The point I have - I think if you step back you will see is a valid one -
is that we should not have a baseline bias that cops are
“untrustworthy, lying, aggressive, trigger-happy thugs who will beat,
maim, or kill you without warning, provocation”.
Why shouldn’t we? It could literally save our life. Avoiding cops is a form of self-defense.
If you make negative assumptions about Muslims, black people, immigrants, gays, etc. there are unpleasant consequences for them if you’re wrong- beatings, shootings, imprisonment, treatment as second-class citizens. If you make negative assumptions about a cop, what are the consequences? I don’t see a lot of innocent cops having their civil rights trampled, being thrown in jail, or being murdered by upset citizens. In fact, quite the opposite- cops, innocent or guilty, could do almost literally anything to you or me without fear of punishment, investigation or consequences of any sort beyond paid leave. Given the fact that assuming the worst about a cop doesn’t harm them in any way whatsoever and that it can literally save your life in return, why would anyone choose to trust them?
If you stick to your baseline bias that all blank are bad, there will never be unity and understanding between you and that group - which is ironically what the enemy wants!
And trusting the cops will create unity and understanding how? The “good” cops won’t stop the bad ones, and you can’t negotiate with someone who has every advantage on their side already. I will at least agree with you that this is exactly what they want- fear and obedience. And they’ll keep teaching that lesson to us- one innocent head smashed to the pavement or perforated with a bullet at a time- not until we’ve learned it, long after that… but until we destroy the entire corrupt police system that gives them that power.
Pretending that the statistical unlikelihood of you personally being murdered or hurt by a cop makes it okay that it happens all the fucking time to somebody, somewhere is only going to enable that system to continue longer.
