"Hands up don't shoot," was a lie that served as a battle cry for race agitators resulting in violent riots and protests that plagued Ferguson, Missouri, in the summer of 2014. Baby-faced pictures of Michael Brown, the 18-year-old Black man, shot by police officer Darren Wilson, flooded almost every media outlet, creating an illusion that innocence was executed in the middle of Canfield Drive on August 9. The firestorm was created by Brown's companion Dorian Johnson, who distorted the account of the altercation, unleashing pent-up frustrations that were further fueled by the mainstream media. It caused streets across the country to swell with protesters, sometimes erupting in violence.

The slogan “Hands up don't shoot” went viral and, in November of 2014, members of the St. Louis Rams raised their hands above their heads, an action repeated by four members of the Congressional Black Caucus on the House floor less than a month later. With the facts still being investigated, everyone was eager to be a willing accomplice perpetuating dishonesty.

An extensive investigation, spearheaded by U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, resulted in an alternate conclusion. Brown wasn't assassinated. To the contrary, he reached into the police SUV through the open driver’s window and punched and clutched Wilson, then grabbed the weapon and struggled with Wilson to gain control of it. Wilson eventually squared off against Brown and credible witnesses corroborated the officer's story: that Brown was charging or running toward officer Wilson when he was shot six times and killed.

Fast forward to the insanity of 2020. Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, knelt on George Floyd's neck for almost nine minutes while Floyd was handcuffed and lying face down, begging for his life repeatedly wailing, "I can't breathe." Watching a man die on video is heartbreaking and this police action was cruel and excessive and should lead to, at the very least, a manslaughter conviction against Chauvin. However, this merciless lapse in law enforcement judgment should not serve as the spark that ignites a racial firestorm.

Long after the city of Minneapolis was left in ashes, additional information was unveiled. The autopsy conducted on Floyd found fentanyl and methamphetamine in his system, a combination of drugs known as a speedball. The Medical Examiner's post-mortem report showed Floyd had arteriosclerotic and hypertensive heart disease, hypertension, and the sickle cell trait. He was also COVID-19 positive at the time of his death.

Please don't misunderstand me, George Floyd did not deserve to die. But canonizing him is a slippery slope.

Despite Floyd being arrested at least nine times — including a violent breaking and entering charge that resulted in jail time — those who saw something to gain politically from his death spoke loudly about the virtues of George Floyd. National television covered the memorial live and Reverend Al Sharpton performed a powerful moving eulogy. Remarks were given by Joe Biden, Congressman Al Green, Congresswoman Shelia Jackson Lee, and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner. The Floyd family now has access to over $14 million donated to them through "GOFUNDME."

Now, another publicized police shooting of a black man has unfolded in Kenosha, Wisconsin and, like the others, has led to violence in the streets and businesses torched. Gunshots puncture the normally silent night in the small city and protesters lay dead.

On the evening of the Blake shooting, Kenosha police officers were called to the 2800 block of 40th Street at 5:11 p.m. in response to a domestic incident. Police accounts are that Blake fought and wrestled with officers, shrugged off Taser strikes, and was shot in the back while trying to access his vehicle, his three children inside. A knife was found in Blake's car.

Yet Blake’s own actions and background go largely ignored in the reporting because they don’t fit the narrative of blameless victim.

The NBA, the NHL, and MLB all cancelled games. The New Orleans Saints held a practice with Blakes's name taped to the front of their helmets. Blake's criminal record included a third-degree sexual assault felony and domestic abuse along with misdemeanor trespassing and disorderly conduct. Court records show a previous violent confrontation at a Wisconsin bar led to a combative traffic stop and a total of five criminal charges in September 2015, including resisting an officer, disorderly conduct, and three gun-related charges that were never prosecuted.

Trying to make heroes of such flawed individuals damages a movement's integrity.

Black men are tired of the disproportionate attention they get from police. Racial profiling is wrong and needs to stop. Everyone wants to root out the small percentage of bad cops. But If we’re going to have a debate about police conduct, let’s be honest about everyone’s conduct.

Lee Elci is the morning host for 94.9 News Now radio, a station that provides "Stimulating Talk" with a conservative bent.