patrick.net

Four days ago, another African-American man was killed, this time gunned down while standing outside the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Oakland, California.

Dave Patrick Underwood isn’t a household name. His death didn’t make nearly as many headlines. But his life mattered, too, and his murder should sicken every American.

Underwood was a law enforcement officer in the Federal Protective Service. He and a colleague were standing guard when the gunshots came, killing Underwood and sending his fellow officer to the hospital in critical condition. Oakland’s interim police chief says the shooting was most likely an attack that deliberately targeted uniformed officers.

All across America, violent domestic terrorists have exploited the real hurt and pain felt by thousands of peaceful protesters. The need to save innocent lives and protect our most vulnerable communities from these criminals should be obvious to every peace-loving citizen. Yet media talking heads and opportunistic politicians would rather keep exploiting fear instead of solving the problem and restoring order. That’s unacceptable.