Posted on Jun 11, 2015
Isn't it time for police forces to focus less on force and more on real policing = serve and protect?
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Where did "Officer Friendly" go? What happened to police walking beats and getting to know their community? Where did the SWAT mentality/Bullies with Badges come from? Modern training teaches police to be extremely assertive, to yell like drill sergeants and bark orders to civilians, then force them to comply. Is that part of the problem> What's your solution?
Police
Common sense
Justice
Edited 9 y ago
Posted 9 y ago
Responses: 57
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Legitimate Policing is NECESSARY in ALL Societies, this here as it’s ALWAYS been, isn’t policing … it’s abuse of position and power. In the Military via the UCMJ, we have a prime example of what both fair justice and policing looks likes and how it functions, because of direct accountability.
It’s not perfect but it’s far better than the current civil society of policing.
————————————-
Policing and Oppression Have a Long History
The debate on racism and law enforcement follows a clear line back to the antebellum South.
By Stephen L. Carter
October 29, 2015, 6:19 PM EDT
Source : Bloomberg.com
https://www.google.com/amp/s/http://www.bloomberg.com/amp/view/articles/2015-10-29/policing-and-oppression-have-a-long-history
Except :
“The slave patrols, by contrast, did what the name suggests -- they patrolled. Although their organization varied from place to place, in most of the South the members of the patrol were recruited from, and had special responsibility for, a particular small geographic area known as a "beat" – thus the origin of our contemporary term.
1
The slave patrols, the dreaded "paterollers," are remembered best for tracking down runaways and ferreting out potential uprisings, but many scholars think they had a more important day-to-day role. Those held in bondage in the South were seen as the greatest potential source of crime, including theft, assault, and sabotage of agricultural equipment. There was a steady traffic in pilferage, valuables being sold to free black railroad workers who would carry them North and resell them. By the reckoning of the slavocracy, the anti-crime patrols were being sent exactly where they were needed. Small surprise, then, that free white citizens were required to join the patrols if called.
2 Given recent events, it's a poignant historical irony that in the 1830s, the slave patrol of Charleston, South Carolina, had more members than any city police force in the North.
Despite legal codes purporting to control them, the patrollers were feared and reviled for their cruelty. A freedman named Lewis Garrard Clarke wrote that the patrols were "the tooth and tongue of serpents … the fool's cap of baboons ... the scum of stagnant pools ... the meanest, and lowest, and worst of all creation."
And yet, for all their horrors, the slave patrols provided the template for the policing in its contemporary sense. Richmond, Virginia, created a full-time police force only after Gabriel Prosser led a slave uprising in 1800. Other cities followed suit. Yet three decades later, newspapers in Charleston complained that the police were too few to control the restive black population, and demanded an increase in the number of ... patrollers.”
*** Disclaimer : This a repost from myself, because people are tooooo comfortable with the status quo. ***
It’s not perfect but it’s far better than the current civil society of policing.
————————————-
Policing and Oppression Have a Long History
The debate on racism and law enforcement follows a clear line back to the antebellum South.
By Stephen L. Carter
October 29, 2015, 6:19 PM EDT
Source : Bloomberg.com
https://www.google.com/amp/s/http://www.bloomberg.com/amp/view/articles/2015-10-29/policing-and-oppression-have-a-long-history
Except :
“The slave patrols, by contrast, did what the name suggests -- they patrolled. Although their organization varied from place to place, in most of the South the members of the patrol were recruited from, and had special responsibility for, a particular small geographic area known as a "beat" – thus the origin of our contemporary term.
1
The slave patrols, the dreaded "paterollers," are remembered best for tracking down runaways and ferreting out potential uprisings, but many scholars think they had a more important day-to-day role. Those held in bondage in the South were seen as the greatest potential source of crime, including theft, assault, and sabotage of agricultural equipment. There was a steady traffic in pilferage, valuables being sold to free black railroad workers who would carry them North and resell them. By the reckoning of the slavocracy, the anti-crime patrols were being sent exactly where they were needed. Small surprise, then, that free white citizens were required to join the patrols if called.
