DUmmy Mythsaje is still in search of a place on the DU Greatest Page, the key to selling thousands of his vanity-published fantasy tales. Since the jug-eared Kenyan sent the coded signal to his supporters that it's open season on the "stupid" cops, cop-bashing posts are much in vogue on
DU, even more than usual. Of course, supporters of the Kenyan, most of whom have multiple arrests in their pasts, were never big contributors to the Policeman's Benevolent Association in the first place.
Mythsaje (1000+ posts) Sun Jul-26-09 02:26 PM
Original message
So, I take it that the police apologists don't want to talk about the real issue...
The "good" police refuse to deal with the "bad" ones in their midst, often turning a blind eye toward behavior that, in any other occupation, would usually result in termination if not criminal charges. When we criticize them as a group for not only ignoring, but tolerating and covering up for bad behavior, we're called "Cop Haters." When we talk about rampant racism, the militarization of police, the inequities of the drug war and it's connection to the prison/industrial complex.
This is SUCH an important topic (not that we don't have several right now) because it's about time we decided what we and will not tolerate from our law enforcement community. Since taking the wrong tack might open us up to the accusation of being "soft on crime" (and you have NO idea how sick I am of the humanity-impaired members of the community always being given the ability to frame the argument) maybe we should, as a group, discuss what we believe to be inside and outside the realm of tolerance.
All steps must be taken to end the systemic racism, the power-tripping, and other behaviors by our armed civil servants that reduce the communication between them and the rest of us. As long as the police see themselves as somehow separate from the public as a whole, and as long as the public feels the same way, the kind of animosity we've seen here is just going to continue.
I'd go so far as to insist that all officers be recorded during any interaction with a citizen in the course of his or her duties. It would protect everyone concerned.
I'd like to know why the pro-police contingent here refuses to discuss these things. I know they're here, given some of the commentary on the police racism threads. You don't like us talking trash about the police? How about you join us in insisting that THEY start separating themselves from the bad seeds among them.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x6154794Fumesucker (1000+ posts) Sun Jul-26-09 02:37 PM
Response to Reply #2
5. All you really have to do is show us the cops who are whistle blowers..
We all know that there are bad cops out there, cops are as human as anyone else and there will be both good and bad ones.
But cops blowing the whistle on other cops for acting beyond their authority is apparently a very rare occurrence, it's so rare as to be quite remarkable when it happens.
DUmmy Fumesucker is risking banishment with his freeper-like statement "cops are as human as anyone else".
Mz Pip (1000+ posts) Sun Jul-26-09 02:36 PM
Response to Original message
3. This is not limited to police
Maybe there is some desire to protect one's own but I've seen this in other professions as well. Teachers protecting bad teachers, doctors protecting bad doctors, lawyers protecting bad lawyers, politicians protecting bad politicians. Business people protecting bad business practices.
Some of it is probably based on fear of being ostracized by your peers, of being labeled a 'snitch.'
Is it right? No. But I don't really see it changing.
Down with all professions!
Fumesucker (1000+ posts) Sun Jul-26-09 02:38 PM
Response to Reply #3
6. But police are unique in having vast powers over ordinary citizens..
The power of life and death actually.
And they are also sworn to uphold the law, laws which many cops break on a routine basis.
Flaneur (380 posts) Sun Jul-26-09 02:36 PM
Response to Original message
4. Yes. Let's pretend we don't have an institutional problem with policing.
Everything's hunky-dory, just a few bad apples, never mind that heavily armed, masked, armor-wearing goon in the corner.
Kid Dynamite (180 posts) Sun Jul-26-09 02:47 PM
Response to Reply #4
8. I am very disappointed in the OPs lack of
clarity on this point.
Racial profiling, as just ONE example, is hardly dependent on any good cop/bad cop disparity. It is simply an understood part of the job. Those who disagree? Fine, explain to me the US prison population in any other way.
The US prison population is made up of criminals. Does that explanation count?
DUmmy Mythsaje started this little bonfire, then deserted it, just as he fled franksolich's frosted windowpane in the depth of the Nebraska winter. He probably ran off to work on another bestseller. Like this:
Not alive! A shudder of pure atavistic fear ran up his legs and his back,
centering like a single spike where the pistol barrel bore against the back
of his skull.
A hand cold as a corpse’s wrapped around and flowed across his abdomen,
slowly sliding upward and across his chest. “You’re a full meal deal,â€
the male murmured softly. “A bubbling cauldron of electric tea waiting to
be tapped.â€
He saw the boy grin, saw the white gleaming fangs glistening wetly at the
corners of his mouth. “We could feed on him for years,†he told the
woman. “We can’t kill him—he can’t even get the disease. His masters
couldn’t have given us a better gift. The blood of an immortal. Forever.â€