Police Paranoia? Or is it something else?
Nirvana
aka BUBBA ` ` South Carolina, USA Veteran
Just cannot understand all the use of lethal force policemen in the USA seem to have "in the bag." Sorry, just do not understand that protocol and don't really know how to speak out against it, either. Years ago, in the Westerns, shooting people in the back was called cowardice. Now, police departments convince jurors that it's proper protocol. At the end of the day, it seems, some lives really do matter much, much, much, much more. It must be the uniforms they wear?
"Shoot at the Heart first?" (Better not let your boys be given play pistols by their uncles if you want them to live.)
It will not do to note that 99 percent of the time the police mediate conflicts without killing people anymore than it will do for a restaurant to note that 99 percent of the time rats don’t run through the dining room. Nor will it do to point out that most black citizens are killed by other black citizens, not police officers, anymore than it will do to point out that most American citizens are killed by other American citizens, not terrorists. If officers cannot be expected to act any better than ordinary citizens, why call them in the first place? Why invest them with any more power?
This weekend, after a Chicago police officer killed her 19-year-old son Quintonio LeGrier, Janet Cooksey struggled to understand the mentality of the people she pays to keep her community safe (See Article.)...
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/12/illegitimacy-and-american-policing/422094/
an editorial from The AtlanticLeGrier had struggled with mental illness. When LeGrier attempted to break down his father’s door, his father called the police, who apparently arrived to find the 19-year-old wielding a bat. Interpreting this as a lethal threat, one of the officers shot and killed LeGrier and somehow managed to shoot and kill one of his neighbors, Bettie Jones. Cooksey did not merely have a problem with how the police acted, but with the fact that the police were even called in the first place. “He should have called me,” Cooksey said of LeGrier’s father.
Legitimacy is what is ultimately at stake here. When Cooksey says that her son’s father should not have called the police, when she says that they “are supposed to serve and protect us and yet they take the lives,” she is saying that police in Chicago are police in name only. This opinion is widely shared. Asked about the possibility of an investigation, Melvin Jones, the brother of Bettie Jones, could muster no confidence. “I already know how that will turn out,” he scoffed. “We all know how that will turn out.”
Two days after Jones and LeGrier were killed, a district attorney in Ohio declined to prosecute the two officers who drove up, and within two seconds of arriving, killed the 12-year-old Tamir Rice. No one should be surprised by this. In America, we have decided that it is permissible, that it is wise, that it is moral for the police to de-escalate through killing.
Dunno 'bout you, but the police scare me to death.
Comments
I have had a number of Canadian police as clients, most of whom I've watched become more and more isolated from society at large every year that I meet with them.
(one of the last jobs I'd consider doing but I'm grateful somebody is.)
I think it's much safer to consider them as a military force than a civilian one,
whenever one has any dealings with them.
That being said, every human wishes to be heard and respected and does usually behave less aggressively whenever those conditions are being met.
Understandable.
Not my police. Not my experience.
I like our police. At the moment some are carrying machine guns in central London. I don't like that.
Over the summer the London police on the whole did not carry machine guns. Even outside the Houses of Parliament they were chatting to and posing for selfies with tourists.
My last chat with the police was tapping on the window of their van to tell them someone around the corner had collapsed and was turning blue. To the rescue. Save life before ambulance arrives ...
A lot of the prison officers I worked alongside were ex-cops. I did not like them, nor did the inmates.
I sometimes illegally cycle on the pavement. I iz law breaker. No police bother me. Your situation is very different
As a former drug user and homeless person I've had my run ins with the law. On the whole the British police are OK. You give them an attitude and they'll give you one back. Treat with a bit of courtesy and respect and they'll do the same to you. At least that's been my experience.
I've found that my dealings with police are usually polite and cordial on both sides.
Guess it depends where you live.
I fear, gone are the days of the "Dickson of Dock Green" ...the days I remember growing up in London where the local Mr Plod would have time to play games with the children... Mind you back then some of the local Bobbies were also a tad racist.....
Of course, it's the instantaneous use of lethal force in our civilian communities that I object to. This has to STOP.
