[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by 72lions

You are, of course, exactly right, but this is the villages, home to 100k+ white privileged (don’t read rich or hard working) elders. I was taught to respect authority, although the 60s did influence that. Police, like most, are very fine individuals. Unfortunately, most now come from brief stints in the military with combat training. Many have a desire to wear a uniform, shoot a gun and feel more superior than their position warrants. This attitude is encouraged by training and culture (the blue line).

We are racists. Some more than others, but racist nonetheless. Just a few days ago, a mentor at the charter school was walking around the school waiting for her student to be let out. Sure enough, the police showed up demanding to know her reason for being there.

A few years ago, my Johns Hopkins educated son-in-law, a world class triathlete, was training in our village. A neighbor warned me noting that he had called the SCSO asking for increased patrols. Oh yes, my son-in-law’s family hails from Barbados and thus is dark skinned.

If all you watched were Fox News, you would believe there is only rioting and looting. The truth is almost all local demonstrators are peaceful. Those few agitators should obviously be the subject of police action, but repeatedly the law and order mentality, with all the training and firepower takes over.

Finally, the tragic death of a black man just released from the hospital naked on the streets was not treated like the mentally disturbed person he was but like some wild, vicious animal. Despite having been subdued and handcuffed, he was hooded, his head pressed against the pavement. It is exactly for these interactions that the poorly named Defund Police movement is designed to address. Trained social workers rather than trained police would have gandered this encounter differently.

Let’s support law enforcement while not tolerating police abuse of power. We can do both.

That is correct about many things, Mr. 72. It is unfortunate that the "defund the Police" slogan was initially started as a rally cry. The thing to do is to improve the Police by lowering the power of Police unions and not allowing the "BAD" cops to just relocate to another city or state. Police are better trained in Europe and they have MUCH greater success in deescalating situations. I continue to believe that Police should carry one pistol with lead bullets and one with rubber bullets (it could be made lightweight). Mr Blake could have been shot and brought to his knees by a RUBBER bullet hitting him as he came around the front of his car. Why not experiment with the carry of rubber bullets? It could POTENTIALLY de-esculate Many, Many situations. And as a famous person once said, "What have you got to lose?"