Trying to downplay the systemic racism inherent in many police departments by stating that black-on-black crime is a much bigger problem is a strawman argument. These topics should not be conflated in an either/or scenario. Black-on-black crime sucks, but it shouldn't take away any discussion focused on policing methods with minorities and the root cause of the problem, American Racism. (By the way, good ol' fashioned American Racism is a reason why African-Americans have been penned for generations in urban ghettos with few jobs and little way out.)

Law enforcement is a publicly funded institution. And society needs to have faith in the fairness and equality of the police force. Without the population having confidence in this institution, it will continue to lead to civil unrest and division. And it's obvious that there is a lack of societal confidence in police tactics and decision-making.

This is not the first right-wing argument I've read or heard that tries to divert attention away from the police brutality. And to be honest, I don't fully understand it. I acknowledge that there is a racist sub-group within the American conservative movement, however, most conservatives are not racist. I suspect the knee-jerk reaction on the Right is because this is a dear cause of the Left and no more than that. It's disturbing because there should be unilateral, bi-partisan support to police reforms. These protesters are not asking to dismantle the police force and have anarchy reign; they're asking for reforms that will lead to safer and fairer law enforcement practices. When African-Americans finally feel they can engage law enforcement with the same confidence that White Americans do, I can't see how that doesn't benefit society from a macro-level. It's a win-win all-around.