Shootings are on the rise in major American cities. Some on the left and many in the media are scrambling to suggest this has nothing to do with the lawlessness that has been allowed to grow under the guise of “protests” over police killings of black men. But peaceful protests are one thing. Riots and mayhem are another.

We are going to take the word of those who know what they are talking about. Such as New York Police Department Chief Terence Monahan, who said this week that emboldened criminals feel “that the cops can’t do anything anymore, that no one likes the police, that they can get away with things, that it’s safe to carry a gun out on the street.”

Police in America deal with things that most people cannot begin to fathom. Putting on a badge and uniform in a major citiy is an act of bravery that will result in headaches, danger and injuries, and possibly even death. There is little thanks. In fact, as we see and hear today, all police are vilified for the isolated misdeeds of some of their colleagues. They are called racists, despite there being a wide variety of races involved in policing. Despite the fact that those races work together as brothers and sisters to keep law-abiding citizens safe.

In coming weeks and months, citizens will have to make a choice. Do they want to support their police and help them work toward making cities safer? Or do they want to let the hoodlums and killers own the night because of media-driven police distrust and idiotic notions like defunding?

We believe law and order needs to come first, and that it should, of course, include police accountability. There is no reason it all cannot exist. But nothing good will come from chaos that benefits criminals.