People protest against "excessive law-enforcement" of US police. (Photo/Xinhua)

The American people have no choice but to confront the brutal statistics on "excessive law-enforcement" and "miscarriage of justice" released by Washington Post. In the first 5 months of this year, the number of people shot dead by police reached 385, with two men dying each day. US Police Foundation President Jim Bueermann points out this number also reveals the fact that there must be some misreporting in previous statistics since the number this time is double the average number of the past 10 years.

Behind this number are a series of mysterious cases that leave the observer bewildered. In Washington, two African American boys were shot dead by police because they were under suspicion of stealing beer; in Georgia, a 23-year-old African American called Nicolas Thomas was shot dead by police because he was trying to get away from a driving ticket; in Denver, a 17-year-old Hispanic American girl was shot dead because she was driving a stolen car; in Alabama, a 77-year-old man was shot dead because he had a gun in his hand when he answered the door to the police… Are US policemen really turning into cold-blooded killers?

As more problems emerge, the United States still seems indifferent to the disastrous situation. In Broward of South Florida, not a single policeman has been prosecuted for a lethal shooting since the 1980s, although there have been 168 fatal shootings during that period of time. A relative of a victim said the courts always favor the police; lawyers for the victims often find important evidence has been destroyed.

People might ask why American enthusiasm for defending human rights all around the world is so little in evidence on its own soil.