All lives should matter, especially those of police officers

Would someone please explain to me what “Black Lives Matter” actually means? Don’t all lives matter regardless of race? What gives a man the right to shoot an innocent police officer in the back 15 times? Didn’t his life matter?

Yes, African Americans have been discriminated and persecuted in the past and I’m sure even now. But that is no excuse for the recent behavior in the news.

Was there rioting in the streets by whites when African Americans in cold blood killed not only this officer but also shooting officers in patrol cars for no apparent reason other than the fact that they were police?

You say African Americans are disrespected, but respect must be earned. Are the people that looted and destroyed businesses and jobs in Baltimore and Ferguson to be respected? Yes, maybe they were angry, but what did the violence prove? It just perpetuates the stereotype we have of black youth.

Honesty and ethics apply to all races and all lives matter. Maybe Issac Bailey has an answer.

This story was originally published September 13, 2015 at 1:58 PM with the headline "All lives should matter, especially those of police officers."