The specific history of police forces varied in all American cities, but since they were facing similar problems in repressing urban workers and the poor, they all tended to converge on similar institutional solutions. The Southern experience also reinforces the point that was already clear in the North: Anti-Black racism was built into American police work from the very first day.
A long consideration of the history of the police: http://worxintheory.wordpress.com/2014/12/07/origins-of-the-police/
― one way street, Monday, 8 December 2014 19:11 (nine years ago) link
http://gawker.com/unarmed-people-of-color-killed-by-police-1999-2014-1666672349
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 8 December 2014 19:34 (nine years ago) link
Was just reading that. I've had to absent myself from Facebook recently, because a very, very good friend of mine, who I've known for 25 years and was best man at my wedding, is a cop. He's been in law enforcement his entire adult life, and is the chief of police in a small--ish Ohio city known for its annual twins convention. And even though he should know better, he's very "Thin Blue Line" and closing ranks and all that. The day after the Garner grand jury announcement he posted, "I feel like I'm being painted with a very broad brush," and I feel like a complete coward for not commenting, amongst all his cop friends, "IMAGINE HOW BLACK PEOPLE FEEL."
We were out together at a bar the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and another of his friends, a firefighter, was there as well. They were watching the Ferguson coverage on TV, and his friend referred to the protestors as "imbeciles." My friend praised the prosecutor for "coming to exactly the right decision and laying out logically and exactly how and why." Again, I wanted to say, "If the county prosecutor treated a case your office sent him like this prosecutor did this case you'd be outraged." But I didn't.
I guess I am part of the problem.
― Οὖτις Δαυ & τηε Κνιγητσ (Phil D.), Monday, 8 December 2014 19:51 (nine years ago) link
it sounds to me like at some point you want to make your feelings clear to your cop friend, so it's harder for him to think it's "them" "persecuting" him.
― things lose meaning over time (Dr Morbius), Monday, 8 December 2014 20:10 (nine years ago) link
Ugh. So sorry. My wife has a cop cousin or something and has gotten very "cops deserve to be able to protect themselves and go home to their families" a few times during all of this.
― how's life, Monday, 8 December 2014 20:11 (nine years ago) link
my dad ran a police academy in SE missouri so he has definitely sided with the police on this one
― ya'll are the ones who don't know things (Karl Malone), Monday, 8 December 2014 20:30 (nine years ago) link
xxp yeah, I really want to have a conversation with him about it, but at a time when he's not surrounded by other cops. Several years ago his force lost an officer in a shooting -- the only one in the history of the force -- so it's only strengthened his "us" v. "them" feelings.
― Οὖτις Δαυ & τηε Κνιγητσ (Phil D.), Monday, 8 December 2014 20:43 (nine years ago) link
Is "them" just criminals in general?
― Evan, Monday, 8 December 2014 21:25 (nine years ago) link
"them" = "not cops, especially brown not-cops"
― the farakhan of gg (DJP), Monday, 8 December 2014 21:26 (nine years ago) link
If that's true, then he's holding that brush ("I feel like I'm being painted with a very broad brush")
― Evan, Monday, 8 December 2014 21:27 (nine years ago) link
you will never pierce dude's veil of self-righteousness, is my cynical guess
― Οὖτις, Monday, 8 December 2014 21:31 (nine years ago) link
DJP has it right. It goes without saying that the community where he is chief is about 80% white. (Compared to my city, which is about 40% white.)
― Οὖτις Δαυ & τηε Κνιγητσ (Phil D.), Tuesday, 9 December 2014 13:17 (nine years ago) link
interesting.
http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2014/12/at_eric_garner_protests_some_whites_behaving_badly.php?page=2
― RAP GAME SHANI DAVIS (Raymond Cummings), Wednesday, 10 December 2014 01:56 (nine years ago) link
the (basically always white) guys / occasionally women at protests looking to actively agitate against passersby and engage the cops with preemptive hostility are the worst. you want to shake them and say 'you're not helping'.
― a stupid red mute juggalo (forksclovetofu), Wednesday, 10 December 2014 02:06 (nine years ago) link
i saw one of those in dc friday--turned out to be an undercover.
― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Wednesday, 10 December 2014 05:07 (nine years ago) link
~~plainclothes~~ and "in character" if you prefer
And theres that too yes
― a stupid red mute juggalo (forksclovetofu), Wednesday, 10 December 2014 05:14 (nine years ago) link
whaaaaaaaaaat
― $0.00 Butter sauce only. No marinara. (Sufjan Grafton), Wednesday, 10 December 2014 05:53 (nine years ago) link
that's what they do, SOP
― some kind of terrible IDM with guitars (sleeve), Wednesday, 10 December 2014 05:58 (nine years ago) link
http://www.wmur.com/news/police-man-arrested-after-shooting-bb-gun-at-officers/28219706
― 龜, Wednesday, 10 December 2014 12:43 (nine years ago) link
misleading URL
― the farakhan of gg (DJP), Wednesday, 10 December 2014 14:06 (nine years ago) link
police man
― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Wednesday, 10 December 2014 15:52 (nine years ago) link
if this war gonna start ur gonna need more than a bb gun
― Bringing the mosh (Jimmy The Mod Awaits The Return Of His Beloved), Wednesday, 10 December 2014 15:55 (nine years ago) link
^^^yup
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 10 December 2014 16:47 (nine years ago) link
whaaaaaaaaaat― $0.00 Butter sauce only. No marinara. (Sufjan Grafton), Wednesday, December 10, 2014 5:53 AM (15 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― $0.00 Butter sauce only. No marinara. (Sufjan Grafton), Wednesday, December 10, 2014 5:53 AM (15 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
i actually thought this was sarcasm at first--DC sends undercovers into any and all developing protest groups within the city. some friends outed one & sued her.
http://wamu.org/news/13/08/28/dc_police_defend_use_of_undercover_police_officer_to_infiltrate_labor_group
― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Wednesday, 10 December 2014 21:41 (nine years ago) link
oh it's not just DC
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 10 December 2014 21:42 (nine years ago) link
oh for sure, i just mean i've seen it firsthand here.
