Ongoing U.S Police Brutality and Corruption Discussion Thread

I mostly know good humans. None of them are cops. Therefore no humans are cops.

joining the police should require extremely robust mental health/empathy screening is probably the first step

apologies in advance for pro wrestling content outside of ILW but

I’m a former police officer. I joined the force because I believed the only real way to bring change to policing is from within. I remember being told “empathy will get you killed.” No, lack of empathy allows you to kill. We have to change policing from within. #GeorgeFloyd

— Mustafa Ali / Adeel Alam (@AliWWE) May 27, 2020

xps I meant "gun" more like as a shorthand for "the permission to use force."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nr1WwyKDFQs

Sorry I think that was questionably sourced. Not sure what the real deal but he isn't an FBI agent.

my counter was that a lot of ppl who are fine, decent humans when joining the force become violent, reprehensible assholes after spending some time as a cop.

― A True White Kid that can Jump (Granny Dainger), Monday, June 1, 2020 12:03 PM (forty-four minutes ago)

we could argue over and post links to articles about what % of cops start out as decent people and what % began as sociopathic bullies but ... this is true. It's a structural issue. There is an us vs. them mentality. When your job is (supposedly) dealing with preventing bad people from doing bad things, there is a tendency to see only the bad in people and the bad things they are capable of doing.

I think this is related to industrialization and the professionalization of various social roles. (not saying we need to go back to some pseudo-utopian agrarian society or whatever) ... the concept of specialization ... the worker as cog, the cop as cog in the repressive state apparatus, but because they identify with copness, because they are full-time cops, and their material support comes from that identity and affiliation.

https://www.wfla.com/news/national/george-floyd-died-of-asphyxia-family-ordered-autopsy-says/

Performed by Michael Baden and Allecia Wilson. Baden did the Eric Garner autopsy as well.

xp to sarahell otm

for awhile my friend had to deal with prosecuting fraud for his job at music supply/instrument company. even that bittered him on ppl in general; everyone was a scammer, trying to pull one over on him.

my brain is mushy from three straight days of militaristic sounding cop noise ... but the other night this whole specialization / professionalization thing really stood out for me, as I watched this white guy in a truck, who I'd thought was an undercover cop, just sit and watch people loot the 7-11 across the street for about 30 minutes. ... Then I realized he was just the head of security for the Whole Foods on the other side of the street, and dealing with looters and the 7-11 wasn't his job. His job was to protect the sanctity of Whole Foods, and anything other than that, dude didn't have to do jackshit.

I had an ex-colleague that joined the police with that "reform from the inside' mindset. He lasted a few months, said the task was completely impossible and he could feel the negative energy creeping in. He didn't say he thought he would become like them, but that their energy vastly outmatched his (and he was an energetic fighter type)

in summary, the books and articles about replacing the current police department structure in US cities with alternative structures are otm and that is the most likely way that this problem could be effectively dealt with

...which of course means most of the US will go in the complete opposite direction

sarahell otm

My uncle was a good cop doing important detective work, and joined the Minneapolis police in 1964. Because he was film-star good looking and had a way with communication, they sent him to work in Morals. He was witness to many harrowing things at work - homicide, human trafficking, abuse cases, evil pimps and gangsters - and he never fired a weapon on the job. He helped journalists get stories about police corruption and spoke up when he disagreed with the direction of travel. Once, he had the ACLU’s lawyers defend him from a suspension for criticising his chief in public. He developed victim restitution schemes still used today. Outside of work he was an environmental conservationist who liked to hunt and fish, who raised endangered waterfowl species from chicks to repopulate lakes, marshes and woodlands. Of course he internalised a lot of the things he saw on duty and wound up drinking himself to death. That was 25 years ago; I miss him and his daughter, my best cousin who died in February. I can’t imagine the level of heartbreak both would have over what’s happening. And although I had no idea which politicians won his vote (he never said because he had to work with whoever won without favour) I know he’d be appalled by 45, because he called ‘80s Donnie a dope. That was his ultimate insult.

nobody cares

Oh, and he was born and raised in the city of Minneapolis. As a married family man, he only lived a mile from the city line.

literally any cop who thinks like that now is either dead, fired, or retired

Fuck you, sleeve.