2 Given recent events, it's a poignant historical irony that in the 1830s, the slave patrol of Charleston, South Carolina, had more members than any city police force in the North.
Despite legal codes purporting to control them, the patrollers were feared and reviled for their cruelty. A freedman named Lewis Garrard Clarke wrote that the patrols were "the tooth and tongue of serpents … the fool's cap of baboons ... the scum of stagnant pools ... the meanest, and lowest, and worst of all creation."
And yet, for all their horrors, the slave patrols provided the template for the policing in its contemporary sense. Richmond, Virginia, created a full-time police force only after Gabriel Prosser led a slave uprising in 1800. Other cities followed suit. Yet three decades later, newspapers in Charleston complained that the police were too few to control the restive black population, and demanded an increase in the number of ... patrollers.”
*** Disclaimer : This a repost from myself, because people are tooooo comfortable with the status quo. ***
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U.S. Civilian Policing is a well oiled machine working as it was originally designed :
History of Police as Slave Catchers :
How the U.S. Got Its Police Force:
Source : TIME Magazine
https://www.google.com/amp/amp.timeinc.net/time/4779112/police-history-origins
Excerpt:
“In the South, however, the economics that drove the creation of police forces were centered not on the protection of shipping interests but on the preservation of the slavery system. Some of the primary policing institutions there were the slave patrols tasked with chasing down runaways and preventing slave revolts, Potter says; the first formal slave patrol had been created in the Carolina colonies in 1704. During the Civil War, the military became the primary form of law enforcement in the South, but during Reconstruction, many local sheriffs functioned in a way analogous to the earlier slave patrols, enforcing segregation and the disenfranchisement of freed slaves.”
A Brief History of Slavery and the Origins of American Policing:
Source : EKU Police Studies Online
http://plsonline.eku.edu/insidelook/brief-history-slavery-and-origins-american-policing
Excerpt :
“Policing was not the only social institution enmeshed in slavery. Slavery was fully institutionalized in the American economic and legal order with laws being enacted at both the state and national divisions of government. Virginia, for example, enacted more than 130 slave statutes between 1689 and 1865. Slavery and the abuse of people of color, however, was not merely a southern affair as many have been taught to believe. Connecticut, New York and other colonies enacted laws to criminalize and control slaves. Congress also passed fugitive Slave Laws, laws allowing the detention and return of escaped slaves, in 1793 and 1850. As Turner, Giacopassi and Vandiver (2006:186) remark, “the literature clearly establishes that a legally sanctioned law enforcement system existed in America before the Civil War for the express purpose of controlling the slave population and protecting the interests of slave owners. The similarities between the slave patrols and modern American policing are too salient to dismiss or ignore. Hence, the slave patrol should be considered a forerunner of modern American law enforcement.”
History of Police as Slave Catchers :
How the U.S. Got Its Police Force:
Source : TIME Magazine
https://www.google.com/amp/amp.timeinc.net/time/4779112/police-history-origins
Excerpt:
“In the South, however, the economics that drove the creation of police forces were centered not on the protection of shipping interests but on the preservation of the slavery system. Some of the primary policing institutions there were the slave patrols tasked with chasing down runaways and preventing slave revolts, Potter says; the first formal slave patrol had been created in the Carolina colonies in 1704. During the Civil War, the military became the primary form of law enforcement in the South, but during Reconstruction, many local sheriffs functioned in a way analogous to the earlier slave patrols, enforcing segregation and the disenfranchisement of freed slaves.”
