Police Brutality is a euphemism for police terrorism against Black people. Aren’t you tired of hearing the same excuses from the police? It’s just a few bad cops. Just a few bad cops all over America who have murdered and traumatized the Black community for at least a half a century. How much longer will Americans accept the same excuses from law enforcement without changing police behavior? Why are they incentivized to terrorize Black people either through murder or incarceration? We are paying taxes to law enforcement and a criminal system that supports the persecution and terrorism of Black people.
The Scenario
White police officer murders Black man in front of the community. The white officer, heavily armed with backup, felt threatened when the Black man wanted to know his rights. He murders the Black man. The white officer then claims the unarmed Black man had a weapon, which turns out to be a phone or nothing. The police department involved does nothing about the murder until the community protests reach the national level. Then the department places the officer on paid leave while” an investigation” is conducted. In over 99% of cases, the criminal system rules the murder is justified.
Cops justified in murdering a Black child playing with a toy gun in a park.
Cops justified in murdering a man for selling 50 cent cigarillos.
The list of justified homicides is mindblowing, yet police policy and conduct remain unchanged.
Doesn’t anyone see the police have become terrorists in communities they are paid to protect and serve? We have a criminal system that protects police corruption and violence, similar to what the Catholic church did for pedophile priests.
Why are they always given the benefit of the doubt when there is a ton of evidence to show that it should not be the case?
Reform doesn’t have to be complicated. Police have access to lots of drugs. What would mandatory drug testing after a police shooting or police brutality reveal? We don’t know because it’s not done. Why is it not done? If any profession should be drug tested regularly, random and incident-based, it is law enforcement.
Why aren’t public health officials alarmed at the crimes created by law enforcement and the trauma inflicted on communities, both black and white? Who do you call when the police terrorize and murders the people in your community?
Thinking about police reform, I don’t know about other cities, but at least in New York City, police unions have often been a stumbling block. From advocating against the release of police disciplinary records to advocating for Daniel Pantaleo (the officer who killed Eric Garner), some of the police unions have slowed down the pace of reform, for sure. (And I’m pro-union by-in-large, as I’m in a union and the son of someone in a union.)
Hi Brendan. Why are police unions so powerful? Are police are above the law? Funny how they arrested the teenager who murdered two people without incident or feeling threatened. But Jacob Blake who broke up a dispute was a threat. They tried to kill him in front of his children. The officer who did it has six kids! How can there be justice if the law deems police brutality/violence/terrorism aimed at Black people justified?
Based on all I’ve seen, it does appear to be that the police are above the law. And that police brutality against Black people is justified.
I think the reason I made the comment I did about police unions is because the ones where I live in New York City (particularly the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association) seem to look to maintain the status quo of police being above the law, even when killing unarmed Black people.
Well said with this post. It’s color-coded injustice here. The hypocrisy really showed up when Kyle Rittenhouse got the Dylann Roof treatment more or less by the police. So murder suspects can be treated better than people trying to break up fights if they’re a certain color? That’s what those actions show on their part. It’s situations like these that prove the protestors right even more.
I read that Jacob Blake is handcuffed to his hospital bed and under arrest.
I heard about that last night, and I was beyond disgusted.
Hello Angela. What Brendan wrote about police unions is correct. In some areas the police unions not only protect bad cops, but they punish police who report bad / criminal behavior by the killer police. Recently in different areas where the federal government were sending federal thugs and the local / state governments were fighting that, local police unions sent letters of support to the federal governments asking them to send in federal agents against the wishes of the very people that are supposed to be in charge of those police. In at least two towns / small spread out cites the police departments threatened the town authorizes who were cutting funding for the police budget and moving those funds to other areas. We have all read and seen on video media of the Sheriffs who simply are deciding what laws and legal rules they will enforce and will not, even though their oaths of office doesn’t give them that right. What I am trying to explain is as police got more militarized they also took on the aspect of armed mob thugs taking the control power away from civil authorities and giving it to themselves. Such as review boards, which in most paces are now conducted by the police and not civil authorities. When you have all the power you tend not to listen to anyone especially those you dominate. Hugs
Hi Scottie, What Brendan said is exactly correct! You are correct, police unions call the shots. How did they become so powerful to be above the law? Why can they murder a man in public and not expect any consequences without a protest? How did that come to be?
Hello Angela. Great question. I am not sure. Some of the things I think led to it is the fetishizing of the military and the police getting access to military equipment. The police started to dress and act as an oppressing occupation army instead of enforcing civil laws. Another thing that caused it was the fear people had after 911 and the constant drum beat that only a super armed and equipped police force could protect us from terrorist. It is not true but people bought into it for a long time. Those are some thoughts I have on it. I guess I would include that the police force is something that attracts people who like to dominate and force other to do what they want them to do. Bullies tend to want to be police, authoritarians want to be police, fascists want to be police. The kid who shot those protesters wanted to join the Marines and also wanted to be a cop. Hugs
Good points, Scottie!