Matt Taibbi: The Police in America Are Becoming Illegitimate
great article;
excerpt
But the psychic impact of these (Broken Window) policies on the massive pool of everyone else in the target neighborhoods is a rising sense of being seriously pissed off. They're tired of being manhandled and searched once a week or more for riding bikes the wrong way down the sidewalk (about 25,000 summonses a year here in New York), smoking in the wrong spot, selling loosies, or just "obstructing pedestrian traffic," a.k.a. walking while black.
This policy of constantly badgering people for trifles generates bloodcurdling anger in "hot spot" neighborhoods with industrial efficiency. And then something like the Garner case happens and it all comes into relief. Six armed police officers tackling and killing a man for selling a 75-cent cigarette.
That was economic regulation turned lethal, a situation made all the more ridiculous by the fact that we no longer prosecute the countless serious economic crimes committed in this same city. A ferry ride away from Staten Island, on Wall Street, the pure unmolested freedom to fleece whoever you want is considered the sacred birthright of every rake with a briefcase.
Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-police-in-america-are-becoming-illegitimate-20141205#ixzz3L49Ir9VA
unrepentant progress
(611 posts)ellenrr
(3,864 posts)unrepentant progress
(611 posts)It does seem a little tame for Taibbi's style.
enough
(13,237 posts)Not criticizing his usual work, just encouraging people to look at the whole article.
frazzled
(18,402 posts)This is not about "the police badgering people for trifles," Matt. It's about race. But you don't really seem to care about raceor you would have known that policing in black communities or with respect to black people outside of their communities (ever hear of DWB?) has been devastatingly unjust for many decades.
So he reverts to his "credit default swaps vs. loosies" argument. Sadly, the issue is that selling credit default swaps wasn't strictly illegal. It's a problem of laws, not "police." Besides, that would be an SEC action, not one for policemen. And furthermore, this is not about you: it's about race.
I'll say it again: it's about race.
Write an article that tackles the issue of race.
thesquanderer
(11,955 posts)As other threads have indicated, non-blacks have been victims of this stuff, too. Presumably not as much nor in as many ways (especially in proportion to their total numbers), but this police contempt is not strictly a race thing.
For example, see the thread at http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025914695 and especially read the linked original article.
frazzled
(18,402 posts)We can always find a few examples to divert our attention from the main story. But sorry, it's about race. 95 times out of 100 it's about race.
thesquanderer
(11,955 posts)Sounds like an emotional response rather than a reasoned one, unless you have actual figures.
Did you read the article at the link? To the part where there were other examples? How about this post, which showed up just a few hours ago...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014958712
But we won't get anywhere going tragedy vs. tragedy. And again, I agree that there is a significant racial component! I just don't think it's the whole story. There have been plenty of nightmare cop stories, and the victim isn't always black.Remember not long ago, there was a lot of talk about cops sexually assaulting women? The bad cop mentality goes beyond racial boundaries. It ALL has to end.
dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)when there is so much lawlessness from down in this country.
Unless you video tape a police murder..THEN they pile "justice" on you.
LiberalElite
(14,691 posts)they're a menace. That being said, I bet no cops in the swanky so-called Silk Stocking District (Upper East Side, Manhattan) tickets the preppies for riding their 10 speeds the wrong way.