When it comes to hate there are many Americans that are suffering for a lack of full protections because local clans and good old boy's pervert the law to bank in their and their friends/members benefit. We have now seen this in multiple places and situations. While we know this is immoral and won't work on a national level, there are many people who are taking care "of their own" through racial and religious affiliations that lead to two different systems of justice.
(The official may function some of the time but the unofficial functions much less most of the time. None of it is all the time either way! Roll your dice.)
Even when behaviors are clearly against the law, such individuals are given protracted rights to commit certain behaviors even when they are beyond a reasonable doubt intended to cause harm. Not to mention the bigots, racists and blind hate supporters within their networks that pushed, encourage, and supported such behaviors as long as the right targets were selected (While they may or may not be a small fraction of the group, some took the liberty and free hand offered to them.).
(Lets not to sugar coat bad behaviors because parts of the local system don't feel its a concern and has shown more than once willing to shield these poor behaviors. In the long run, there will be a level of accountability, but that comes from the wider system understanding the dangers such hidden networks present. Its not 100% fact because nothing ever is. Its just more likely to be true than the opposite perspectives because there is support for these beliefs.)
Of course there is nothing wrong with group targeting as long as you accept the hate narrative that "those people" are the problem and feel a sense of kinship with the individuals causing the issues (or have rewarded themselves through illegal/false behaviors already. Embarrassment that they have to be in the same community people they deem of less value then themselves, enrichment from past behaviors, and financial incentives for current behaviors.). When a department, It looks like some members, not to detract from the other members, accept that narrative because they want to support their clan and friend network in a way that makes the local system less trustworthy (Its important to maintain trust in institutions. I honestly cannot say I 100% trust that department and only partially trust the other ones because they are more community based in focus and did eventually correct. Time will build that trust through personal relationships and interaction. That being said, that is the same process of engagement needed throughout the nation. Another opportunity to find solutions.). One might argue such networks can be dangerous under the right circumstances! (You don't need to have a political agenda to know when something is untrustworthy. What is helpful is to encourage positive change. Yes, way way too many free passes, deaf ears, and misuse of authority but at the end of the day we cannot have two entities functioning parallel just because we put the wrong people in positions in which they didn't have the developmental level to handle in the first place.)
That creates a moral hazard. Free passes are not free they are "proof in pudding" arguments that there are certain characteristics of certain networks and their willingness to misuse local institutions as personal extensions of clan enforcement and rules (The values of the country or good moral conscious doesn't touch those who did, those who promote, and those who look in the other direction to hate. One of the best case scenarios includes strengthening internal controls and fixing the department so it functions properly without the influence of the "super cool").
While people lie, while local systems can be compromised, while a lack of remorse is often forthcoming we should push to turn corruption and poor values into an opportunity to fix the system in a way that makes it safe for everyone (I say that as a conservative. The values of human life is a deeper conservative value higher when compared to all the blind buttons one's fingers can press to get a promotion and develop their political careers. It moves beyond the "first to throw" stones argument. Something many people seem to forget when claiming their moral superiority unchained from external rewards. Its that mustard seed of integrity thing that haunts their words!)
It makes little difference if I'm right or wrong, in some ways the targets will always be the targets, and those closest to the perpetrators will cling to a wrong assumption, and a distorted soul, just because they are "expected to.". At least until we have made a commitment to a universal democracy where all people's are valued, promotion is based on merit contribution and not some subjective, misused, overplayed, and inherently defunct ideology of racial, religious or clan rules.
Should the laws change? I think they should always focus on the higher order thinking that is often associated with the bigger picture approach (over the horizon). Do I think our leaders will change? "That depends on whether they view the simple majority of Americans as having value and ensuring they have protections under the Constitution as well. " Most of them do believe in fair treatment but have dragged their feet for a few hundred years now and I think they need to pass something that enforces the essential laws of the land when fundamental root values are intentionally violated.
What I'm advocating for is people to stand boldly against hate and stand for higher moral principles in their decision making. It is about pushing the system upward. The system is starting to change in positive ways and this is a good time for police and the public to think about how they are going to rectify and go forward as a single entity. While much darkness and injustice has occurred through the sheer misuse of legitimate authority we do have an opportunity to develop as a nation through brutal honesty and clarity of purpose. My concern is more about fixing then punishing the ignorance of the past (Yet it is what it is and they own the outcomes regardless of whether they can see flaws in themselves or not. Me, I have so many flaws I stopped counting them. Yet....I try.).
For me, I will be polite, engaging, visible, help my community, support my values, and ensure my Black kids can go anywhere they want regardless of what this hate network and supporters believe (My moral justifications for standing against hate supersede the moral justifications of clan support. I should note that not everyone in that group is a hate supporter. Most just want to be liked so they are afraid to stand up to their leadership. Even when they know they are wrong, they don't have the maturity or integrity to stand for a higher principle beyond themselves. I can accept mental health issues as the root of the perpetrators behavior and their need to get help Other then that, it looks like solid indication of a good old boy network corruption that has become "normalized" among those associated. btw...they are already forgiven but that isn't the full answer for the victims to forgive the perpetrators. I have every right not to forget what I saw and the inability of some members of local institutions to uphold wider values beyond their network. The ultimate goal for me since the beginning is to help them help themselves before they lash out to damage other's in society. If they get themselves in trouble, that is not my issue, that is theirs of which they own. The ability to ensure this group never acts that way to me, my kids, other minorities or anyone else in the community no matter how entitled they feel is important for long term health.) What I won't do is sugar coat bad behaviors because that creates a danger for everyone. Not something many of our leadership have been concerned about in the past. It is starting to look like the only "reasonable" path forward is to cure the disease.
Do you know why some people become crooked and corrupt? In high social pressure to be "better than" and close association between some officials and clan members is distorting their values and encouraging behaviors that are not prosocial in orientation (not the hang out together prosocial behaviors. 💁). We all must adapt whether we like it or not. Consider an article on Culture and Corruption.
Let us wait and see what happens. Are they going to require reform or just "get rid of the problem"? While I'm an optimist my suspicion is on the later because that is often how such entities function (Whether misusing legitimate authority or working in the shadow market works to enforce unwritten rules. People might wonder if I'm afraid? While I always hedge my bets when it comes to immoral and corrupt behavior I will say that I accept that risks as part of leaving something behind for the next generation. Something many of our leaders are struggling to understand. button press, button press, argue, argue, fail to resolve even when the option to ignore is coming to a national close. I hate to be bold, and general don't like it, but its their duty to resolve these issue to keep the republic healthy.....beyond the party affiliations.). Laws are often universally written but subjectively applied. The next generation will have the ability to tell the difference. No matter what, at the end of the day we must make a choice between hate (lies, dishonesty, distortion, corruption, etc..) and freedom (truth, light, honest, justice, fairness, respect for life, etc.)? Its that simple.....or is it?
Let us recognize there is a lot to this story but in the end there are differences between right and wrong. All systems must be able to understand that on a very fundamental level and adjust to maintain trust of their population. Its just part of the process of first world governance (unless we swear loyalties to third world racial, religious, and clan identities.). I have faith while I will likely continue to be targeted, that things will eventually change and they will do so for the best of everyone involved.
P.S. even those who should not be involved I'm not upset that much with. I'm more concerned that they tried, that they violated lots of rules, and they maintain the risk even though they are well aware they were wrong. Reforming that department will help improve it so that it can catch more bad guys/gals but know the difference between a criminal and someone with a different race, lifestyle, or religion that feel jealous about or don't like in "their community" "Our Community".
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