Saturday, May 20, 2023

Police Reform is Neither All Good Or All Bad! How do you feel about what I'm saying?

The clan based justice system exists and where it resides the laws become increasingly subjective in their application. I'm like many other Republicans in that I do not support extremism but I do know some that do (It is not necessarily party specific as it's not central to either Democrat or Republican ideology. Its an add on.). I encourage systems that can be improved to move along that line of improvement. 

A problem arises when the clan based justice system supersedes our official laws and systems. No voting, no elections, no solutions or accountability. The essential danger of clan based systems is that extremism is more common in such groups and there are incentives to work outside the official law. When these are racially and religiously based perceptions it is in direct contrast to our national laws.

Even after the sacking of our capital we struggle with extremism. I don't believe it just disappeared magically, it just sort of went in the background again because of national level accountability. I know people who were inadvertent victims of a clan based system and I believe that obtaining justice for them is difficult if not impossible. There are direct and indirect victims to poor behavior. 

What allows these systems to exist? We are in a cultural transition in our country and politicians have politicized the police. To many, they are either all good or all bad. Police reform is also seen as either all good or all bad. While I might believe 80% are good and 20% have issues, likely the same for departments, this is seen a ludicrous conjecture in our current political discussion. This is where we know that politics doesn't always reflect actuality in life.

If I say many times our system functions well but sometimes it doesn't function well people sort of get confused. I might further add that there are many people who are complaining about injustices and concerned about the ethnic, racial, religious based crimes. We should consider their point of view when talking about ways to make policing and the justice system function at a higher level. I can also say there many great officers doing the right thing and they have empathy and positive interactions with different communities. 

(I'm not actually talking out of both sides of my mouth but talking about human nature. No one is all good or all bad. This is why I'm not necessarily looking to put people in jail. However, there were a few who caused the problem and few acted upon false information in a dangerous and illegal way so to me I believe that intentionally destructive, biased, and problematic behavior should not be encourage or given a free pass.)

What you will find is that reasonableness is often not part of the discussion. It doesn't hype people. Clan based justice systems can grow and challenge official systems when they lack accountability. We have seen this in other countries and places. We are not immune to that problem in the U.S.. To improve we will need to recognize the problem, care about our oaths and citizens, and then act on that in a way that solves and rectifies the problem. That is what politics is for....its for solving problems....not hiding them.  

This is my perspective and it makes no difference how many times I'm followed or how many laws are broken in that mad rush to cleans ones community. I support our police more than many of our politicians may understand or know. More than some of our local police know. In my life I have helped police at various times; even at great personal risk. Likewise, I'm helping them now correct a deficiency where close association has come to make inappropriate behaviors acceptable. This is again at personal risk that corruption will succeed.

However, when officers go rogue and act on what appears to be bigoted assumptions and clan affiliation, I believe very much they need some level of behavior modification. Supporting police is about making the best, strongest, fairest system we can in order to have justice- its purpose! It isn't about circumventing justice or providing free passes for intentionally damaging behavior of close associates and friends. It isn't about saying things to get votes or hype people up into different camps even when we are all in the same campground.

I don't know what your beliefs are but I got the impression that certain people can't talk freely without becoming targets in some areas. A type of stifling of intellectuals and legitimate suggestions for improvement.

Freedom of Religion and Freedom of Speech is America. Its our Constitution and the only one in which almost all of us agree upon. Without that, we have little to nothing that holds us together. Let us not play games with that which binds us into a single identity. Both sides should respect our long term national needs. I don't see myself stopping in my effort to encourage accountability and I don't see them stopping targeting to stifle common sense/reasonable changes. What becomes of it all is proof in the pudding. 

While I might say police, and likely departments, are mostly good but have some issues I'm not being silly, immature, or anti-police. I'm pro-police, pro civil rights and pro institution adaptation to make it better and ensure they are serving their mission and protecting the public. To assume it doesn't need to change as in "all perfect" perception or to assume all officers are bigots "all bad" is not the right way to think about the issue and its inherently manipulative in its proposition. It does get votes! 

(Some emotional charging is beneficial for getting the message to sink in. Not everything I write is useless or not thought out. Its an encoding system we use in our brain so it help package information. Except when its an excuse to target, that is more dangerous and shows subconscious bias. More dangerous if there may be some levels of corruption involved. You acted on your bias, you own it! Ask yourself how angry or happy you are that I'm saying what I'm saying? Emotional priming depends on the degree of conscious experience)

Consider....

15 Black And White Thinking Examples

Convergent vs. divergent thinking: Finding the right balance for creative problem solving

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