawed, and skilled in conflict resolution. Our media, politicians, and society are very effective at ostracizing and punishing people who never wore a badge; it is amazing how much they all struggle once someone takes a job with the government and does similar things. What those defenders need to know is that they are creating a “side” in this scenario, and only reinforcing the beliefs that there is a dominant group who doesn’t care if Black people are murdered. Reinforce a belief enough, and it simply becomes the truth.