Why are people so down on Policemen?

[qwertyMike]

Who ya gonna call when __________________ fill in the blanks.

[notadmblnd]

1. Ghost busters

People are down on police since they've become quasi military. When they decided everyone was guilty of something and that it is them against us.

[nosmokes]

76. Add to that insufficient psychological testing, the tendency to act w/ violence

when they have a sitch under control and have the ability to wait,profiling,lack of sense of proportion,quickness to elevate force used, attitude problems,abuse of power, willingness to cover for corrupt cops over protecting innocent civilians,

[nevergiveup]

2. Because

a certain percentage of them are jerks. It is true with all professions but when it is a police officer it is more troubling.

[saigon68]

50. Especially when they have guns

And kill innocent people.

They are mostly primitive, suspicious, low mentally functioning Thugs and Hoodlums.

I saw my share of their criminal behavior as they beat up and assaulted numerous anti-war protesters.

One I knew ONE that was on a SWAT team used to revel in the Fact and told me so----

That when you wear BLUE you have to "KISS ASS"

But when you wear BLACK you get to "KICK ASS"

[Gabi Hayes]

3. Who ya gonna call when you want somebody to arrest you in your own house, then

lie about the pertinent facts about it, then drop the charges when they realize that they CAN'T charge you in that state for the offense for which they charged you?

that sort of thing?

[Strong Atheist]

18. !

:rofl:

:popcorn:

[Ignis]

61. Ghostbusters can't help ya there!

:rofl:

[EFerrari]

57. LOL

[Inchworm]

70. LoL

:thumbsup:

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

4. Who are you going to call when racist cops drag black people out of their homes?

The "good" cops?

[qwertyMike]

81. What racist cops.

Gates profiled the cop.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

85. Crowley.

Crowley and his defenders are racists.

[qwertyMike]

99. OK

[Gabi Hayes]

5. you're certainly not going to call the cops who framed Rolando Cruz, are you?

but then, you might.

or the prosecutors, for that matter.

[Critters2]

29. Saw the interview the other night, where he was in tears.

They've FINALLY brought Dugan to justice. But the cops and prosecutors got off scott-free. God, that makes me mad!

[MercutioATC]

6. Because 1) this is an internet forum, and 2) this is DU.

People on internet forums are free to make asinine blanket statements based on their prejudices and not be called on it as they would be in a face-to-face conversation.

...and DU, while a font of creativity, has never been known for its logical thought or levelheadedness.

[Fumesucker]

15. "Sitting on this bar stool talking like a damn fool"

-Styx

Not exactly strictly an internet phenomenon..

[MercutioATC]

20. True...many seem to have "too much time on their hands".

I still stand by my mini-analysis.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

21. Just watch it -

you finally posted something with which I heartily agree, and that, I believe, is one of the signs of the impending Apocalypse.

Take shelter.......................

:thumbsup:

[MercutioATC]

38. That has happened a couple of times. It's unsettling, I agree.

We're all doomed!

:)

[Tangerine LaBamba]

65. Yes, I know -

There's medication we can take for this, I suspect, but I'm just reckless enough to want to follow this one and see what happens next.

Just - you know - watch it..............

:hi:

[qwertyMike]

56. Thank you

[Tangerine LaBamba]

63. No -

thank YOU.

Opening up a topic like that in this heated environment took brass ones, and LaBamba is a great big fan of brass ones.

(Did you just see the press conference held by Crowley? He's terrific. Handled the press far better than most politicians, came across as smart and composed, and never lost control of the process. It was mightily impressive, and it signals to me that America, like Crowley and Gates, can put the unpleasantness behind us and try to make something constructive and positive about it all. Very encouraging, and very inspiring...........)

[qwertyMike]

93. It didn't take brass ones

it took common sense.

I really fear for DU with this knee-jerk reaction.

Isn't it even remotely possible that Gates was a fucking jerk, and that the cop reacted with restraint?

Isn't just possible that Crowley is the kind of guy who would coach baseball?

Isn't just possible that Gates is an asshole?

