zekko
Master Don Juan
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- Aug 6, 2009
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Anyone else notice how many women are out there protesting? I think in a lot of footage, I see more young white females protesting than any other group.
Another thing I saw, I think it was in LA. There were curfews that were mostly ignored, but it was after midnight and there was a small group of stragglers still out. I got the impression they actually wanted to be arrested for breaking curfew, and they seemed somewhat satisfied and content when it actually happened. I'm sure they were probably released later without charges. But I think some of these people want to become lightweight martyrs somehow. Not to actually be killed, but be able to say hey I was arrested because I was out there supporting a cause and creating equality and justice.
Of course a lot of that money is just paying the officers, not only pay but benefits - insurance, pensions, etc.
The thing about this case is that it's so flagrant and obscene, everyone can see what happened was plainly wrong. In some of the cases that have been held up in the past as examples of police/racial injustice, some of those didn't look so cut and dry.
Another thing I saw, I think it was in LA. There were curfews that were mostly ignored, but it was after midnight and there was a small group of stragglers still out. I got the impression they actually wanted to be arrested for breaking curfew, and they seemed somewhat satisfied and content when it actually happened. I'm sure they were probably released later without charges. But I think some of these people want to become lightweight martyrs somehow. Not to actually be killed, but be able to say hey I was arrested because I was out there supporting a cause and creating equality and justice.
From what I understand, one of the things that Black Lives Matter (the organization, not the saying) wants is something called #Defundthepolice. Or others call it "Care, not cuffs". They want to divert money from police departments (they cost a lot of money in budgets) to social programs. My first impression when I heard that was that it was the craziest thing I ever heard. But after thinking about it a bit, maybe it's not such a bad idea. Especially if you couple it with what you suggest, decriminalizing some of the more "victimless" crimes, and let the police focus on the more serious matters. But there are times when we do need police, no matter how much some may dislike them, so I would want to see this gone about very carefully.My belief is that decriminalizing drugs and prostitution would go a long way toward giving cops time to pursue more serious crimes, while keeping a lot of minorities out of long term prison sentences.
Of course a lot of that money is just paying the officers, not only pay but benefits - insurance, pensions, etc.
I think the police officers' job, what they do is impossible. So I don't want to see them all vilified, it's unfair. And there will be accidental deaths in what they do, there simply isn't any way to avoid it. So another such incident is going to happen. I don't want to see the country burned down when it does, because more people are going to get hurt and killed in the ensuing rioting than in whatever hot button incident touches it off. We can do what we can to avoid it, but a lot of those measures have already been taken. I think the real key is some sort of reform in the process that holds police accountable.Police are under a lot of pressure and should be allowed to make mistakes, but I don't see what Chauvin and his confederates did as a split-second mistake.
The thing about this case is that it's so flagrant and obscene, everyone can see what happened was plainly wrong. In some of the cases that have been held up in the past as examples of police/racial injustice, some of those didn't look so cut and dry.