Perhaps compulsory ongoing mindfulness training for the (your) nation's police force be the way to go....
It's a fair cop, guv, but I ain't dun nuffink, it's all a fit-up jorb, don't you throw me darn them apples and pears, I'll swing for you copper and gawd bless the Queen mum....
Does the American love-affair with guns have anything to do with this?
Well said.
I would also suggest military, police and [a new thought] ex-cons should be allowed free access to dharma courses.
If you can't beat them. Improve them.
I served with five Northern Irish special branch officers in Ulster, during The Troubles; four of the five had all shot people, two had killed people. It was a very heavy-drinking macho kind of culture and they'd often brag about their (usually illegal) exploits and suspect handling.
But they did serve in a climate of fear where they'd experienced - over the years - repeated attacks upon themselves. And since then the situation has changed and measures have been taken to remove the 'cowboy' attitude.
I don't know how other countries police forces perceive their levels of threat. Do many of them get murdered while on duty? If they do, I can understand why they'd be quick to shoot first and ask questions later.
In the UK as a whole, our police (I think) are the best in the world; we're very lucky.
As to an earlier point about 'shooting them in the heart'; when using firearms it's next to impossible to just 'shoot someone in the legs'; you aim for the largest centre of mass and normally this will be the chest area. There is no other way to do it.
Military, police, convicts, drug users, homeless.
Not dukkha free existence. Far from it.
Refugee, freedom fighter, terrorist, monk.
Not dukkha free existence. Far from it.
This is samsara. This is where compassion and kindness kicks in ...
Come, Come, Whoever You Are
Wonderer, worshipper, lover of leaving.
It doesn't matter.
Ours is not a caravan of despair.
Come, even if you have broken your vow
a thousand times
Come, yet again, come, come.
Bodhi and whirling dervish Rumi
... and now back to the paranoid ... (they can come too)
I have had problems with police,when i was young and stupid.It was my foult. I think that the police is doing their job well in my country,maybe even too indulgently.I read these news about Le Grier and Bettie Jones and i am very sorry about this gase.I think too that the police must somehow solve such situations without guns.
You know, if there was a simple answer to police paranoia we could pass a simple fix. Some people suspect it's always been this way, but with the prevalence of the smartphone video camera now we actually have proof the police are lying about self defense. That goes hand in hand with the "few bad apples" defense, where bad cops are bound to exist. But since the entire system is now designed to protect the bad cops from any consequences, that only shifts the blame to "the system" where nothing will ever get done about it.
Let's take the cop's words as honest. They were afraid for their lives. Let's assume the cop didn't get up in the morning and look for an excuse to pull his gun on an unarmed black man or beat him to death. Over the past few decades a "get tough on crime" attitude by society has filled our prisons and jail cells with black men. That's because our black population has been the biggest group of victims of job loss and recession and tax cuts for any programs designed to help the lower class get ahead. Poverty and lack of opportunity leads to crime, which leads to "get tough and lock them up" campaigns by the politicians.
So cops see black men behind bars all day back at the station. Many of the black men they deal with on the street have spent time in jail or prison. To them, a black man becomes a criminal. The line between the prison yard and the public sidewalk becomes blurred. The cop's behavior and reactions are those of the prison yard. If a man in a prison doesn't immediately comply or questions your authority, you're in danger.
And cops are deliberately trained now to shoot first and question later. They all have video booths where various scenes are shown and are actually taught if they hesitate, they're dead. Shooting is trained into them as a reflex action now. This comes from the military, where the training is designed to get rid of a soldier's reluctance to shoot on the battlefield. It's a huge mistake but tell that to the people busy turning our cops into a military force.
So what to do? The people most affected have to show enough political clout to make broad changes. In a democracy that means black people have to start voting. Standing in line to make some marks on a paper isn't nearly as satisfying as marching or demonstrating, but it's the only way something will happen.
I really think that a law abiding person going about their daily business has nothing to fear from the police. In the unlikely case they are stopped by the police, being respectful and following instructions will almost certainly guarantee a quick and peaceful outcome.