A Brief History of Slavery and the Origins of American Policing:
Source : EKU Police Studies Online
http://plsonline.eku.edu/insidelook/brief-history-slavery-and-origins-american-policing
Excerpt :
“Policing was not the only social institution enmeshed in slavery. Slavery was fully institutionalized in the American economic and legal order with laws being enacted at both the state and national divisions of government. Virginia, for example, enacted more than 130 slave statutes between 1689 and 1865. Slavery and the abuse of people of color, however, was not merely a southern affair as many have been taught to believe. Connecticut, New York and other colonies enacted laws to criminalize and control slaves. Congress also passed fugitive Slave Laws, laws allowing the detention and return of escaped slaves, in 1793 and 1850. As Turner, Giacopassi and Vandiver (2006:186) remark, “the literature clearly establishes that a legally sanctioned law enforcement system existed in America before the Civil War for the express purpose of controlling the slave population and protecting the interests of slave owners. The similarities between the slave patrols and modern American policing are too salient to dismiss or ignore. Hence, the slave patrol should be considered a forerunner of modern American law enforcement.”
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History Resources
Study Aid: Slavery and the Law in Seventeenth-Century Virginia
“ 1662
General Assembly determines "Negro women’s children to serve according to the condition of the mother."
1667
General Assembly passes "An act declaring the baptisme of slaves doth not exempt them from bondage."
1669
Virginia passes an act regarding the casual killing of slaves: "If any slave resist his master (or other by his master’s order correcting him) and by the extremity of the correction should chance to die, that his death shall not be accompted felony."
1670
Assembly determined that "Noe Negroes nor Indians to buy Christian servants."
1672
"An act for the apprehension and suppression of runaways, Negroes and slaves" states: "If any Negroe, mulatto, Indian slave, or servant for life, runaway and shall be pursued by the warrant or hue and cry, it shall and may be lawful for any person who shall endeavour to take them, upon the resistance of such Negro, mulatto, Indian slave, or servant for life, to kill or wound him or them so resisting. . . . And if it happen that such Negroe, mulatto, Indian slave, or servants for life doe dye of any wound in such their resistance received the master or owner of such shall receive satisfaction from the public."
SOURCE :
https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-resources/teaching-resource/study-aid-slavery-and-law-seventeenth-century-virginia
Study Aid: Slavery and the Law in Seventeenth-Century Virginia
“ 1662
General Assembly determines "Negro women’s children to serve according to the condition of the mother."
1667
General Assembly passes "An act declaring the baptisme of slaves doth not exempt them from bondage."
1669
Virginia passes an act regarding the casual killing of slaves: "If any slave resist his master (or other by his master’s order correcting him) and by the extremity of the correction should chance to die, that his death shall not be accompted felony."
1670
Assembly determined that "Noe Negroes nor Indians to buy Christian servants."
1672
"An act for the apprehension and suppression of runaways, Negroes and slaves" states: "If any Negroe, mulatto, Indian slave, or servant for life, runaway and shall be pursued by the warrant or hue and cry, it shall and may be lawful for any person who shall endeavour to take them, upon the resistance of such Negro, mulatto, Indian slave, or servant for life, to kill or wound him or them so resisting. . . . And if it happen that such Negroe, mulatto, Indian slave, or servants for life doe dye of any wound in such their resistance received the master or owner of such shall receive satisfaction from the public."
SOURCE :
https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-resources/teaching-resource/study-aid-slavery-and-law-seventeenth-century-virginia
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*{Eventually it’ll sink-in}*
1.) A look at the Casual Killing Act of 1669 that made it legal to kill a slave at will :
1669
Virginia passes an act regarding the casual killing of slaves: "If any slave resist his master (or other by his master’s order correcting him) and by the extremity of the correction should chance to die, that his death shall not be accompted felony."
https://www.google.com/amp/s/face2faceafrica.com/article/a-look-at-the-casual-killing-act-of-1669-that-made-it-legal-to-kill-a-slave-at-will/amp
2.) Slave Patrols: An Early Form of American Policing
July 10, 2019 | Authored by Chelsea Hansen
“I [patroller’s name], do swear, that I will as searcher for guns, swords, and other weapons among the slaves in my district, faithfully, and as privately as I can, discharge the trust reposed in me as the law directs, to the best of my power. So help me, God.”
