These are the two New York City police who were shot dead "execution style" in Brooklyn just before 3 p.m. Saturday.
The murderer, who committed suicide, was an alleged gang member who posted on social media that he wanted revenge for the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner. The killer's name and his cause, his so-called gang can all be found in news reports. They will not be found in this blog. They don't belong with Messers Liu, Ramos, Garner or Brown.
How insane, insulting, infuriating was this instance of unjustifiable homicide! Cowardice fits, as well, because this was not a gunfight, but an ambush, perpetrated my a man who'd most likely wet his pants in any sort of a fair fight.
Most important, this is a tragedy on so many levels. Two officers, family men, dedicated protectors of the peace are gone. The relations between the police and the public, already frayed, now has more blood on it. Where there should be healing, their are tears, frustration, doubts and debilitating distrust without end.
Mr. Liu and Mr. Ramos are now a part of the greater narrative that has shaken the nation this summer. Their names will appear in the same news stories, editorials, post mortems as Mr. Garner and Michael Brown, inextricably linked in a nightmare without end.
I mourn for all. I mourn for their families. I mourn for the New York City police force and the bold, vibrant five boroughs the force is sworn to protect and serve.
Most of all, I mourn for a nation that is still so often singed by that third rail called "race." The issue puzzles many, causes pain and anger. And sometimes it brings out the worst of our demons. Whether they come cloaked in Klansmen sheets or wrapped in the sickness of a "black power" thug-life gang, these horrors share the same face: evil incarnate. May these, the haters and cowards, burn in Hell.
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