New Bedford City Councilors Abandon the Police [OPINION]

Blue lives matter, and I don't give a damn who that offends. White lives matter, too. All lives matter to me, and they should to you as well. If you have a problem with any of that then the problem is yours. If you were brought up in New Bedford, you were brought up better than that.

America is the least racist nation on the face of the Earth. Millions of Black and Brown people aspire to come here every year. They would not if this was a systemically racist nation. Think about it.

Though not perfect, our criminal justice system is also the envy of the world. The media-fed narrative that racist White police officers are on the prowl for young Black men that they can beat and then shoot indiscriminately is a false one. But our police are under attack by people who have no respect for authority and are not content to live within the law.

Why is it that our local elected public officials continue to refuse to stand in support of our police officers? I have challenged members of the New Bedford City Councilor to state publically their support for the police, but as yet, only Councilor Brian Gomes has done so.

In a recent statement, Mayor Jon Mitchell appears to indicate that he supports the radical views of Senator Liz Warren that law enforcement is racist "front to back." Mitchell said, "Despite improvements in police training and recruitment in the last 50 years, the more recent drumbeat of videos depicting the brutalization of African-Americans at the hands of police officers has destroyed any notion that racism has been eradicated from America’s police departments."

Either New Bedford police officers are included in Mitchell's reality or they are somehow magically exempt. Which is it?

Why has it been so difficult for members of the New Bedford City Council to defend our police officers? They seek and gladly accept endorsements from the New Bedford Police Union every election cycle.

Any member of the New Bedford City Council who will not stand in support of our police officers is either afraid to or supports the notion that they are not worthy of praise.

What say you, councilors?

Barry Richard is the host of The Barry Richard Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. Contact him at barry@wbsm.com and follow him on Twitter @BarryJRichard58. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.