-Slave Patroller’s Oath, North Carolina, 1828.
Source : The National Law Enforcement Museum
https://lawenforcementmuseum.org/2019/07/10/slave-patrols-an-early-form-of-american-policing/
“The National Law Enforcement Museum is dedicated to telling the story of American law enforcement by providing visitors a “walk in the shoes” experience. The Museum is working to expand and enrich the relationship shared by law enforcement and the community through educational journeys, immersive exhibitions, and insightful programs.”
1.) A look at the Casual Killing Act of 1669 that made it legal to kill a slave at will :
1669
Virginia passes an act regarding the casual killing of slaves: "If any slave resist his master (or other by his master’s order correcting him) and by the extremity of the correction should chance to die, that his death shall not be accompted felony."
https://www.google.com/amp/s/face2faceafrica.com/article/a-look-at-the-casual-killing-act-of-1669-that-made-it-legal-to-kill-a-slave-at-will/amp
2.) Slave Patrols: An Early Form of American Policing
July 10, 2019 | Authored by Chelsea Hansen
“I [patroller’s name], do swear, that I will as searcher for guns, swords, and other weapons among the slaves in my district, faithfully, and as privately as I can, discharge the trust reposed in me as the law directs, to the best of my power. So help me, God.”
-Slave Patroller’s Oath, North Carolina, 1828.
Source : The National Law Enforcement Museum
https://lawenforcementmuseum.org/2019/07/10/slave-patrols-an-early-form-of-american-policing/
“The National Law Enforcement Museum is dedicated to telling the story of American law enforcement by providing visitors a “walk in the shoes” experience. The Museum is working to expand and enrich the relationship shared by law enforcement and the community through educational journeys, immersive exhibitions, and insightful programs.”
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White men assaulting cops and living :
1.) One year after Ferguson, a white man assaults 7 cops and lives to tell the tale
August 11, 2015
https://www.google.com/amp/s/qz.com/477383/one-year-after-ferguson-a-white-man-assaults-7-cops-and-lives-to-tell-the-tale/amp/
2.) What New Research Says About Race and Police Shootings
* BRENTIN MOCK AUGUST 6, 2019
https://www.citylab.com/equity/2019/08/police-officer-shootings-gun-violence-racial-bias-crime-data/595528/
3.) Violent White Folks Who Were Arrested With Loving Care By Police
Posted January 23, 2020
Written By NewsOne Staff
Posted January 23, 2020
https://newsone.com/playlist/white-arrested-with-by-police/
4.) WATCH | Naked white murder suspect attacks police officer and gets taken alive
The triple homicide suspect ran circles around a police officer, choked a bystander, and was apprehended without a single gunshot wound.
By Natasha S. Alford -
August 30, 2019
https://thegrio.com/2019/08/30/watch-naked-white-murder-suspect-attacks-police-officer-and-gets-taken-alive/
The white racist cops see themselves, a neighbor, an associate, a friend, a relative ... a Human Being.
We are seen as a thing to be either dominated or destroyed. Period.
*** this a repost from myself, because people are tooooo comfortable with the status quo ***
“I will not apologize for telling the FACTS, in a world that worship the lies”.
1.) One year after Ferguson, a white man assaults 7 cops and lives to tell the tale
August 11, 2015
https://www.google.com/amp/s/qz.com/477383/one-year-after-ferguson-a-white-man-assaults-7-cops-and-lives-to-tell-the-tale/amp/
2.) What New Research Says About Race and Police Shootings
* BRENTIN MOCK AUGUST 6, 2019
https://www.citylab.com/equity/2019/08/police-officer-shootings-gun-violence-racial-bias-crime-data/595528/
3.) Violent White Folks Who Were Arrested With Loving Care By Police
Posted January 23, 2020
Written By NewsOne Staff
Posted January 23, 2020
https://newsone.com/playlist/white-arrested-with-by-police/
4.) WATCH | Naked white murder suspect attacks police officer and gets taken alive
The triple homicide suspect ran circles around a police officer, choked a bystander, and was apprehended without a single gunshot wound.
