General News Yet another black man brutalized and killed by police...when will it stop?

The sad thing is that there are people that see these cops as heroes. The police union in Kenosha, Wisconsin put up a billboard with a smiling officer with his K-9 unit saying, "Thank you for all your support" referencing an officer who'd been put on leave pending an investigation after he shot and killed two unarmed civilians in the span of a week.

 

This is the symptom of many things, namely the systemic poverty, poor schools, lack of opportunity, and the sense of hopelessness and anger this kind of inequality engenders. And it has been sparked by decades of violent, ham-fisted police tactics.

It feels pretty tense here, right now; businesses are closing early, 10 PM curfew, fires looting on the East and West sides and other areas...I have a feeling this is gonna get worse before it gets better. I've wondered since I moved here if something might spark riots in a city that never recovered from the ones in the 1960s.

Also, ever since 9/11, the Police have become like a military force, with military style weapons and tactics. It's a sad state when even reporters are getting arrested and beaten by these thugs.

 

I would rather not quote such a cliche, but it fits too well:

"With great power comes great responsibility."​

I have spoken before about how I was surrounded by medical professionals growing up and there was a number of years in which I planned to become an anesthesiologist, who are essentially number one in terms of great responsibility in the medical community.

Malpractice in the medical community can strip away your credentials, rob you of all of your assets, and even land you in prison. This includes accidents and lapses of judgment. Considering the amount of stress that comes with constantly having people lives in your hands, it is unfortunate that a misstep could cause so much damage; however, it doesn't change the fact that you have lives in your hands. It doesn't change the fact that you sought out this career and were appointed with the expectation that you could carry it out effectively. There is a difference between respect and glorification. Viewing officers, soldiers, surgeons, etc, as heros is perfectly fine, but we should never forget that they are less capable of being flawed than the rest of us.

 

As someone who is in healthcare, this is always possible. You live with this, because you know it's more important to do your best and care for the people you are meant to care for.

This post also made me think of how we must not label EVERY officer as bad. There is a percentage of police officers that has shown themselves to be terrible. They should not be in power and should not, and I repeat, not be in the position they are.

However, there are just as many wonderful officers out there. I'm not sure how we can separate this, but I hope we can pinpoint the problems and figure out how to bring peace!

 

yaaaas. :eusa_clap Hopefully it will happen. Hopefully those good officers can help somehow, bc no matter your profession you know who the local a**hole is. I'm sure they know who the problems are their departments.

IDK if anyone has ever seen the movie "Crash?" It says so much about racism and it's cyclical nature. No matter the group/people, you can't paint with a broad brush- generalizing leads to so much ignorance.

 

Prejudice is not the issue. Bad apples are not the issue. The issue is the complete lack of accountability that exists in the American justice system. There will always be people who hold hate, discriminate, and enact violence. There will always be people who rape and harass. There will always be criminals and there will certainly always be malice in the world.

People aren't outraged in these situations because they believe every officer is racist. They are outraged because they do not live in a society that handles all deaths equally under the law. In a society where we have stop asking the question of who shot an African American, who raped a woman, who assaulted a gender minority, but rather whether they deserved their fate? Whether they looked or acted a certain way? Whether these crimes even deserve trials?

The statements of "not all _____" are so tiring on these subjects. It is no mystery that some people are racist and some people are not. No one is shocked. No one is surprised. No one cares. People begin to care when these perceptions, stereotypes, prejudices, etc, lead to the loss of lives and the concept of justice is not even considered in the eyes of authorities.

 

Yes, the police should be accountable, and any police involved shooting, beating, or any other crime should be investigated, and if it is found the officers violated the law, or even just a policy of their department, they should be prosecuted. It does not matter what race the of the person, or the officer, they should all be treated equally. I agree that many police officers, and maybe some departments, tend to make things up overreaching their authority, and that needs to stop.

At the same time, those who are throwing rocks at officers, burning buildings, destroying police cars, etc. are not protesters, they are criminals. This violence, vandalism, arson, assault, and other crimes are just that, crimes, and the mobs that are carrying them out should also be arrested, and prosecuted. The Mayor of Baltimore who stated they were giving room to those who want to destroy, also is guilty of giving the green light to the vandalism and should be prosecuted too.

 

You should go back and read the whole statement by the mayor. It's pretty clear that she was not "giving the green light", in context.

 

America: the country where foetuses and corporations are people, but everyone who isn't white, straight, male, cisgender, non disabled and upper to middle class aren't.

---------- Post added 28th Apr 2015 at 06:16 PM ----------

More importantly, why do all these discussions on racism, sexism ect always end up like this. Why do people feel the need to do this. Why do they feed the need to say: "Not all police officers kill black people/are racist" "Not all men rape/are sexist." Shut up. We KNOW that not all policemen kill black people, we know that not all men rape. But the fact still stands, lots of black people die at the hands of the police. The vast majority of rapes are committed by men. Saying not all x just distracts attention from the actual problem that needs to be fixed.

 

It's unfortunate that it had to turn to rioting. Rioting only causes more people to sympathize with the police and less people to sympathize with the initial victim. It's sad that people think destroying their city is some kind of "solution".

 

I find these hype stories annoying!!! Another American died at the hands of the police!!! How many whites, gays, Jews, Spanish, Chinese, Or whatever get needlessly killed by the police here in the United States each day? I am afraid I will never live in a America where we are simply Americans... The American people who were proud to be american were the WWII generation. So what is the real problem? It seems the modern Police can live above the law like drive 100 mph chasing nobody in a police car, enter your home without a warrant or permission, steal your property while the citizen is unconscious in a totaled car, and god knows what else. I have witnessed the 100 mph cop, and had my home invaded without warrant, and had my shoes, American Express Blue Card, and also a $3,200.00 Gucci watch stolen off my wrist last year alone all by the police. Getting hung-up about race keeps Americans focused on the wrong issue! That is one issue, but the big issue is abuse of power over Joe Citizen happening here in the United States.... June

 

There's a lot of stupidity on both sides.

 

Yet, there are not a lot of untried crimes on both sides.

 

Let's see if the people are tried for the crimes they commit during these riots.

 

And how many murderous cops have been even tried for their crimes, much less convicted?

 

i think my English teacher was right when she said that its too bad we are in 2015 and people are still racist you think they are not but its just hidden so they are not called out on it she was right

 

It certainly is, cause it is very likely to be extremely counterproductive.

I don't think that anyone thinks that destroying the city is a solution. They are angry, and IMVAO rightfully so, and when you're angry with no hope people lash out.

 

Apparently, having a badge gives you the right to do anything you want without repercussion (much like with mafia made men).

 

You wouldn't be speaking of the near hundred that have been arrested since this began, nor the over forty that were arrested last night alone?

People are being arrested by the hour and people will continue to be arrested. No one is advocating for the use of force to retaliate here, but lets not delude ourselves with this "everyone gets away with violence/everyone is guilty" ignorance.