What Are The Charlotte Protests Really About?

I've been watching the events in Charlotte, North Carolina, over the last few days and I'm scratching my head in wonder at the stupidity of some people.

The night of the shooting, police and witnesses stated that Keith Lamont Scott, an African-American man matching the description of a suspect police were looking for, exited a car with a gun in his hand and, after repeated commands to drop the weapon, was shot by Officer Brentley Vinson, who is also African-American. Scott died from his wound(s).

Scott's family, none of whom were present at the time, said that Scott didn't have a gun but a book when he exited the vehicle and that the shooting was simple murder. According to police, no book was found at the scene but a gun was found next to Scott when he fell.

Two days later opposition to the police version of what actually happened has turned ridiculous. The brother of Mr. Scott yesterday condemned white cops and white people in general for what happened to his brother.

“I just know that all white people are f***ing devils.” Then he adds, “All white cops are f***ing devils, and white people.”

So the protests aren't about the shooting or right and wrong anymore but about white people in general. It makes perfect sense... since the man was shot by another black man. Right?

Some protesters are now chanting “black lives matter” and “hands up, don't shoot.” I find it frighteningly fascinating that an incident can transform from a seemingly justified (from police and witness accounts) shooting by a black police officer into “Hands up, don't shoot” and “All white cops and white people are devils.”

Why not add “And just for good measure, let's go steal stuff from Walmart.”

Have people lost all connection to common sense?

Police have shown great restraint in this situation considering over a dozen of them have been injured by protesters. That could be just conservative policing or it could be political, as was the case in Baltimore last summer.

"The events that we saw last night are not the Charlotte I know and love," Democrat Mayor Jennifer Roberts said. "They are not reflective of our community, of the deep seated traditions we have of collaboration and peace."

But is she allowing the police to act accordingly? That's not public knowledge at this time. At least, if she is tying the hands of the police, she's smart enough not to make it public knowledge.

Police in shooting situations today, regardless of how necessary or justified, are in a no-win situation. The disturbances in Charlotte and fabricated reasons for them are proof. These people don't care about the truth. They care only about destruction, their hatred of white Americans and their hatred for the police in general.

Sadly, they are their own worst enemies. Sadder still is that they don't understand that.