By Natasha S. Alford -
August 30, 2019
https://thegrio.com/2019/08/30/watch-naked-white-murder-suspect-attacks-police-officer-and-gets-taken-alive/
The white racist cops see themselves, a neighbor, an associate, a friend, a relative ... a Human Being.
We are seen as a thing to be either dominated or destroyed. Period.
*** this a repost from myself, because people are tooooo comfortable with the status quo ***
“I will not apologize for telling the FACTS, in a world that worship the lies”.
One year after Ferguson, a white man assaults 7 cops and lives to tell the tale
Black people don't get to challenge police and live to talk about it.
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There are *ROE* - {Rules of Engagement}cohesively for ALL military personnel/branches, yet none for Police Law Enforcement across the country, as police departments are receiving military gear to combat viable treats each department operates independently of each other even within the same counties/city/state.
With that comes the responsibility of proper training for not only the gear but threat assessment. Just like ignorance of the law is no excuse neither is the old adage “it’s the way we’ve always done things”.
Police/Cops have BEEN shooting/killing unarmed citizens for decades from all ethnic groups with the stay outta jail free card of “I feared for my life”.
Ok, what about the unarmed citizens who’s arms are up, looking at the cop gun... or how about the citizens who see and hear about cops shooting unarmed people on a regular..... if they shoot 1st and reasoned they did do because they also feared for their life ... is that a real argument on the behalf of the citizen’s?
Yes, it would be to anyone with common sense, but not to the police nor in the court of law. Police have a dangerous job is the argument ... true, yet so do military personal and except for those incidents when they go off scrip and snap, *military personnel don’t just shoot people in hostile environments and in combat zones because they feared for their lives.*
Again, there are ROE and the police are missing that understanding and proper training.
Army Veteran, I taught CQC as a government contractor, along with the following skill-sets : Mt’d LandNav/Dismt’d LandNav/*DetAnee Ops/Range Instructor. Provided realistic training of Airmen/Army Reserve/Active Duty personnel/UNITS and individuals that were deploying to current Theater of Operations, 2005’/2006’.
*** this a repost from myself, because people are tooooo comfortable with the status quo ***
“I will not apologize for telling the FACTS, in a world that worship the lies”.
With that comes the responsibility of proper training for not only the gear but threat assessment. Just like ignorance of the law is no excuse neither is the old adage “it’s the way we’ve always done things”.
Police/Cops have BEEN shooting/killing unarmed citizens for decades from all ethnic groups with the stay outta jail free card of “I feared for my life”.
Ok, what about the unarmed citizens who’s arms are up, looking at the cop gun... or how about the citizens who see and hear about cops shooting unarmed people on a regular..... if they shoot 1st and reasoned they did do because they also feared for their life ... is that a real argument on the behalf of the citizen’s?
Yes, it would be to anyone with common sense, but not to the police nor in the court of law. Police have a dangerous job is the argument ... true, yet so do military personal and except for those incidents when they go off scrip and snap, *military personnel don’t just shoot people in hostile environments and in combat zones because they feared for their lives.*
Again, there are ROE and the police are missing that understanding and proper training.
Army Veteran, I taught CQC as a government contractor, along with the following skill-sets : Mt’d LandNav/Dismt’d LandNav/*DetAnee Ops/Range Instructor. Provided realistic training of Airmen/Army Reserve/Active Duty personnel/UNITS and individuals that were deploying to current Theater of Operations, 2005’/2006’.
*** this a repost from myself, because people are tooooo comfortable with the status quo ***
“I will not apologize for telling the FACTS, in a world that worship the lies”.