If you actually go over the details of police shootings, you will see that in the vast majority of cases the victims were either in commission of a crime or were acting in a confrontational manner. Politics and sociology aside, messing with a person with a gun is not conducive to one's survival. That is true in America and anywhere else in the world.
Any loss of life is tragic and surely, American society has serious problems with regard to race and income inequalities. However, I think that the idea that cops are prowling around looking for unarmed innocent people to kill is delusional.
..but the again, I am not Black. There may be something I do not understand about every day realities of African Americans' lives.
The protests should continue. PEACEFULLY.
Knowing a few young male relatives who are going into police careers (and having majored in crim. so I spent a fair amount of time with others on the police track) it has a lot to do with them seeking power rather than to "serve and protect." Many of them are people who would prefer the military because they like guns and ammo (truly, this is what they have told me) but they do not qualify for various reasons so they go into the police field. The continued battles between cops and citizens are now causing police forces to appeal to different types of people to fill the ranks. Just as people often seek to join the military to fight the bad guys, now that is what we see for future cops-people who see their own fellow citizens as enemies. They are in it for power and glory, to fight bad guys with fun tools and weapons more than anything. Not saying all are the same, but it is common.
Personally, I don't know how much difference mindfulness training will make at a career level if it is not introduced in much earlier levels, preferably in schooling of young children. That way they are already able to think on those levels BEFORE they choose a career, not after. If people learned how to choose a career based on how they can help rather than how they can make out the best for themselves, then the people who choose cop careers would be going in with a different mindset.
I am not really a law breaker, my few interactions with the police (when being pulled over mostly, lol, but thankfully that is rare) have been pleasant enough. But I'm white. I'm still intimidated by them even when they pass by on the street, and I think that is what their culture induces in most of the public. I don't think that is how it should be. Control through intimidation and fear does not lead people to feel safe...
We've had more than our share of police officers shot in the line of duty in recent years here. It really is sad, because not all cops choose their profession because they crave power and love guns, etc. Many have a sincere desire to help their communities. They put themselves in harm's way, and get a lot of attitude from people that are harming themselves and others.
Having said that, I believe that there should be some pretty strong measures put in place to weed out those that just want to wield their authority over others. These are the people that we expect to protect us. Yes, it's a tough profession, but that's no excuse for those that use excessive force on their fellow citizens.
Here in MN at least, they go through psychological testing and a lot of other things. So perhaps it's the criteria that needs to change. Or perhaps it's the mentality of those doing the testing that don't pick up any problems because it's considered normal.
I know some cops who are truly wonderful people. But even among them, there is very much a good versus bad mentality. They want too help-but the only want to help people who are already law abiding when in reality we know the people who need the most help are those who are breaking the law. I think that is a pervasive attitude in our society in general, to desire to separate the "bad" from the rest of us and keep them away from us. The good cops help the good and capture and punish the bad. But I don't think that is the best model to operate from.
Nevermind the corruption in our criminal justice system through the courts and our largely privatized prison system. Just like those who get rich of the sick need them to stay sick, those who get rich off investing in prison systems need people to keep breaking the law. It's a disturbing reality that I once chalked up to conspiracy theory, but not so much anymore. I don't think it's usually a conscious effort but a lot of rich folks fear losing their riches and lifestyle so much that they will throw anyone under the bus to keep it.
@Tosh said, "As to an earlier point about 'shooting them in the heart'; when using firearms it's next to impossible to just 'shoot someone in the legs'; you aim for the largest centre of mass and normally this will be the chest area. There is no other way to do it."
I tend to disagree because it's only a matter of more intensive training -- practice makes perfect they say -- Why kill when you can just wing someone? I see it as pure laziness intertwined with politics. It's nothing but excuses for all these innocent (and not so innocent) folks to die at a policeman's hands. If you notice it's not just the general population who's getting fatter here in America (and elsewhere), our cops are getting more than a little soggy around the middle. What we all need is healthy outlet for physical activity and with things getting scarier, it just makes it that much harder to go out and do stuff. I see no excuse for shooting and killing so many people by police.
