Letter to the editor: Defunding police makes no sense

There’s total agreement that George Floyd’s death was a tragedy. Quiet prayers honored his life. But even his brother condemned the looting, rioting and violence that have happened during protests.

Black Lives Matter protesters never mentioned the 10 blacks who died from drive-by shootings in the streets of Chicago that weekend. What are their names? What’s being done in their memory? Last year nine unarmed black people died in confrontations with police officers, which is down from 38 in 2015 when President Obama was in office.

Things aren’t worse than ever. It would be shocking if one were to say that the chances of an officer dying at the hands of a black man were twice as likely as the reverse. Well, it isn’t twice as likely, or four times, or eight times … it’s 18 times more likely that a police officer be killed by a black man than police violence taking a black man’s life.

Police officers are at the other end of the 911 call who rush into danger to save us. How much sense does it make to defund and fire them all?

Daniel John Robinson

West Deer