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Wrong question. Where did being kind to your neighbor go. Where did human decency go. Where did truth in reporting go. Answer: Sold to the highest bidder and and advertising agency. Don't give police officer a reason to think you are about to cause harm by not breaking the law and not being compliant. Where is the call to keep a violent or repetitive criminal incarcerated for the crimes they commit. Cops absolutely have the right to defend themselves.
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L E Os have a tough job. Too many people want to complain about how they are treated. Most cops do a good job but are often provoked by those they encounter. The anti police attitude of many needs to stop. I know many in law enforcement and they deserve respect.
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There are many good law enforcement officers around, but many agencies have lost sight of the bigger picture. There are many examples of police officers escalating situations that would otherwise be resolved peacefully. Look at the the pool party in Texas where 11 of the 12 officers were doing the right thing, but one idiot made the entire force look bad.
The biggest issue is that cops aren't policing themselves. If departments would self identify these people and fix them the media wouldn't have any ammunition. The officer who shot Tamir Rice two seconds after pulling up resigned from his previous job because they were going to fire him for a "dangerous lack of composure" during weapons training. The Cleveland police department that hired him didn't bother to look at his files to find this out. This kind of negligence is unacceptable.
The other issue with departments right now is the overwhelming focus on revenue. Many departments care more about catching someone rolling through a stop sign than they do building community relations. You add laws such as stop and frisk and soon people feel that every interaction with the police is a negative one.
The police are just one portion of our flawed justice system, but they are the one that has direct interaction with the most people. It is up to the many good officers out there to identify the problems and fix them instead of pretending they don't exist. We all want to support the police because we understand they do a hard job, but supporting the police as an organization doesn't mean we ignore the problems within that organization.
The biggest issue is that cops aren't policing themselves. If departments would self identify these people and fix them the media wouldn't have any ammunition. The officer who shot Tamir Rice two seconds after pulling up resigned from his previous job because they were going to fire him for a "dangerous lack of composure" during weapons training. The Cleveland police department that hired him didn't bother to look at his files to find this out. This kind of negligence is unacceptable.
The other issue with departments right now is the overwhelming focus on revenue. Many departments care more about catching someone rolling through a stop sign than they do building community relations. You add laws such as stop and frisk and soon people feel that every interaction with the police is a negative one.
The police are just one portion of our flawed justice system, but they are the one that has direct interaction with the most people. It is up to the many good officers out there to identify the problems and fix them instead of pretending they don't exist. We all want to support the police because we understand they do a hard job, but supporting the police as an organization doesn't mean we ignore the problems within that organization.
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I think that went out of the window SGM when the streets became the Wild West. Ever since 90's when the drugs led to gangs led to weapons led to our current situation. If we had strict control of our borders back then maybe things wouldnt be the same. There will always be people crossing the border criminals etc/ or innocents forced into supporting criminals but we have had such a long time of having the flood gates open that its created something we cant turn off.
What I mean by that is when the drugs were allowed into urban places and that became the way to "come up" in the world and take a piece of whats "yours". It created a deadly combination of police having to sterotype and fight to stay alive on the streets. Although the war on gangs has been successful it came at a price, which is what we currently face. Everyone likes to pin point these police and say hes picking on him because hes black, AND IM NOT SAYING THIS IS THE CASE.. But no one bothers to ask well what is the crime rate there? What is the statistic of blacks versus whites committing the crimes? Maybe there is a reason that the cop gives a black person who is sagging a double look versus a white man walking the street.
Facts are this, stereotypes exist for a reason and majority of them have an absurd percentage of truth behind it. If you were deployed to Afghanistan/Iraq, you would not of did a double look on a black man walking streets, but you eye balled all locals because you cant tell the difference between enemy and friendly. That is no different the the streets in our country, you cant tell who is packing heat and who isnt. Who is a law abiding citizen and who has the mentality im not going back to jail its him or me.
