Redacti

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    Redacti posted an update in the group Group logo of Race, Ethnicity and PowerRace, Ethnicity and Power 3 years, 5 months ago

    What will take before we neutralize America’s cops?

    The relentless murder of Black people in this country is appalling. I totally get why my Black friends are focused on this horrific continuation of racism. But it’s not a question of how many of them are bad apples. The system no longer allows for the possibility of apples that are even useful.

    For White people that aren’t as moved as some others by the plight of those with darker skin, it is worth remembering that cops have this same aggressive, dominating attitude, even though it isn’t justified and isn’t useful, ALL the time. There is no comparison to what Black people experience, but if it motivates even one White person to rethink the horror of “community policing”, I’ll take it.

    American cops have had it drummed into them that they must exercise their worst impulses, all the time, and “control” every situation. They have been militarized unlike any police force in the world. Yes, there are military police evident in other places. Take the Carabinieri in Italy, for instance, that guard national historic sites, among other things.

    But these militarized police DON’T patrol the streets and the neighborhoods. They DON’T hassle the average citizen. In most countries, the cops are barely armed. They don’t arrest people. Sometimes they write tickets. Maybe.

    I cannot think of a single occupational class of people that I have more disdain and disgust for than American police. I have known LOTs of cops that can be nice guys in various contexts. I had one as a next-door neighbor. I was business partners with two others. Went on a couple of dates with one.

    But I was also stopped by some of those same municipal cops for a BS traffic violation and mis-treated. Not shot, as a Black person might have been, but I shouldn’t have been stopped by overbearing assholes who worked for the same municipality I did and given multiple tickets, requiring me to use other connections to get them fixed. The simple fact that you can get them fixed underscores how much they should not be issued.

    As recently as this morning, I entered a secure FEMA facility guarded by the Chicago Police. I see the same guys routinely and they recognize me. I have visited over the years with dozens of other cops that guard a large, municipally-owned arena. They’re plenty nice because I’m not a target in those interactions.

    I’ve also been the victim of quite a number of crimes, mostly theft. There was one white-collar, grand larceny case, over 30 years ago, with a known, easy to find perp and incontrovertible evidence. I handed it to them on a platter. But even then, they didn’t want to pick the perp up and tried to talk me out of prosecuting.

    In every other case, the cops did nothing. That includes failing to protect us as children in a violent household, failing to protect us from other abuse outside the home, failing to protect from assault, failing to protect from burglary, failing to protect from home invasion and numerous B&Es of my auto, garage, office and more. And not just failing to protect, but failing to investigate when crimes were reported. It’s easier to eat donuts in an SUV, waiting for someone with an expired plate to drive by.

    So ask yourself, what could your local police department possibly do for you? Seriously. What possible service could you possibly ever receive from your local cops?

    Are you really worried for your safety? Crime rates have plummeted for decades. People aren’t robbing and shooting each other much – other than cops. Are you worried that your car will get stolen? Nope. Almost impossible these days. Maybe someone will steal your other stuff? Probably not. Petty theft is virtually non-existent in the average middle-class neighborhoods that are so heavily patrolled – and the cops wouldn’t investigate anyway. They would simply tell you it was your fault for not locking up better, or not having enough lighting, etc.

    Perhaps you are deeply concerned that people who can’t get into the DMV for over a year anyway may not have current DLs and license plates. Maybe that keeps you up at night. A couple may even have busted tail lights. The horror!

    Who you gonna call for the problems that actually plague your community? You could call the police for child abuse, but they’re simply going to call the same hotline number you could call. You call the police over your neighbor’s obvious substance abuse problem but they’re not the right people for that either. Maybe your neighbor is mentally ill? Nope. That’s not the cops. Maybe folks across the street that are just assholes? Cops can’t really help you much there either. Trespassing? Yeah right! In Illinois, the cops can’t even take the complaint anymore.

    So, in the unlikely event that someone walks into your house and shoots somebody, assuming the perp wasn’t a cop to begin with, you MIGHT call the cops. I’m struggling to think of any other reason. And if that prospect worries you enough, a shotgun is more useful than 911 if anything of real significance ever happened anyway.

    I simply don’t need and don’t want police protection in my community and wouldn’t trust the cops if I thought I did.

    Video Is Released of Chicago Police Fatally Shooting 13-Year-OldMayor Lori Lightfoot called for calm before the body camera footage was made public. The victim, Adam Toledo, was one of the youngest people killed by the police in Illinois in years.