...'any and all' is kind of overkill, but new groups making a splash get undercovers quickly. they used to be easy to pick out ("spot the crew cut"), but they're getting better. the dude i saw last fri looked like he belonged, it was his behavior that tipped me off.
― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Wednesday, 10 December 2014 21:44 (nine years ago) link
was he like "hey man do you have any connections to the more radical and violent elements of this protest movement, and/or do you want to help me get everyone to riot?"
― ya'll are the ones who don't know things (Karl Malone), Wednesday, 10 December 2014 21:48 (nine years ago) link
I was sincerely shocked by this. It feels like something out of Brooklyn 99.
― $0.00 Butter sauce only. No marinara. (Sufjan Grafton), Wednesday, 10 December 2014 21:59 (nine years ago) link
this has been SOP for decades - since at least the 60s - and I wouldn't be at all surprised if it dates back further than that to the big labor struggles of the early 20th century
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 10 December 2014 22:00 (nine years ago) link
Panthers were riddled with agent provocateurs etc.
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 10 December 2014 22:01 (nine years ago) link
2004 GOP Convention: The New York Times has also reported on two occasions that the police videotaped and infiltrated protests, as well as acting as agents provocateurs during the protests.
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 10 December 2014 22:03 (nine years ago) link
plainclothes cops infiltrating a large protest group to monitor it is one thing and somewhat understandable, but then actively agitating false flag style to discredit it is so loathsome
― anonanon, Wednesday, 10 December 2014 22:03 (nine years ago) link
we were relatively scattered along the block--waiting for enough of our folks to arrive to block the intersection. i headed over to one corner where a small crowd was gathering and saw a guy i thought was a livestreamer i knew. when i said 'hey whats up' and he turned to me i realized he was someone else. guy i'd never seen before. within a few minutes i noticed he was making a concerted effort to ask the names of everyone arriving in the group, without giving his own name. between learning people's names he was hollering at no one in particular LET'S SHUT THIS SHIT DOWWWWN. WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR, LET'S TAKE THE STREET.
we weren't ready. we didn't have a large enough crowd. LET'S FUCK UP THIS TRAFFIC GUYS COME ON
after another 15 minutes or so the crowd had grown enough to take the intersection. we did a die in. i stood up, and he was gone. got names, made transparently bad suggestions very loudly, and disappeared once we actually got moving--that smelled like cop to me.
― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Wednesday, 10 December 2014 22:03 (nine years ago) link
he was also a larger middle aged white guy which, tbqh, you don't see very many of at a rush hour blockade against police brutality on a weekday.
― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Wednesday, 10 December 2014 22:05 (nine years ago) link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COINTELPRO
it's not science fiction, it's history
― some kind of terrible IDM with guitars (sleeve), Wednesday, 10 December 2014 22:06 (nine years ago) link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandon_Darby
― gbx, Wednesday, 10 December 2014 22:06 (nine years ago) link
by "history" I mean of course "stuff that really happened and is still really happening today"
― some kind of terrible IDM with guitars (sleeve), Wednesday, 10 December 2014 22:08 (nine years ago) link
plainclothes cops infiltrating a large protest group to monitor it is one thing and somewhat understandable, but then actively agitating false flag style to discredit it is so loathsome― anonanon, Wednesday, December 10, 2014 2:03 PM (4 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― anonanon, Wednesday, December 10, 2014 2:03 PM (4 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
yeah, this is what got me.
― $0.00 Butter sauce only. No marinara. (Sufjan Grafton), Wednesday, 10 December 2014 22:11 (nine years ago) link
btw even the fuckin darbyrat thinks the garner decision was incomprehensible
― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Wednesday, 10 December 2014 22:11 (nine years ago) link
clear video evidence really does preempt reflexive reactionary handwaving and excuse making
unless you are a staten island grand jury member apparently
― anonanon, Wednesday, 10 December 2014 22:20 (nine years ago) link
http://i.imgur.com/q98KASr.jpg
― 龜, Wednesday, 10 December 2014 22:34 (nine years ago) link
http://jerriblank.com/tammi110.jpg"anybody know where I can get some big, fat doobies?"
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 10 December 2014 22:40 (nine years ago) link
https://twitter.com/notapoliceman
― 龜, Wednesday, 10 December 2014 22:41 (nine years ago) link
^dying
― RAP GAME SHANI DAVIS (Raymond Cummings), Thursday, 11 December 2014 01:38 (nine years ago) link
best
― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Thursday, 11 December 2014 02:39 (nine years ago) link
http://i.imgur.com/tRFa5Tb.png
― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Thursday, 11 December 2014 18:45 (nine years ago) link
man idk if I would have the wherewithal to take a picture of a cop pointing a gun at me
― Οὖτις, Thursday, 11 December 2014 18:48 (nine years ago) link
yeah that's terrifying.
― ya'll are the ones who don't know things (Karl Malone), Thursday, 11 December 2014 18:48 (nine years ago) link
Is that cop holding his fucking gun sideways?
― Οὖτις Δαυ & τηε Κνιγητσ (Phil D.), Thursday, 11 December 2014 18:49 (nine years ago) link