Cops will be killed because they will be affraid to make a mistake because of all the "racial" pressure that has been blown out of proportion across the media. I feel for them, hell I want to be a cop to put away bad guys, I feel without a doubt I would be behind bars, because at end of the day I am going home to my wife not them. Sooner or later that would result in "Murder".
Until the cops feel safe, they will always be on the defensive side. I fully support all cops should be wearing cameras so the real story is out there, no witness can lie about what they saw or create a racial issue if the evidence clearly shows the individual in question resisting arrest or displaying a clear issue with authority.
Just my 2 cents :P.
And although maybe I am blind to the "Institution Racism" in this country, but I like to throw this out there... Out of all the cases, how many people did what the officer asked them the first time, the second time? I would say over 90% have resisted or shown a distaste in authority thinking they cant touch me and they are above the law.. Take that young black girl regarding the pool incident recently, had she simply laid down he would of never touched her. After asking her and then placing his hands on her she still refused, after he put her to the ground she still resisted and was forced down again.. Had she simply got down the first time he asked NONE of that would of happened...
What I mean by that is when the drugs were allowed into urban places and that became the way to "come up" in the world and take a piece of whats "yours". It created a deadly combination of police having to sterotype and fight to stay alive on the streets. Although the war on gangs has been successful it came at a price, which is what we currently face. Everyone likes to pin point these police and say hes picking on him because hes black, AND IM NOT SAYING THIS IS THE CASE.. But no one bothers to ask well what is the crime rate there? What is the statistic of blacks versus whites committing the crimes? Maybe there is a reason that the cop gives a black person who is sagging a double look versus a white man walking the street.
Facts are this, stereotypes exist for a reason and majority of them have an absurd percentage of truth behind it. If you were deployed to Afghanistan/Iraq, you would not of did a double look on a black man walking streets, but you eye balled all locals because you cant tell the difference between enemy and friendly. That is no different the the streets in our country, you cant tell who is packing heat and who isnt. Who is a law abiding citizen and who has the mentality im not going back to jail its him or me.
Cops will be killed because they will be affraid to make a mistake because of all the "racial" pressure that has been blown out of proportion across the media. I feel for them, hell I want to be a cop to put away bad guys, I feel without a doubt I would be behind bars, because at end of the day I am going home to my wife not them. Sooner or later that would result in "Murder".
Until the cops feel safe, they will always be on the defensive side. I fully support all cops should be wearing cameras so the real story is out there, no witness can lie about what they saw or create a racial issue if the evidence clearly shows the individual in question resisting arrest or displaying a clear issue with authority.
Just my 2 cents :P.
And although maybe I am blind to the "Institution Racism" in this country, but I like to throw this out there... Out of all the cases, how many people did what the officer asked them the first time, the second time? I would say over 90% have resisted or shown a distaste in authority thinking they cant touch me and they are above the law.. Take that young black girl regarding the pool incident recently, had she simply laid down he would of never touched her. After asking her and then placing his hands on her she still refused, after he put her to the ground she still resisted and was forced down again.. Had she simply got down the first time he asked NONE of that would of happened...
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SGM (Join to see)
SSG Severson, one main issue is personal accountability no matter what our color of our skin or uniform. Another main issue is the fact that we do need to get back to "Serving and Protecting" the public, not just ourselves. Studies (cited in Economist Mag) show that success requires that we change in the way we look at things, the way we criminalize things, such as certain items we now classify as drugs and resulting penalties. What gov cannot control gov can tax to get under control. Othewise, we spend more on the legal system and on incarcerating people than we do on preventing crime, so our thinking there might also change to free up funds for community policing. There are of course some valid issues you point out such as protecting our borders, which has far more meaning that just building an American version of a Berlin Wall. There must be valid consequences for breaking our laws, whether or not you are a citizen. Countries who fail to stop the flow should also face sanctions.
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