I’m going to be one of those asking if everyone read the full article. Without question some of his statements are ridiculous, unconstitutional, illegal, and offensive, but at the same time there is a clear sense of restraint and understanding on his part. This to me is indicative of something more important than just a knee-jerk reaction to an inflammatory (and wrong-headed and offensive) quotation: cops these days are themselves become more confused about the role they play in society. When handed (for all intents and purposes) high power military weapons and equipment the thought surely must be occurring in the minds of police officers “well, am I supposed to use this?”
Or, to put it another way, everything seems fucked up these days when it comes to law enforcement.
“…We have a justice system in which you are presumed innocent;”
IF you are white.
Constant inappropriate justice is what constitutes the pent up frustration that we now see in Ferguson and in knowing reactions across the United States. It has gone on far too long.
Unfortunately, in Fox News-world (and most main stream media), everything in America is just and equal and there is no problem, so “those people” in Ferguson are just misbehaving and need to be punished like bad children.
The constant misinformative spin shows that hate and inequality are still perpetrated in 2014.
Both. I’m not sure why this is hard to understand. If I happen upon a DWI/DUI checkpoint do I get all flustered and make a scene out of it, or do I simply do what is asked and move on? Then once that situation has passed take appropriate action if I feel something was violated? The police are trying to do their “job” in that moment, making it harder for everyone isn’t going to do anything other than end you up on the wrong end of a taser or baton and sitting in lock up.
The police are foot soldiers, they have and follow their orders. Change doesn’t come about on that level, it has to come from above.
I didn’t mean that they can’t be personally help liable for their actions, but in the moment is not the time or place to try and hold them accountable. Like I said before, you aren’t going to change their attitude or actions from the front line, at least not nearly as quickly as you could from putting pressure on the top (local mayors, police chiefs, ect.)
On the one hand, exercising your civil rights is both necessary and laudable. Civil rights are like muscles, if they don’t get a work-out, they atrophy. OTOH, you may well get shot, tased, gassed or beaten for doing so. It’s a tough call and I wouldn’t rebuke anyone for whichever decision they make.
I just wish that cops were held to a higher standard of behaviour than the general populace, rather than a lower one. Perhaps then they wouldn’t be viewed with so much contempt, suspicion and hostility.
I have the misfortune of attracting the ire of low-level law enforcement - and I’m white, middle-aged, pretty ordinary looking. But somehow, TSA screeners, mall cops, and even some traffic cops think I’m disrespecting them from the moment of “good evening, Officer. Why’d you stop me?” The answer more often than not, is “Why’d I stop you??? HA HA, good one, Asshole!” I don’t think there even is an acceptable way for me to interact with a cop - and if a situation like Ferguson were to break out anywhere near me, I’d wind up either dead or facing charges for biting a cop’s knuckles. While still not knowing what it was I did to deserve it. (Cop: “You don’t know what you did wrong? That makes it worse, doesn’t it!”)
Related: Police routinely Taser deaf people for failing to obey orders that they cannot hear. Of course, attempts to sign that they are deaf are aggressive raising of hands, and attempts to raise a placard saying I AM DEAF are reaching for a weapon, so the Taserings are entirely justified. Because even deaf people must obey cops instantaneously.
I’m sorry - I am calling out Xeni out on the headline. What sensationalistic garbage. Is BB so hard up for money and clicks they are resorting to Yellow Journalism?
I thought this scene was genius. It is brief but conjures up such a poignant dilemma.
Pick up the can and walk away to the rest of your day or stand up to petty authority and receive a beat-down. At this point in the game you haven’t picked up any weapons yet so the smart thing to do it just swallow your pride and pick up the can. Once your armed, however, you’re dropping these officers like a bad habit.
Which points out an irony. I see many of the avatars for folks here who have voiced strong support for gun control. These are the same people who are now blasting the author of the op-ed piece for being a fascist. So what’s it gonna be. Once you take the AR15s out of the hands of the people, only the Cops and the Soldiers will have them. Does that make you feel safer? Who are the trusted? Do we only need some of our Constitutional rights?
I know our world hasn’t quite become anything close to the make-believe world of the Half-Life franchise but I don’t like to see MRAPs on American streets either. This is not an insurgency so why are cops looking like Soldiers?
Guess I’m just a “power to the people” type of guy.
The ellipses are where he lists other things he’ll do to you like being beaten with a baton and pepper sprayed and other things you can’t do, like argue with him.
This really isn’t any better for him:
Even though it might sound harsh and impolitic, here is the bottom line: if you don’t want to get shot, tased, pepper-sprayed, struck with a baton or thrown to the ground, just do what I tell you. Don’t argue with me, don’t call me names, don’t tell me that I can’t stop you, don’t say I’m a racist pig, don’t threaten that you’ll sue me and take away my badge.
He says he might shoot you for calling him names. Fuck this douchewaffle.
That idea that cops have a dangerous job, and that should give them an out for their behavior at it’s worst comes up again and again. It drives me nuts because I used to work as a nurse in locked psych units. Violent, irrational, and mentally ill patients happen every day in that environment. Yet, From the lowest paid NAC or housekeeper, to the nursing and admin staff, nobody but nobody every pulled the crap a cop would. If we get hit, we stay professional, and use our training to de-escalate things. If someone tries to hop a fence, we once again, talk them down, or work with them. I had two dislocated ribs from being jumped by a patient, and during the fray, I never ever hit, or lost my cool. Ask any medical staff, and they will tell you the same thing.
So I guess I just have to wonder why a cop, with all their training, is allowed to lose their shit, use unacceptable force, and get militarized, when unarmed, usually women, in scrubs can work with violent mentally ill patients and get more done with less violence. Everything I see cops do seems designed to escalate the violence.
Is it okay if it’s rare, should we not be outraged, just because most of the time a cop interacts with an unarmed citizen that citizen is not shot six times?
I’m of the opinion that in every conflict there should be a parent figure. The child throws a tantrum, screams, yells, reacts, but the parent calmly takes it all in and finds a resolution to de-escalate. Maybe it’s a time out. Maybe it’s sitting them down on the couch. Maybe it’s just taking the time to listen, but parents take the shit, suck it up, and don’t use their physical strength to impose their will. Well, the shitty parents hit their kids, but that solution only works until the kids can hit back.
But in relationships like patient to doctor, citizen to cop, boss to worker, the deal is the same: The person being paid more to be there has to be the grown up. That’s why you get the bucks, to do your job, and your job is to find the resolution that results in everyone going home without injury. Police are public safety officers. That includes their safety as well as any citizen they encounter, and if they are only interested in the safety of one of these groups they are failing in their mission.
When they become an officer of the law they are given a badge. One that looks like a shield. A defensive item designed to protect. Not a badge that looks like a gun or a cannon or a lance, but a shield. Until every one of them realizes their initial task is protection for all, we are in some serious shit.
