DURHAM- THE POLICE FAILED  AGAIN. THE STATUES SHOULD NOT BE REMOVED.

THE KUHNS REPORT

LAS VEGAS - Hello America, and how is the world treating you?

Again, law enforcement fails to act, in a timely manner. After  a Confederate statue that was dedicated in 1924, in front of the old courthouse in Durham , an unruly and civil  disobedient crowd of demonstrators toppled the statue with a rope, and erupted in cheers as the  historic statue fell to the ground. After the statue was brought down, law enforcement officials went on television and stated --(paraphrased) "Don't blame our inaction by not acting." Then  Durham County Sheriff Mike Andrews said  county leaders and officials "discussed safety measures and decided restraint and public safety was the priority." What?  That's a joke. I would think arresting people that were destroying public property and causing significant property damage would be the priority.

And, get this--the Durham police said they didn't arrest anyone because the statue was on county property. Talking about passing the buck and playing the blame game, this bunch of keystone cops take the cake.

I would think before it got to the point of  individuals roping and pulling  the statue off it's foundation the local Durham police officers and/or the sheriff's officers would have intervened and told the crowd to disburse --I would assume that the people climbing on and off the statute and tying and pulling on a rope were at least trespassing. Don't you think! And when the statue was pulled to the ground and kicked and  beaten with clubs, those acts would constitute.  maybe,--destroying public property. I believe any five year old  could see that. But it's getting to be a habit where we see it happening again and again, Law enforcement officers stand around like a bunch of dumb bunnies with their thumb in the mouth.

Any reasonable prudent person, besides a law enforcement officer could see that a crime was being committed. But like in  Ferguson, Baltimore,  and Charlottesville, and Berkeley, law enforcement chooses to stand down, which I see as a blatant act of political correct policy.

Folks, police departments, sheriff  departments and other law enforcement agencies are there to "protect and serve." But if they cannot protect even a cold piece of metal or marble from being torn apart and decide to serve the residents by arresting the criminals committing  the a crime--what is really their mission in life?

I  believe that orders to stand down  actually causes more disobedience than it stops. I  say that if local Durham police saw a crime being committed they should have arrested the perpetrators, then and there.  However, it seems they chose to use the excuse that  the crime was being committed on county property --and it wasn't there problem. Wow! Then why not immediately contact the  sheriff department and have  sheriff deputies respond and make. arrests? I suggest that if  officers and/or deputies arrested  the bad guys at the time the crime was being committed and haul them off, ad ordered the crowd to disperse and go home--the rest of the losers in the mob would have probably complied and left the area.

Clearly, the police or sheriff departments across the country should not only respond "after the fact." But  recent developments regarding groups and crowds seem to bear that policy out. In many cases the  officers stand by and "observe" and watch people  commit acts of violence, assaults, arson, and a host of other crimes, but refuse to act. It makes a person wonder why? And, it's not a  comforting feeling when you hear some of the officers say, "I don't want to get hurt." Personally, in many situations I do not think  law enforcement is enforcing the law -- they're condoning it, as they stand around and let it happen.  I suggest  the officers take the criminals into custody as they are breaking the law. Law enforcement should not wait to view video of the mob of people and say: "We will look at the video and see if we can identify the people that did the crime. I think the cops are coming up a day late, and a dollar short, by ignoring what is  playing out right before their eyes.

It's a sad day for Durham, just like in  all the other cities and campuses that allow crimes to occur in plain sight and ignore it.

After the Charlottesville incident the city of Baltimore,  under the cloak of darkness, took down at least four statues. That act was like a secret police mission by a third world country.   Instead of allowing residents to interject their input or debate the issue in the cleansing light of sunshine--the city fathers chose to take it on themselves, and like thieves in the night, they removed the statues. That to me, is a dangerous precedent  to set.

I see the removal of these statues and monuments as a road a civilized country doesn't want to travel. For those that want to judge history through a binocular lens turned backward can prove to be a dangerous move. Even though there are those individuals and groups who's quest is to erase history, by destroying statues will  not eliminate what happened.

I see history as a persons actions and deeds performed at any particular time. That's what makes history. For example . one can't compare what actions and deeds were done way back in 1864, and those actions and deeds done in 1964.  I submit that we, as a nation, cannot abolish our past (that's history.) I propose we "honor" the past. Come on! The past is not the present.  And for these groups, individuals, and  lawmakers that think they can alter and change the past, they should remember that what they are doing now "in the present", will be the past, in the blink of an eye, and their acts and deeds will be part of history for future generations. In 10,20,50 years from now their present conduct, actions and deeds will be remnants of the past. Folks, the past is the past--it's history; the present will be the pas; and our future is what we retain of the past as we move on.

So, I ask you? What  are these Holier than Thou, I know what's best  for you, (history erasers), going to do then? Where does it stop?

One of my biggest fears is that: Erasing the past has happened before. It happened in Russia,  Iraq, Germany and Syria, just to name a few places. Theses countries governments, and different groups in the countries tore down statues and  destroyed sacred and historical monuments from their past. The statutes and monuments were reduced to rubble. I suggest we in America are better than that. Even some countries disagreed with what their people were reading in books. So they  gathered up  various book titles and held large book burning fires in the streets. And now, a few days after the Charlottesville incident, we have the reported  professional agitator, the controversial Al Sharpton, who went on television, screaming for the removal of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. Others want George Washington's name removed from buildings.  These times are becoming insane.

I would like to suggest that we Americans hold onto and keep our past. It's history. What happened, happened. Why not leave the statues where they are? Fact is, it would not be difficult to add some sort of context and explanation to these statues.

If it is the Confederate statues that are offending some people in our society at this point in time I believe proper context would explain the statues existence. I would also like to offer a reasonable solution and suggest that lawmakers erect new statutes and monuments that would signify specific and well known sites of slavery and lynching  areas that occurred during the civil war and/or to those black military men and officers that served so that both sides of the Confederate conflict could be understood. -- And, that's my opinion. Make your own decisions. You decide.


BRADLEY W. KUHNS, Ph.D., O.M.D.
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Dr. Kuhns can be reached by email at:
bradleykuhns@gmail.com