This piece is...whoo boy...something. It's an amalgamation of police whining that the protesters have hurt their feelings and in some cases bruised them physically. Let's take this doozy of a quote:
“Law enforcement is the only profession where you get rocks, bricks and molotov cocktails thrown at you merely because you’re in the same chosen profession as someone else who did something horribly wrong thousands of miles away,” said Steven Casstevens, head of the International Association of Chiefs of Police. “I can’t believe that’s where we are. Aren’t we better than that as a country?”
I mean is there anyone outside the White House with less awareness of the moment that Mr. Casstevens? Yeah. Being a cop is a choice. Being black in this country isn't. And yet the members that Mr. Casstevens wants us to feel sorry for have a clearly established record of targeting and killing African Americans. George Floyd was the breaking point, but the list of names is very, very long and in fact includes thousands lost to time. That Mr. Casstevens can turn around and say, "Don't judge us because Chauvin was wrong..." WTF do you think African Americans are saying? They are routinely seen as threats and a menace to public safety, which is why the police harass and kill them in such disproportionate numbers.
There is no doubt in my mind that while there are a great many credible, competent police officers in this country, the job appeals to people with an authoritarian bent. They want to be revered. They want the badge to imbue them with honor and a place of prestige. And they will brook no lippy college student or African American impinging on their "authoritah." Those men have responded to the protests with a combination of anger and fear that has created a straight line to violence.
How about this one:
“Stop treating us like animals and thugs and start treating us with some respect,” New York police union leader Mike O’Meara demanded angrily at a news conference on Tuesday. “We’ve been left out of the conversation. We’ve been vilified. It’s disgusting.”
Again, they seem to be cloaking themselves as an aggrieved minority. Are they unaware of using the language that they use against African Americans? They must be aware, and they just don't give a shit.
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