Because hand-guns are not all that accurate, particularly with moving targets, and because if somebody is shooting at you then you have to put them down as quickly as possible in order not to get shot yourself.
With things getting that much trickier, then why aren't police forces everywhere getting far more intensive training -- all aspects. No excuse.
@SpinyNorman that doesn't explain why so many people who are unarmed, or armed with knives, or actively running away, are shot and killed by cops. Killing someone should be a life-saving event only, yet in the US it continually happens that people are killed by cops who were unarmed or running away or otherwise were no threat to the heavily armed (and supposedly trained) cop.
There's probably a couple of things we need to think about. First, the problem is not just "if they did what the cop told them to do there won't be a problem". That's the rule for a white guy like myself. That's not how the encounter goes when it's a black man. I know it's hard to step outside your own world and admit that the friendly man you met acts entirely different when dealing with another set of society, but it is.
It begins with simply the right to be left alone. As a white man I have never once been stopped by a cop and grilled as to who I was and what I was doing, when I was just walking or driving down the street or standing with a couple of friends on a sidewalk. No cop would ever force me to sit there on the curb while the cop runs my name through his computer to see if my name or one like it shows up as wanted. And I certainly wouldn't think it fair for that to happen several times in one month, like a black guy I know. So it begins with an assumption that if you're black, you're probably up to no good and maybe a criminal.
We have to get away from blaming the victims. "They" are not making this up when they complain that cops act like black lives don't matter. They have a point, when they protest that even obvious bad cops who get caught lying about why they blew away an innocent kid are never punished or taken off the streets. The black communities are well aware of the local crime problem. They're not just standing up for the thugs in their community. When they tell you something is deeply wrong, we can at least listen to them.
@Cinorjer Very well said. Your points totally make sense! I am of Indian ethnicity. I was born and brought up in the UK I used to get pulled over by the police when I was driving and they would speak very aggressively towards me when There was no need because I showed no attitude and used to be a Wee skinny thing with no confidence. It was always overkill in there arrogance and aggressive behaviour. In my recent encounters with the police they were helpful when I was the victim of crime but I feel they behaved with much more respect as I got older. We are lucky to have gun control here which makes a huge difference. With it being out of control in the US and many parts of the world it is very scary that people freely have weapons that can take away sacred precious life in an instant.
Sorry, mate; it's not possible. And in dangerous situations you're lucky to hit what you're aiming for anyway - no matter how well practised you are - because you're frightened.
And I've had lots of intensive training; I've practically lived on the ranges at some points in my military career.
Unless you're pretty much at point blank range, you cannot just 'shoot someone in the legs' on purpose. You always aim for the centre of the mass, otherwise you're probably going to miss.
Well, you're the man with experience. It just seems that surely there's training to overcome one's emotions, etc. I absolutely appreciate what can happen in the blink of an eye, but all the more reason for training specifically with those things in mind. Maybe I've just watched too many action movies.
This is absolutely amazing, though....
As my sister said the other day, there is a civil war going on in the US, it just the battlefield has changed. People are appropriately tired of being treated differently because of how they look, and because of the crimes of others that happen to look like them. Racism is blatant in the US, and at the forefront more now than at any other time since the civil rights movements. If there is any plus to Donald Trump's idiocy, it's that the issue is front and center on the table and we have a better idea of what we are dealing with. Of course, we still won't have any solutions through normal channels. The US seems in need of a revolution to level things out again.
If the military can break a man down and build him back up into what they need him to be to do that job, then surely we can do the same with people through more positive means. Being afraid is not an excuse for cops to behave badly and wantonly kill black people. And I don't care if they were committing crimes. A person should not lose their life for prowling in cars or stealing cigarettes. The reasons someone should be killed by cops should be few and far between and it should have far less frequently than it does now.
Well I previously worked as a police officer, it is a tough job. Not excusing the way some police behave but many people have an ignorant idea of what it's like to be in the job.
Firstly when we did firearms training we were always taught to shoot to kill. Because it is ridiculous to think you can shoot for the legs of a moving person with a pistol.
We watched a video at the academy of a person standing 10 metres away. He pulled a knife and stabbed the police officer in 3 seconds.
