The organizers of the VP Fair (now rebranded “Fair St. Louis” and I am resisting mightily to make some cynical pun about the this phrase) could have done a brave good thing and could have chosen to make a full public break with the past.
Oh the fair is still a July 4th party, and I suppose every town needs one of those. It still wallet-farms the crowds, and it still is plenty lubricrated with the full range of Anheuser-Busch products St. Louisans have all grown up with, become addicted to, or will settle for, etc. In 1979, there was an effort to break the color line at the event organizers’ level.
ACTION, organized by local activist Percy Green, engaged in similar activities. Green’s primary targets were organizations such as the Veiled Prophet, which admitted no black members. After ACTION protests at the 1969 VP Parade and the Veiled Prophet Ball three years later, the Veiled Prophet accepted physicians William Banton II, Eugene Mitchell, and R. Jerome Williams in 1979 as its first African-American members.
What I am trying (probably inadequately) to point out is widespread acceptance of St. Louis’ white power structure–unaccountable and entrenched–where observant and awake humans can glimpse historical basis that make it possible for the Jason Stockleys and Dunstin Boones of the world to get and keep jobs as police officers in St. Louis.
This article in St. Louis Magazine does good work in its attempt to be comprehensive. I appreciated the timeline at the bottom, and I suppose in light of the OP here will need to be updated with this latest 2018… uh… piece of news.
I have relatives and friends who are former cops. Maybe during the recruiting process they were convinced that becoming blue would change how they were viewed and treated by other officers. I think they were reminded that regardless of the uniform, they were still seen as women and/or POC first.
I have to wonder what percentage is willful ignorance, and what is due to a lack of empathy for others. Do these males actually have no women in their lives, or do they just ignore what see and are told? Do these cops actually believe a person they beat up feels no pain or has no injuries as a result?
Most professions seem to have some kind of legal standards intended to protect the public. Doctors, pilots, engineers… you trust them with your life, they gotta toe the line. But not police! That sure does seem strange to me.
This is why I always haven’t and never will trust anyone in a position of authority.
We act as a society as if someone who is Authority automatically becomes a better person and incapable of atrocity when in fact it seems to be the exact opposite and enables them to commit horrendous acts unchecked if they wish to.
This particular case is beyond comprehension as to how fucked up this is. I don’t care if the guy that was beat up is Black or White or any other ethnicity. What these men did was beyond any law and decency. They should be tried and convicted in a fair trial and thrown in jail, where they can see exactly what it’s like to get beaten to a pulp and how fun it is for someone else when it’s them.
Yeah, the odds that the one person they brutalized happened to be another cop isn’t very likely. (Although perhaps, ironically, the fact that he was totally compliant and didn’t resist at all may have made things worse for him.)
More broadly, incidents like this again raise the question of how often cops attack people like this, only we never hear about it because even their most feeble cover-ups are unquestioningly accepted. Cops must routinely send these kinds of hideous messages about premeditated mayhem to each other - and then follow it up with actual assault and murder - as every so often we hear about another incident from police departments around the country uncovered only because they attacked the wrong person and/or were caught on camera.
Unpacking the word “civilian” a bit… I urge everyone to please be mindful in its use.
Here in the U.S., police officers, law enforcement officers (LEOs), peace officers, etc. [at least AFAIK] are to sworn to uphold civil law.
The police ≠ the military.
The police are civilians themselves. Yes, they have a chain of command.
But.
Police are not sworn to obey a supreme commander of a or all armed forces.
I oppose militarization of police departments. It’s happening, but that doesn’t mean it’s ok. Or even in-scope given their own operating rules.
Law Enforcement Code of Ethics
As a law enforcement officer, my fundamental duty is to serve the community; to safeguard lives and property; to protect the innocent against deception, the weak against oppression or intimidation and the peaceful against violence or disorder; and to respect the constitutional rights of all to liberty, equality and justice.
I will keep my private life unsullied as an example to all and will behave in a manner that does not bring discredit to me or to my agency. I will maintain courageous calm in the face of danger, scorn or ridicule; develop self-restraint; and be constantly mindful of the welfare of others. Honest in thought and deed both in my personal and official life, I will be exemplary in obeying the law and the regulations of my department. Whatever I see or hear of a confidential nature that is confided to me in my official capacity will be kept ever secret unless revelation is necessary in the performance of my duty.
I will never act officiously or permit personal feelings, prejudices, political beliefs, aspirations, animosities or friendships to influence my decisions. With no compromise for crime and with relentless prosecution of criminals, I will enforce the law courteously and appropriately without fear or favor, malice or ill will, never employing unnecessary force of violence and never accept gratuities.
I recognize the badge of my office as a symbol of public faith, and I accept it as a public trust to be held so long as I am true to the ethics of police service.
