07-08-2016, 01:06 PM
(07-08-2016, 12:56 PM)Belsnickel Wrote: I like playing devil's advocate, so this conversation interests me. But some of this is coming from people I know. It is concerning to me because this language is, and should be, disturbing. The mindset of some people is that the police, overall, not just the ones that have been involved, are the enemy of their people and that any cop is an armed combatant and should be treated as such.
I've been talking about this for the past few years, as far back as the old board. I've continued to find it odd that the media frequently gives credence to the idea that LEO's need to change their behavior because of a statistically insignificant number of incidents and bad actors. Yet if you made the same argument about why blacks are disproportionately committing homicides you'd be instantly called out for painting an entire group with a huge brush.[/quote]
Quote:I wish I were joking about this mindset, but people I have known for years have said things like this recently. They believe the police are acting out what the state wants because of the lack of punishment. The hyperbole coming from politicians and media plays the largest role in this, I have no doubt about this. But this type of justification is what some people are using, albeit a very small minority at this time.
I also agree it's a small minority, unfortunately the loudest voices get the most attention. My interactions with the public continue to be cordial over all but there is a lot more of an initial barrier to rational interaction than there used to be.
Quote:In all seriousness, though, this is what an armed insurrection looks like in the beginning stages. And that concerns me because violence only begets violence. I want us to find a solution to calm the waters instead of churning them, which is what is happening.
A few good solutions would be to stop treating LEO's as a monolithic group whenever a potentially bad shooting occurs. Another good solution would be for everyone to withhold their comments until all the facts are known (right GMDabo?). Please believe me when I tell you that we've been through endless training on subjects related to this, action is being taken on the law enforcement end. Finally, it would also be useful if we stopped conflating actual bad shootings with justified ones.