One drill we had to do to pass our firearms and tactical training was we had to run an obstinate course in full kit,
Then run up 4 flights of stairs. Deal with the unknown situation, "it was a guy with a knife in a tactical suit for me"
I had to wrestle the guy in this mock situation.
Then you have to run down into the firing range and fire at moving targets with your pistol. They put blockages in the guns that you have to deal with.
You are extremely fatigued, adrenaline coursing through, fine motor skills are down...
It's extremely hard.
Imagine the situation... You walk through a door. 10 metres away is a guy apparently on drugs. Suddenly he draws a knife and sprints at you. You have less than 3 seconds to react.
Is it a toy knife or real?
Do you attempt to fire the tazer?
If one probe doesn't connect you are dead.
Do you fire your gun? Who is around the target?
Is it safe to shoot?
Can we talk this guy down?
Remember you have less than three seconds.
It's very easy to sit in your arm chair and say what police should have done.
I'm not saying all actions are justified and that's why they have a police corruption investigation unit here.
People run police over in cars, they attack them with needles containing hepatitis, knives, often on drugs. They throw bottles, head butt etc...
Those people that harp on about shooting to wound should stop watching Hollywood,
Go to a range with a glock and try shoot a moving 10cm target 10 metres. Also to make it more realistic. Run up a few flights of stairs before you have 3 seconds to make the shot...
Not so easy in real life.
It's a hard job, with loads of responsibility. It does corrupt a few individuals, which is why the police are policed. Which is good.
But somebody has to do the job. You get all kinds of people doing all kinds of job.
I completely appreciate both @karasti's sentiments and @Earthninja and where you're coming from. But, I would say to keep in mind anyone who reads a news story and hears it on tv does have a limited picture of what happened. There are too many stories like this going on for the public to not seriously question what in blazes is going on within police departments and politics in general. When the public stops questioning events that stink and how it seems to be happening exponentially, then everyone lets go of what little influence they have and let martial law happen without a fight. There's never been a more stinky time here in the states.
Someone who charges at a cop is asking to be shot. I'll never argue that. I'd shoot someone charging at me or my children, too. I don't neglect to understand their job.
Someone running away is not the same threat as an armed, charging person, however. Neither is someone walking 30 feet away down a street lined with cops. Neither is someone who witnesses report was handcuffed and laying on the ground when he was shot (investigation is not done, we will find out who is telling the truth as video exists but has not been released to the public). One unarmed person killed by cops is too much. The number that we see is ridiculous and it needs to stop.
@Earthninja you're ignoring not just the black guys getting shot are the ones running toward the cop with a weapon in his hand. That's not the case and not the problem. No cop ever got in trouble for doing his job or where his life was genuinely threatened. It seems now, internal affairs is a joke and the police are not being policed. Between the police union and political protection, bad cops are not facing any consequences even when it's obvious from video evidence they and their buddies lied on their reports. So what's your solution to what needs to be done?
[1] Respectfully, some people may be stepping over certain boundaries and police actions may confuse them and that police coercion may make them unable just to roll over passively and follow every direction to satisfy the officer.
[2] A very large number of victims of lethal force are not "messing with a person with a gun." They are engaged in other activities such as walking down the street, trying to clarify things, or trying to get into a house when a law officer just opens fire —with hardly a second or two intervening.
Thanks, everyone, for all your comments.
The situation in the UK is very different. Not even close to ideal but the improvements are ongoing.
The other day I took out my camera to photograph a Buddha statue carrying a whiskey - posted in another thread. As I prepared the shot I noticed a traffic cop who was watching me. Because I sometimes look dubious/suspicious, she would be keeping a close eye on me. I had come across her before and she had used her body language to express dissaproval of me.
So now rather than a suspicious person 'casing the joint', I was a harmless eccentric taking camera rather than phone shots of Buddhas outside peoples houses. I saw her a little while later, now there was a recognition and almost impercetible smile. I am now designated 'mostly harmless' weirdo.
Next time I come across that cycle cop I may stop and chat. I like police ... (I really am weird).