…
Are there honest cops out there?
I believe so.
Are there bad cops out there ?
Yes.
What would the world look like now if LEOs actually did everything that this code of ethics outlined? Would our world be a better place?
What if honest cops had the backing of us “civilians” in calling out bad cops?
I’ve noticed hero movies too numerous to count these days are superhero movies. Capes. Stretchy outfits. Superpowers. Cool stuff. Fun. Colorful. Amazing CGI and special effects. Fantasy. Distraction. Momentary respite, doubtless a relief from our troubled world.
You want some real hero shit?
Go be one.
If you would rather not, find a way to support real life people who against overwhelming odds and in the face of great personal danger and sacrifice, choose to be whistleblowers who actually call out IRL evil when they’ve seen it and give a damn.
Seems to be they are more superhero that the movie kind.
Is a better world possible?
We could sure benefit from people giving a damn.
All people.
Everywhere.
Often.
Here’s the process for making a complaint wrt the OP’s cops:
And it’s those power hungry jerks who gain even more power when they make it up the ranks and from there work to protect/enable the power hungry jerks further down the line. That’s why when the rank and file break the law, those over them should be replaced.
What a can of worms here. I’m sure someone out there has written a large dissertation on the subject. So here are a few random thoughts. Full disclosure - I have cops in the family.
It has been my observation that one by-product of our culture of instant gratification is a serious lack of self discipline. Stories like this offer plenty of evidence. These individuals, whether they be cops, athletes or politicians are all exhibiting poor judgement based on a lack of self control, and it is a conscious and deliberate decision - I don’t buy the “I just reacted” or “That’s the way I was trained” bullshit - and they need to be held accountable. And for the most part, they are not. Our culture gives them a pass. Why? I think the short answer is, it’s good for business.
Law enforcement is a fraternity. And anyone who has ever been in one knows the number one rule is to protect the fraternity at all costs. One way to do that is to cover for your brothers. Hence, the “internal investigation”. A lot of unflattering shit can disappear in that process, and the belief that “someone’s got my back” can lead to large amounts of unethical and unsavory behavior, especially the “I’m above the law” concept.
People are attracted to law enforcement for many different reasons. I think most start with noble aspirations, some do not. I once worked with a young man who applied to the police force simply because he had been bullied most of his life and being a cop was a good way to start payback time. I hope he didn’t make it. And for those with good intentions, let’s face it. As a cop, depending on your location - not Mayberry, although there’s Otis, and that rock throwing goober - a large part of your job is dealing with the worst society has to offer. Under that constant grind I imagine it could be easy to lose sight of the fact that dumb fucks are still people too.
On a business trip many years ago, I had the occasion to spend a fair amount of time with a cop from northern Canada who was providing security for our event and we talked about cop’s bad behavior. His take was something like this. ‘Whenever I encounter someone as a police officer, I try to keep in mind that my interaction with them will influence their next encounter with a cop. If I’m an asshole, they’re going to assume the next cop is an asshole too. And under that assumption, things might not go so well for either one of them. So no matter what the circumstances, I try to treat them as decently as possible. It’s better for me, it’s better for them, and it’s better for the next cop who may have to deal with them in the future.’ We need more cops like him.
I’ve seen no real evidence that this kind of reprehensible misconduct is becoming more commonplace than it once was, merely more widely reported.
My paternal grandfather had a short career as a cop in Cleveland before quitting for a job in the Post Office. It wasn’t until long after his death that I learned the reason he quit was that he couldn’t stomach the corruption on the force.
Agree. Here’s hoping. I sense that certain professions draw overabundantly sometimes from people whose issues would be best worked on in psychotherapy [which such people are least likely to put themselves into]. (I worked in food industry for 10+ years with quite a few screamy Gordon Ramsey types; worked another 10 in the dot-com industry with a number of Zuckerberg types.)
My disclosure: My father-in-law was a cop (later, a firefighter).
My brother and my nephew have served/are serving in the U.S. Army.
I hear you.
The fraternity aspects you rightly draw our attention to…
… is truly at the heart of the problem. That, and the problem that sometimes police departments must staff up with whoever actually wants to do the often-thankless, sometimes dangerous job of being a cop, and employ… not the finest.
I completely agree with that cop from northern Canada. IMO taking the long view should be part of training, in any field, but doubly so when going into law enforcement. And speaking of police training…
US population approximately 325 million, US state and local police approximately .75 million= about one cop per 433 non-cops. So, about 433, assuming cops beat at random.
Wow, that was a brutal read. ProPublica did an amazing job.
I am glad the wrongfully terminated cop got some legal representation. Unlike him, I probably would have moved outta town. I admire him for sticking it out there in West Virginia for his children/family.
This is “flashlight of truth” journalism that we must not look away from. Let there be light.
