RESPECT

Waiting for the next shoe to drop is never an ideal methodology for dealing with crises. Crises should be dealt with in a structured and proactive manner. That we have gone from Al-Qaeda to ISIS, ISIS to ISIL, and ISIL to Islamic State suggests that our methodology for dealing with certain types of crises is less than ideal.

One current crisis that has the potential to explode in the manner of the Occupy Wall Street movement is the relationship between law enforcement officers in the United States and members of minority groups, particularly Blacks and Hispanics. The individuals who can resolve this issue are essentially in waiting mode, having issued a few frenzied, ill-conceived statements of future plans that are not likely to materialize anytime soon. The hope is that these statements will have a pacifying effect, at least for a time.

The next shoe could drop on either side of the issue, either with the shooting of additional police officers, or with another member of a minority group being gunned down, perhaps for stealing a cat, perhaps for reaching for his wallet, or perhaps for carrying a loaded firearm. The idea seems to be that a shoot-to-kill policy is justified for members of Black and Hispanic minority groups, as long as there is at least one identifiable "infraction."

When time and circumstances dictate, we must become urgent in dealing with issues that we know are ripe for resolution. Ignoring them, or offering Band-Aid remedies creates a scenario in which the issue begins to demand immediate resolution. Police officers do not need body cameras, faster weapons, or greater access to their ammunition. What they need is a pair of sunglasses through which they can see only one skin color. If everyone is treated with the same degree of respect as is accorded to Caucasian males, the shootings on either side of the issue would become negligible.