The default mode of police is and has to be authority and suspicion BUT ideally courtesy. I treat them with respect and courtesy, they love that ...
Police profile and make racist, appearance based searches. @StingRay UK experience is not unusual. It is far harder to casually chat with them after such experiences ... However it may be possible ...
In US there seems no chance for dialogue. In the UK police are part of the community. They are here to serve. Iz plan.
Case in point, for the first time since 1871:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/02/us/armed-texans-celebrate-states-new-open-carry-status.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=photo-spot-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0
What in the world is happening in this insane country? Short-barreled AK47s being bandied about town by ????
Texas. Why am I not surprised? The State that Spawned the Bush clan, and that took Oprah Winfrey to court over disparaging allegations she made against the beef industry.
And they lost.
@lobster yes the UK police are more part of the community than the US police who seem to have the policy to kill first and don't ask questions later from a dead body.
I was thinking about this and one idea would be to arm police with guns that would knock out the person shot for 24 hours. This way the parents of the child shot would be identifying and collecting him then taking him home from a police cell instead of identifying him in a mortuary.
There are baton rounds which have been used in riot situations.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baton_round
There are also tasers, but those are very short-range.
Some years ago a police officer who was also a good friend very bluntly told me that many cops simply love being able to control and tell others what to do.
Not that easy. Non lethal weaponry is expensive, underdeveloped, open to potential misuse and often times ineffective and for example with tasers, potentially lethal.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonic_weapon
Maybe we need more dharma police chanting pro-actively?
@SpinyNorman I was thinking of a gun that could do everything the current guns do but instead of killing the person it would knock them out for 24 hours
I guess that would be like tranquilising darts. You wouldn't want to get one in the eye though.
I can only talk from Australian background. I'm not sure how other governments police the police.
I guess what we have to remember is we are dealing with humans here. Anybody can apply to join the police, how strict the entrance is, is up to each governing body.
There is a job, and different people fill the position.
You put those people in a high stress environment and give them guns, (because you have too, the bad guys have guns)
There will always be trouble. All the factors go into this.
Police training, police entry standards, bad guys on drugs, how many bad guys have guns and drugs... The country, society, environment they are in.
I really don't see a solution? Global consciousness waking up
?!
I'm just saying it's so easy to look at police as a whole and criticise and ostracise the police. But it's a damn tough job which needs people to do.
The only solution would be if there was no crime, we wouldn't need policing.
I do like the police carrying cameras/video recordings.
The bad police will get sprung, and other people can actually see the good police do.
Just an observation, interesting thread on a buddhist site.
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I wonder sometimes how cops (and everyone else) would solve conflicts without guns. I had that thought when I was at my son's college orientation and the community cop came in with his gun strapped on. It just seems so unnecessary
Obviously we can't make them all disappear (guns) unfortunately. But is it necessary for a cop to carry all the time? Even our community school officer who comes to read to the kindergartners carries his piece all the time. It seems really unnecessary for a cop coming to school to read to kids to carry a gun. It just sends such a conflicting message. Plus, someone with a gun doesn't make me feel more safe. Kids either. It makes them feel there is always a threat to fear and that it is necessary to be have someone with a gun to feel safe.
We live in a really small town (less than 3500 people) and the cops are people everyone knows, just like the rest of the people in town. But as cops, they are not part of the community. The become someone else when they are in their cop gear, and they segregate and separate themselves. They are never present at community events or anything else. There is no dialogue. The person you might chat with at the grocery store becomes someone else entirely when they are in cop-mode. I find that really unfortunate. It is a lost opportunity for them to see us as regular people, and us to see them as regular people. But I think that line is drawn intentionally. I can imagine it is much stronger in large communities.
The list of 'rules of engagement' are just getting too damn long...its ridiculous to assume such negative things about a person you don't even know.
I tell Kofi the basics....Don't wear a hoodie or any head covering when you leave the house. Don't be seen with more than 2 dudes...including riding in a car. Don't ever argue with an authority figure out on the street. You'll never win...do what they say, and we can have our say later on in court. Have a belt on and your pants pulled up...If you are the only brown one in the group, chances are you would be picked out and blame...so act accordingly. Don't bring attention to yourself....a Black man walks out the door with a strike against him....so...make up for that distance, son! hahaha. Do not use slang around everyone....learn the crowd....and you fit in, depending on how long of a season.
