Quote:
Originally Posted by Adder
It's almost (mainly?) universally true that the police start the violence. Obviously, they start it when a young man ends up dead for running from the cops. But more directly they start it when they form battle lines and brandish their clubs. Especially when they do so after shutting transit and telling a bunch of kids to go home.
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And yet, when people riot it reinforces the view that the police are the thin blue line protecting the rest of society -- a view that FOX et all jump all over, with only the slightest hint (ack! cough! choke!) of racial overtones (gasp! hurl!).
We are due for a fundamental restructuring of law enforcement in this country. The legacy of the high-crime years is that the police behave, and are trained to behave, like an occupying army. One that has the support of courts and politicians to protect them, and one that exploits the occupied territory to finance itself. Police beatings and murder, ridiculous use of civil forfeitures and fines, white police forces in black communities.... these are all of a piece.
I fear we are not up to the task of changing this, without a few more widespread riots to fuel the need.
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