Update on Hate (07/27/2023): Supporting Police and Supporting Reform Are the Same

The Declaration of Independence
1818
John Trumbull

For most of my life I pretty much always thought police wanted to do the right thing and protect the public. The vast majority of them still do and that is why I give the profession its due respect. I have even helped police out in many cases because it is our general duty as society to maintain safe streets in which we all can thrive. However, in recent years I have seen clan based systems persist and then distort the intent, purpose and public trust of policing. 

No matter what, these guys are going to hate me. I'm part of the second class citizen group (Those that don't belong to a narrow sliver of ethnocentric and overentitled fellow Americans.). Not everywhere am I treated that way, but here I'm the target because I witnessed a level of corruption, defended myself/family from one of their clan leaders, then a large group of clan affiliates, and in turn told them the truth "Not all police are bad, but the clan based system that developed in the backrooms of departments and social clubs is immoral, bankrupt and inherently dangerous". 

I get it! I'm the outlier who didn't fit within their preexisting notions of who is and who is not allowed in "their town". It makes no difference if my historical branches supersede theirs (much like this clan network views Native Americans in the area). It would appear to be somewhat a true statement that their concern is having unchecked power of the community and not the greater purpose of policing (They work for us, we do not work for them. If we do, our democracy is done because we made the switch to autocracy. Freedom House has some good information on the dangers of autocracy. HERE.)

What I encourage our fellow Americans to do is politely and peaceable ask our leaders to care enough about the majority of society and the policing/justice institution to consider the following:

(Just FYI in case your the ideological kind. I'm a light R with lots of liberal friends. It means that I look at things more rationally then your average politician. I'm not all R and I'm not all L. I choose things based on their moral conscious and practicality. I'm like the vast majority of American's whose voice gets drowned out by selfish others. P.S. I'm also not a politician and for the most part think I've lost interest in it once I saw how destructive it can be in the past few years.) 

1.) Strengthen the ability of police to catch bad guys/gals who harm our communities. When it comes to crime there should be no racial, religious, or ideological differences in policing and outcomes. When good cops do good stuff we should encourage them to set the cultural expectations so as to crowd out the ethnic-religious clan based networks (These groups that often have ethnocentric far right/left ideological leanings are third world in orientation. Every nation that fell did so on dissolution of institutional trust.). We want good people to stay and we want bad apples to leave so as to make the profession attractive to the best and brightest this country can raise.

2.) Ensure civil rights are the 110% and policing 100% to maintain democratic balance. That should also include easy to find complaint forms on their webpages, do not go directly back to the departments without being vetted first, and when there appears to be racial/religious aggressions it is reported to State and Federal Authorities. i.e. paper trail that helps uncover illegal activities and would be difficult to ignore if proficient and repeated (Must of the bad behavior is shadow behaviors designed to avoid detection. The community has eyes and can report these behaviors if they know they won't be retaliated against. In this case, it appears they retaliated.)

3.) Start listening to their stakeholders and not pander to the hyper political structure. It is much more honorable being voted out of office doing the right thing then to sell your soul for the wrong thing. Makes no differences if you are Democrat or Republican. Our Constitution and the freedom of our people should always outweigh the needs of the smaller group of movers and shakers. We are managing a whole society to live free, happy, and productive with the best lives we can. They are not here to support someone else's lifestyle. Conversation should float up and down freely to maintain a proper national course.

 (There is a nice poem I wrote a decade ago on protecting our freedoms from generation to generation. Haiku: Eagles Eggs  Patriotism is a deeper connection to the essential truths of our way of life. A citizens we should be good people and help each other. We always advance our collective goals.).

*This article is obviously fictitious and is meant for general learning. We know it could never, ever, ever happen! If it did, we would correct it right away! Feel free to click off and enjoy the rest of your day. "bigotry is the disease of ignorance, of morbid minds; enthusiasm of the free and buoyant. education & free discussion are the antidotes of both." Thomas Jefferson to John Adams, August 1, 1816