Given That Courts Support Qualified Immunity, It's Time For Govts To Dismantle Police Depts.

[ancianita]

No more white supremacists in blue uniform. No more "back the blue" murders. No more stigmatizing and threatening the lives of 1A protesters and their allies.

Restore justice, peace and tranquility.


It's Time To Start Dismantling One Of The Nation's Oldest Racist Institutions: Law Enforcement

Those opposed to defunding police departments (that's most police officials and officers) say it can't be done without ushering in a criminal apocalypse. Police departments demand an inordinate amount of most cities' budgets but law enforcement officials refuse to agree money should be steered away from them even as cities prepare to redirect some calls cops normally handle to other city services.

Cops believe they're the "thin blue line" between order and chaos. They believe they're the only thing standing between good people and criminals. But that's just something they say to make themselves feel better about the babysitting and clerical work that consumes most of their working hours. Josie Duffy Rice's excellent article about the long racist history of American law enforcement brings the receipts. What's standing between us and supposed chaos is barely anything at all...

Charleston resident Henry Earl becoming a late night talk show punchline and the subject of nationwide ridicule. Earl was arrested more than 1,500 times -- almost always for public intoxication. Every two or three days, cops would pick up Earl and toss him in jail for three to five days. This happened over and over again for fifty years. And for what? What was the societal net gain of arresting the same man 1,500 times for a low-level violation? Well, it kept the cops paid and they got to look like they were doing something to earn their paychecks.

This is how the "thin blue line" actually operates. And it bears no resemblance to the lofty statements they make in defense of their own profession. Most police work is busywork. But in this nation, the busywork tends to negatively affect certain people the most...

Strip down police departments. Make all police re-apply. Include background -- social media and policing records -- checks. Local governments must make all police EARN qualified immunity status.

Two more links on the story of Charleston's Henry Earl and his 1,500 arrests:

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20200825/20283045184/time-to-start-dismantling-one-nations-oldest-racist-institutions-law-enforcement.shtml?fbclid=IwAR3fkONTsHZkHDbjnaiXYnVOlePrcQY6qjm7zrvlkCfvSwF28jFnb3njeB8

https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2020/08/the-abolition-movement


No more white power sickness.

[Javaman]

1. want to fix police depts?

1) no longer allow the police to lie legally.

2) the police person must state a clear reason for why they want to search you and if you say no, they walk the fuck away (you know, the old 4th amendment)

3) if they are looking for a suspect, they must say, "we are looking for a suspect and he/she looks like this" and not just because you happen to fall within their eye line.

4) no more choke holds or knees on backs. period.

5) de-fund at least 1/4 of all police depts budgets and put it towards public services for mental heath training, eval and treatment.

6) expanding on #5, expand or created (in some instances) a dept of non-violent negotiators who, without time constraints are allowed to resolve situations peacefully and quietly.

7) expanding on #5 again, properly staff public health services and pay them as much as cops.

we need to step the fuck back, way back, from the militarization of our police depts. Ex-vets who apply to be police officers must go through extensive background checks plus psych evals and observations, if they are deems to pose a threat or can't pass the psych threat, they are then required to go through ptsd therapy. That is what is required if they sign up to be a cop.

this is just for starters. add more if you like

[ancianita]

2. Kinda works for me. I'd just put it all in a different order. Defund first. Sort out New Rules later

Thank you for your post.

[Alacritous Crier]

3. +1 Good stuff!

Spot on!

[crickets]

4. K&R for the post and the discussion.