The Police

With all the events that have occurred in Ferguson Mo and New York City that deal with police using excessive force and the racism, I have been thinking a lot about this issue. More things come to mind than could ever be captured in this blog, but why not get some of them out.

I have come to the conclusion that for the most part if you deal with criminals and see the carnage that they bring on a day to day basis, you must either become conscience of what they can do to you, up to and including terminating your life, or you start to think that you have to demand respect and obedience from these people by whatever me,ans necessary. Yes there are good police, and bad police but I believe the majority of temp have become militarized in their thinking for policing the public. In other words you do exactly what I say, when I say it, or I will force you to respect my authority, regardless of the circumstances. The police have the upper hand on everyone. They can say that you resisted arrest (even if it is for no cause) or you were did not follow their instructions, making you disorderly.

In the 60's this was common place for African American men and that is why we always felt uncomfortable around the police. With the increase in crime and the fact that a large percentage of it is within the black community, this threat has escalated. While Michael Brown may have been a thug, it was not necessary for him to die at the hands of the police. The real reason he died was that he rejected the police authority to ask him to "get out of the street." Was this caused due to racism? Probably the aftermath had a lot to do with racism. But the main issue is that the police are scared, people of color are mad, and when those two come together the outcome is always bad.

The United States has a racial problem. Always has, since the pilgrims came to America and unfortunately always will. The question is how to make the racial divide as small as possible. Not only does America have a racial problem it also has a gun and violence problem. This too is deeply engrained in our society. The  second amendment gave America the right to bear arms. This was initially for the militia to protect the country from foreign countries and also to allow them to fight to acquire more land. We have always had guns and as the country grew, hand guns versus rifles/muskets were developed. These were to shoot people, not for hunting. In the wild, wild west everyone had a gun to protect themselves and their property. That didn't work out very well in a country that was supposed to be run by "laws". But now the gun lobbyist would have us believe that we should go back to that. Well the criminals have them and they use them to break the laws, and the police have had to gear up to keep up. John Q public also thinks they need to be strapped.

Our justice system is in compete disarray and for the most part is broken. It is still the best in the world, but due to the way it is being implemented we have the highest incarceration rate in the civilized world. And those that are the most disadvantaged are the ones that bear the brunt of this. The people of color are at the low end of the economic scale and at the high end of the jail cells. The only way to turn that around is the continue to try and level the playing field. The system will let a convicted murderer out, or a known repeat felon to commit more crimes, while at the same time will spend time trying to convict an African American women who shot into her ceiling to scare off her abusive boyfriend.

As I watch things on social media it is clear that the police are mad too. I see police excessive force not only with African Americans but also with Hispanics, women, and even some poor whites. We see police who are afraid and shoot children. I've seen police actually beat a suspect in a wheelchair, who could not possibly pose any threat. Those that have some mental problems are treated with disdain and many times brutalized. Yes there are police that risk their lives to protect people, but at the same time they also support those who use excessive force, because they know their fears.

Our country is at war. A war between the haves and the have nots, the police against the criminal. And there are those who believe what Spike Lee said, "Do the right thing", versus trying to set criminal laws for everything that occurs in society.  America is trying to forget "In God We Trust"