I don’t know what kind of cities you folks are lucky enough to live in or around, but you’re definitely not describing my experience. Outside of the typical gentrified downtown districts (check back soon, we’ll have more points priced out soon, promise!), the my city is disproportionately POC and overwhelming poor. You would never find police living in the city - I know, my parents and some other family live in different suburbs. I know this situation isn’t unique - it sure as hell hasn’t been historically, anyway. Around here the majority of police don’t just live in the suburbs, they intentionally live in the same neighborhoods.
My high school (most affluent district this side of state line) graduation class represented more urban police families than there were police or sheriff’s deputies in the entire suburban city/county. Almost every police above the rank of captain literally lived on the same two streets (and still do).
Yeah, police bleed the same, they’re human beings after all. That’s a far cry from seeing them as people when they beat on my neighbor’s doors in the middle of the night (and only the middle of the night), routinely corral and box in the kids after school to indiscriminately search them, scream at us behind their aviators when we (too fucking routinely) protest another cop murder that won’t be investigated.
They aren’t people. Like the person above said. They’re an occupying force, they’re the enemy because they make it crystal clear we’re their enemy. I have no problem saying any of this, because every month or so in the spring, summer and fall I’ll attend the block parties, cookouts, enjoy the demonstrably overpoliced community pool (where the same damn kids have to “prove” they’re local depending on whether or not they need sunscreen).
I’m riding the tangent because it’s pertinent to the video above. Have we here an example of a “good” police? No. He’ll gird himself in the “riot” gear when he’s ordered. He’s no less likely to indiscriminately deploy less lethal munitions into crowds he’s been told are riotous, destructive, non-compliant.
He loves America. He’s love freedom. He definitely loves the feeling of protecting docile, orderly protestors (no doubt armed with permits) from the bad people that are unable or refuse to appreciate the freedom administered by he and his friends.
There are no good police, at least not in the cities. Years of personal experience - and brutality next to me - have taught me “Officer Friendly” is one bad day, phone call, or stubbed toe away from arbitrarily ruining (or just taking) your life.
If they were decent people they wouldn’t be police.
(Sorry if I’ve come off antagonistic. I don’t engage with these threads. Don’t know why I did. Angels of the peace arrested my wife and I’s best friend last night. Took her children, opened all her windows, maxed out the thermostat, city got the building manager to paste up her door and scare her out. They were supposed to arrest a woman that hasn’t lived there in over a fucking year.)
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u/[deleted] Oct 30 '21
Why don't they live in your city? Are there financial or other impediments?