by: Dr. Steven Feldman, LPNC Candidate for U.S. House, NC District 10

First Renee Good— a widowed mom, a writer and poet.  Now a veritable angel, nurse Alex Pretti. Gunned down on American streets by the government officers who are there to protect us. I watched several videos of both killings, from different angles, different speeds, and was deeply horrified and disgusted by this happening in our country. I'm not running as a Democrat or a Republican. I may conclude different things from what I saw than folks committed to one of those two sides.

It's my impression that people on one of those sides believe that “citizens have the right—maybe even the responsibility—to peacefully protest injustice" and that "law enforcement officers have the duty to follow the law and protect the public" while people on the other side feel strongly that "law enforcement officers have the duty to follow the law and protect the public" and “citizens have the right—maybe even the responsibility—to peacefully protest injustice.”  Yes, those are the same.  Americans on both sides of the issue share the same values, but they may prioritize those two values differently. Neither side is evil. Both sides abhor the killing of Americans. 

But how we perceive the killing is affected by what side we're on. The saying, "We don't see things as they are; we see things as we are," is something we need to consider when looking at controversial issues. People on each side, while sharing similar values but full of righteous indignation, spew vitriol toward each other.   Both sides vehemently blame the other without accepting any responsibility for their side's contribution to the environment that births these unholy tragedies.

Here's what I saw: Alex Pretti was filming federal agents—his legal right—but in the middle of the street. He stepped in to help a woman who had been shoved to the ground—an act of compassion— injecting himself into an altercation between the woman and an armed officer of the law. Pretti was a legal gun owner with a valid permit who never drew his weapon. Agents pepper-sprayed him, dragged him down, and an absolute melee ensued. Someone yelled "gun" as Pretti’s gun was seen. Less than 2 seconds later, an agent fired and fired, ending Pretti’s life, and fired some more. 

This was not a calm execution of a peaceful protester. It was not a justified shooting of a domestic terrorist. It was a tragedy born of chaos and a row of dominoes that goes back farther than either side may admit.  Claims made afterward by DHS officials—that Pretti "approached" agents with a gun, that he wanted to "massacre" officers, that he was a "domestic terrorist"—appear contradicted by the video evidence, just as are claims that this was an “execution.”   The shooting appears to me to be a tragic split-second horrific mistake.  The heated statements afterward are indefensible and add to the roiling boil.

Working together to prevent such violence isn't impossible; it’s what we all want. Law enforcement officers should be trained to de-escalate confrontations. Citizens—even those acting courageously—should understand that physically intervening in a confrontation with armed federal agents, especially while carrying a weapon, is extraordinarily dangerous. Bad things—very bad, very sad things—happen in the heat of the moment. We need to address underlying issues to avoid putting people in these positions and avert these terrible tragedies before they happen.

The contempt with which each side sees the other ("They are fascists executing civilians in our streets!" or "They are domestic terrorists trying to kill law enforcement officers!") doesn't resonate with me. The vitriol is exacerbating our culture of animosity—it is sowing the seeds of violence, now reaped in our streets. We need to tone down the toxic rhetoric, especially dehumanizing claims that each side throws around cavalierly. We need to consider the reasonable perspectives of people on both sides and use our vote to effect the changes we want to see.

If you’re looking to support politicians who are sure the officer who did the shooting is a murderer, or ones who claim the deceased is a terrorist who had it coming, look somewhere else. If you believe our country would be greater if we were more civil with, respectful of, and peaceful toward each other, please consider looking at my positions on the difficult issues we face—and how those positions can recognize the good intentions of both Democrats and Republicans.  You may find a breath of fresh air.

The approach of not denigrating one side or the other is not a fence-sitting plan to please all the voters. Au contraire! It is based on the absolute conviction that both sides consist of passionately good, caring people who perceive evil on the other side, and, therefore, a fair, even-handed tone may be seen by them as absolute betrayal. Despite that, this may be the message that they need to hear.  Help spread this message— gently, respectfully and courageously— to those who need to hear it.