On July 8, 2016, a lone gunman opened fire on police in the city of Dallas. He killed five of them. The officers were in attendance at a protest march where citizens marched against the shooting of two black men by police officers.
The entire city went into lockdown for hours until the gunman could be located and ultimately killed.
Thousands of people were impacted and traumatized by gunfire in the streets of a U.S. city.
On July 17, another angry man opened fire on the police in Baton Rouge. This time three officers lost their lives. Another is still in critical condition.
Today, July 18, marks the opening of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. We already know that there are protests planned for the city.We know that Ohio allows people to openly carry weapons in public.
The head of the Cleveland police union is asking for help. He wants to keep everyone on the streets safe, including the police who will be providing security for the city.
CNN is reporting that the president of one of Cleveland’s largest police unions is asking Republican Governor John Kasich to declare a state of emergency in the city.
This act would allow the Governor to suspend the open carry law for the three days of the GOP Convention.
The police call it common sense. Governor Kasich doesn’t agree. He said:
“Ohio governors do not have the power to arbitrarily suspend federal and state constitutional rights or state laws as suggested.”
Ohio governor Kasich: No authority to revoke open carry gun law https://t.co/StdzV4Usax
— fox8news (@fox8news) July 17, 2016
The police are asking for more officers to be posted together. They are asking for them all to be in vehicles.
The police are afraid and they are asking for help from the people who could make them safer. The police are asking for common sense on guns, just for a few days.
Its incredible to realize that we live in a time where a state governor feels powerless to limit gun rights in the name of security. Instead of letting the police watch for crime and violence during the convention, he is ensuring that they’ll be focused on all the party goers walking around with their guns strapped on.
Madness.
My heart goes out to the police, that’s for damn sure.
Featured image via YouTube Screengrab