....anyway...the South has not been easy...I never thought I would raise my children here, but hey, sometimes the decisions are made for you.
Gangs are a problem here bec of no jobs. The economic situation here for young, Black men is a tough climb, to say the least. And all the community issues are falling on the Black women to deal with. That shit is overwhelming for anyone!
We got a new Mayor who swears he's going to take this on...but we'll see....Only the IRS could break up gangs...lololololol
I will say...from day one I never allowed even toy guns in my house. I never wanted the children to become desensitized to killing. The gun culture is a problem here. And it crosses all colors. The violence in the games that some of these young minds are doing for hours on any day can carry over IRL...I think. The mentality of being so comfortable with violence has certain social consequences, I also think.
It's disturbing to me that this emboldened part is so accepted as acceptable. As I've shared in the past, I am Native American and have spent a good deal of my life living on reservations. As a child, and adopting this way of dealing with others, my grandfather remarked, "You are human; aspire to become more than a rez dog."
For those to whom the phrase 'rez dog' holds no meaning - it is just one of a number of dogs who have become abandoned or neglected and wander the rez in various stages of wildness - some little more than wolves, some not much more wild than pets. Those who give them handouts are treated to a lick or a snuggle, those who throw rocks are treated to growls and the occasional bites. Much like these police you mention.
I'm sure I'll have more to say about this topic when I don't have sixty-five horses demanding their morning ministrations, but for now:
What I would like to see, and believe it will help tremendously, is for police to be required to carry liability insurance much like doctors malpractice insurance. Towns and cities would no longer be responsible for paying out exorbitant lawsuits due to police misconduct and high risk police officers and repeat offenders would discover that they could no longer be insured and therefore be out of a job.
There are just too many guns in America.
It appears the horses are going to wait...
Thank you very much for this. Being Native American and looking, at best, like a long-haired hippie white dude doesn't help much either.
There is another issue is in regards to your statement, 'if they did what the cop told them to do there wouldn't be a problem'. Many things the police tell you to do, you are not required to do. Many questions they ask you during a stop, not only are you not required to answer - but are even illegal for them to ask. For instance, questions such as, "Where are you headed?" are none of their business.
For someone who has not had prior poor experience with police will likely simply answer. Try telling a police officer that it is none of his business - phrase it as nicely as you like, you've just become suspicious. Now white woman or black man, by exercising your right to refuse to answer a question that you are under no obligation to answer, you're going to pay. Might be just a delay, might be more - but you've opened a can of worms. Why wouldn't you answer?
I could give you a dozen examples of where my willingness to answer questions took me down a road that ended poorly. Oftentimes it is just having to work through some anger as I'm being bullied, called a liar, etc., and putting up a boundary after you've begun answering questions leads to more suspicion than not answering any questions.
I agree wholeheartedly, but there is, I think, too much emphasis on being black here. Just being in a poor neighborhood, or one that is crime ridden will get you treated equally poorly.
Often, people from these neighborhood are accused of not cooperating with the police - and as a result, are often seen as complicit in the crimes. I'm one of those folks that won't help the police. The problems do not stop at the police. The entire criminal justice system is corrupt. For instance, we send people to prison as punishment - not to be punished. Yet, that is what happens - as most of you will probably remember, my wife did twenty-four years in prison. Punishment doesn't stop when you are sent to prison. That's double jeopardy. I would not help send anyone to a place where they can be beat, tortured, and raped - regardless of what they've done.
Lastly, because the horses have waited long enough, the Stanford Prison Experiment is on DVD for rent now. I'd really recommend it for anyone thinking about these types of things. Study after study have indicated that fully one third of police, prison guards, etc., enter the job as sadistic. This movie shows what happens to the other two thirds. People are not meant to have that much power over people - and when they do, they begin dehumanizing people. We worry about what violent video games do to young minds - but not what positions of power do to minds of all ages.