One of the most frustrating things about the anti-police movement is how they spread lies about the police, and how this misinformation gets widely publicized by the media. Once the media gets rolling, millions of people have been misled, and it is no easy task to set things right.
This issue is tackled head on in the latest American Police Officers Alliance video, the fifth video in an ongoing series on the anti-police movement.
The video takes a close look at how the anti-police movement manipulated the truth about the August 2014 shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.
As soon as the news broke, the video shows, radical activists in Antifa and other extremist groups developed the totally false story that Brown had surrendered to the police with his hands up saying “don’t shoot.”
The mainstream media picked up this falsehood uncritically, broadcasting this untrue story to millions. Social media amplified the message further. And the misinformation exacerbated racial divisions and led to violent riots in Ferguson and in many cities across the nation.
As the American Police Officers Alliance video notes, a later investigation determined that the police were justified in their handling of the situation, and that Brown never surrendered and that “hand up, don’t shoot” never happened. Even the liberal Washington Post published articles confirming the dishonesty of the anti-police movement’s entire narrative about the shooting of Michael Brown.
But the damage was already done, and that is literally a tragedy.
After all, the public needs accurate information, not lies. The public deserves the truth, not falsehoods that lead to violence and destruction.
When such misinformation spreads so rapidly and effectively, we are faced with some serious questions. Next time, how can we get ahead of the lies? How can we become more media savvy so that we can get the truth out more quickly and more effectively?
The American Police Officers Alliance video series is an important contribution to the discussion, equipping citizens with an understanding of the strategies and tactics of the anti-police movement.