I'm fucking out for a while, removing bookmark

thanks for your one millionth personal bragging session, great input

xpost That clip of the (probably not FBI) guy getting IDd by the police is also apparently a year or two old.

louisville police chief fired

Is it true that in some US states you can become a cop after only 6 months of training? In here you have to go through 3 year police school to become one, with psychological screening etc. Not saying that Finnish cops are that great, there's plenty of racism and fascist tendencies among them, something that I've come across personally in demonstrations throughout the years... But it would seem that a longer, more rigorous training would at least weed out some of the worst cases before they can become cops?

My uncle was a million times the person you are and I included his story to underline how the job can poison good people to death, especially the ones who wish to serve the entire public. If that comes off as bragging, that’s a you problem.

Reports of looting all over the north side and north suburbs of Chicago this afternoon. According to what I've read on Twitter so far, they are pretty much all really well coordinated and over very quickly, often the same make and model cars being described at the scenes.

avg police training is 5 mos I think

suzy, that's how I interpreted your post too, thanks. sleeve, fuck you.

uhhhh https://t.co/CpEDqBcIX9 pic.twitter.com/dboAwMeAZ1

— Josh Fruhlinger (@jfruh) June 1, 2020

I know it is a rare honor, but I say this with all sincerity, fuck you sleeve.

so any thoughts on the new independent autopsy?

My only thought about the autopsy is worry considering it directly contradicts the bullshit "official" county medical examiners report, which apparently said some vile nonsense to the effect of "he wasn't strangulated/asphyxiated it was heart problems" or some similar nonsense. The last time Michael Baden was hired during the Eric Garner killing his findings agreed with those of the NYC Medical Examiner's office (that Garner was choked to death in a homicide)... and that still didn't convince the grand jury to indict the cop that killed him!! He kept his job for 5 more years until the DOJ finally brought criminal charges against him just last year! And apparently Minnesota's 3rd degree murder statute makes it harder to prove culpability beyond reasonable doubt?

it should help to counter the ridiculous narrative floated by the Hennepin county medical examiner that hinted at mysterious other causes, including non-existent drugs for which no evidence was offered. the problem is that false narratives get adopted and believed by people who want them to be true, so the examiner's report has already done much of its damage.

The previous coroner report still placed blame on the cop though, it was just less direct (restraint plus co-morbidities) whereas this one places direct blame on the cop and might support a murder 2 charge instead

Actually I got that wrong, the DOJ didn't do anything, it was only until a NYPD disciplinary hearing held just last year that the cop who killed Garner was finally fired. At least Chauvin is already out of a job in this situation... hopefully he'll be behind bars forever at the end of all this. And yea I was hoping and wondering if the independent autopsy's findings would support a higher criminal charge than just 3rd degree and manslaughter anyway.

Yes, the way that was written up by Hennepin dude was designed to lead a reader in a particular direction. Besides which, George Floyd may not have known about any of his own medical conditions - what 46-year-old man with work in the hospitality industry would be in the doctor’s office checking that out?

Things are apparently getting active in the inner western burbs again. Area that was hit yesterday getting shut down now, local businesses closer to me closing early. Even our vet. I expect another curfew.

I shouldn't pile on here, but that's just who I am right now. Sleeve, pull that again and get banned. Take a long, hard look in the mirror.

new info

pic.twitter.com/faQy2EAEjW

— Rochelle Olson (@rochelleolson) June 1, 2020

xpost - yeah, I'm hearing that all the grocery stores around us have been closed.

Ahh note "neck compression", which, while not asphyxiation, is not something the Prosecutors included in the charging statement, despite it being present in the report. They just let it fall under the "restrained by the police" umbrella.

i was not expecting malaria to be a danger at stalingrad

the only ppl who care about what any autopsy says are ppl whose "thoughts on the matter" s/b ignored anyway

Supposed to be 90 tomorrow, that should help things.

A national guard officer just walked through the Sunset/Laurel protest with this sign, to massive applause. pic.twitter.com/wrSXDGWlxZ

— Julia Wick (@sherlyholmes) June 1, 2020

Those good cops photo-ops are starting to get on my nerves.

Also, insane how that cop's attire is barely distinguishable from my mental picture of regular US soldiers.

National Guard are not cops.

Also, insane how that cop's attire is barely distinguishable from my mental picture of regular US soldiers.

hopefully my idiocy will bring levity in these hard times