This is an interesting article I found while trying to find some statistics from the conversation with userque last night (I still haven't be able to find them). But it does bring an interesting perspective, and a perspective that doesn't entirely align with my position. But in the attempt to be honest and transparent, I wanted to bring it up. It has made me reconsider a bit of my thinking. A black police officer’s perspective Reactions to the week’s tragedies from four officers It's a long article, because it interviews 4 black police officers (some retired) and asks them their opinions on some topics. I'll not post the whole thing (you can browse it at your convenience). I'm just going to bring up some choice parts... TYRONE DODSON Dodson is a retired police officer who served with the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., for 29 years (1981-2010), mainly in specialized units. He worked in details with the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and went undercover with the FBI. He also served in the mayor’s detail in Washington, D.C., for seven years. On the death of Philando Castile: “The incident in Minnesota, it’s devastating. It looks like they didn’t try to give the guy any first aid or medical assistance. The kid was in the car when the guy got shot. The woman was in the car. Then they handcuffed her and put her in the back of a scout car with her kid in the back of the car. That was amazing. Unheard of. She didn’t do anything wrong. “I know how the officer felt. It was quite obvious. He was scared, and he overreacted. He stopped somebody for a broken taillight. He told him that he had a permit to carry a gun and had a gun on him. You either call for backup and wait or just tell him, ‘Keep your hands where I can see them’ or, ‘Take one hand and get your permit out.’ Those guys are just scared. The adrenaline is flowing and you overreact. A lot of those guys are scared of black people and they always think the worst: That a black man is gonna kill him or hurt him. It’s unfortunate.” I highlighted this particular area of the text because it was eye opening to me. Maybe you guys have thought of this before, but I'm not sure I gave it more than a cursory thought. His premise that the officer is scared and more to the point, scared from his overreaction is key. The officer knows he overreacted, this is why - right after the event - he keeps repeating the same thing over and over "I told him not to reach for the gun!" even though the guy didn't reach for the gun. The officer is clearly suffering from a traumatic event after the act and his mind is trying to make sense of it. I'm not forgiving his actions in the slightest. I'm just agreeing completely with the assessment that he was scared of what he had done. So lets look at why he did it, according to this peer's assessment (the interviewee). Officer Dodson (ret.) states that "a lot of those guys are scared of black people and they always think the worst." So here's a question I'd like to consider before proceeding. If you are afraid of black people (we can argue why an officer might be afraid of black people) does that make you racist? If your experience and training and upbringing, whatever, something has made you afraid of black people, does this make you inherently racist? If you are afraid of a lion, or afraid of a hurricane, or even if you are afraid of something normal people would say you shouldn't be afraid of (I dunno, clowns or something) does fear of something mean you are prejudiced against that something or that you are merely interested in self preservation and acting accordingly? We can argue whether being afraid of black people is or is not justified, but before we get there, is it racism in the sense of the word?
She brings up good points early and then goes off the rails when she says, so what if they're looting, burn it to the ground if that's what it takes to change the system. What this naive old leftist doesn't understand is the crazy elements of the movement only hear looting and burning it to the ground is okay. They have no interest in treatment centers and counseling, none, and she gives them a permission slip to continue the violence. Either naive to the point of abject stupidity,or remaining willfully ignorant of what the mob really wants. Either way, not qualified to be in any decision making position.
There are idiots who looted and vandalized and no one is celebrating that at all.... The protests are against racism and misuse of police force.
I agree and appreciate that. But this is what happens when the mob takes over. Protesters and activists should be forcefully against such actions.
Village People Kick Out Police Officer https://thehardtimes.net/culture/village-people-kick-out-police-officer/ Popular disco group the Village People announced they had severed ties with Victor Willis, better known as the Cop from the Village People, in the aftermath of yet another extrajudicial killing by police of an unarmed black person. “While it goes without saying the Village People support the Black Lives Matter movement, their appearance at last year’s Riot Fest should be a clear indicator on their views of the police state,” noted spokesperson Connie Hayes. “Accordingly, the group has informed Mister Willis that his services in the group were no longer needed. While he offered to take on a new persona, we felt his history as a cop disqualified from further participation with the group. ACAB.” The statement was met with mostly positive reactions, but some decried the perceived political correctness of the situation. “This is just another sad attempt by formerly relevant pop stars to pander to the PC police,” ranted right-wing blogger Matt Walsh. “As usual, the left has taken their assault on law enforcement and traditional ideals of manhood and masculinity to new levels. How sad that a group that promoted the traditional values of military service and the Young Men’s Christian Association has fallen prey to this new so-called ‘woke’ culture that we live in. Just shut up and let us enjoy your music during sporting events and wedding receptions.” Long-time fans of the group mostly concurred with the decision to remove Willis from the group. “Well, first of all, he was the only straight one in the group, so that was already a mark against him,” stated music journalist Jason Fitzpatrick. “I don’t know why any group affiliated with the LGBT movement would find police sexy anyway? Did people forget the constant raids on gay bars that led to Stonewall? Learn your history.” At press time, Fitzpatrick suggested replacing the cop with a firefighter, noting that “you don’t see calendars of cops with kittens.” (Yeah.... it's satire)