I wouldn't have gone to the whitehouse if I was the cop . . . . excapt to get a glipmse of Michelle :)

[Tangerine LaBamba]

98. How about this?

Why is it unacceptable for some DUers for other DUers to have an opinion about an event that is different from theirs?

What is so threatening to them that they feel the need to attack, to call names, to turn a kind of ugly that is stomach-turning?

Why can they not practice the kind of tolerance they demand for their opinions?

When did they become vicious, narrow-minded, intolerant grubs?

I still have no opinion on what happened that day, since I know I'm never going to know all the facts. It has, though, provoked all sorts of set-in-concrete beliefs here in some folks, and those beliefs have been used to pound on those who dare not to agree with them.

If you're not a cop-hater, you're a freeper troll, and you deserve what you get - seems to be the thinking on the part of a group that is decidedly unappealing.

Nice atmosphere for a liberal/progressive website. The KKK is cruising DU these days, looking for hints................................

[qwertyMike]

80. Thank you

[EFerrari]

35. You don't read DU very closely, do you?

DU is consistently on the right side of these cases, i.e., on the side that eventually turns out to be the closest to what happened.

[MercutioATC]

45. Need I say more?

In the interest of abiding by DU rules and not "calling out another DUer", I won't point out that my post was especially true of certain posters.

[EFerrari]

46. You don't need to say more, apparently you need to read more. n/t

[MercutioATC]

49. :)

[Tangerine LaBamba]

69. As I said above,

let's eschew the meds, and follow this one to see where it goes.

Nice turn, deftly handled - I am properly impressed and distressed.

That's two............

:thumbsup:

[EFerrari]

73. You haven't been here very long, have you?

:)

[Tangerine LaBamba]

88. Ah, my leeetle puppy bares her little nubs,

and rises up out of her damp kibble to nip at my ankles.

Your love for me is throbbing, that's obvious, and, rest assured, you are cherished.

C'mere, mah leeeeetle babydoll sweetiepie,and get yer smooches.............................

[EFerrari]

91. Another thoughtful addition to our discussion.

Well done. :)

[Tangerine LaBamba]

96. You love me -

you can't leave me alone, you wither without me, you cannot deny it.

You LOVE me!

You really, really LOVE me!

And, that, mah leetle rugrat, is a beautiful, beautiful thing............................

[EFerrari]

101. Right I came to this site four years before you did to wait for you.

When you post this stuff, my first thought is that I hope you're not driving and don't hurt anyone. :)

[Tangerine LaBamba]

103. Love, devotion, dedication -

the things you give me are all so sweet and perfect. You seek me out, you LOVE me, you LOVE me, you LOVE me.

And - rest assured - I notice you. You are amusing, mah leeeetle chickadee, mah leetle repository of dripping froggy devotion...............

[EFerrari]

109. Good luck, Tangerine. You're going to need it.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

110. Love unrequited -

I love how you scamper behind me, doing whatever you can to get my attention. It's so sweet, so darling, so utterly adorable..............

[KDFW]

75. Since I have little to lose I will point out that you are an apologist for the very worst

in people and you think it's some badge of honor. Here's a clue: it is not.

[EFerrari]

79. Could you translate that into English? Thanks!

[Greyhound]

106. Having read many of your comments over the days you've graced us

with your mighty intellect, let me be the first to say that as long as you believe she represents the worst in people, I know we're still on the right track.

Writing "we told you so, we warned you, we called that one years ago, etc.", just never gets tiresome.:rofl:

Maybe some day you and your ilk will wake up and realize you're wrong, you have always been wrong, and you are likely to remain wrong in the foreseeable future.

Looking forward to your indignant exodus,
Greyhound

[safeinOhio]

7. Who you going to call when

seconds count, and the cops are only a hour away?

[Name removed]

8. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[mulsh]

9. many of us have had consistenly bad experiences with our

local boys and girls in blue. I can only think of a couple of times I encountered an Oakland,CA police person who wasn't a total asshole. And those times were at least ten years in the past.

[kirby]

10. Go read this thread...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=6140309&mesg_id=6140309

It had over 200 recommendations.

[SleeplessInAlabama]

11. Because policemen are down on America. n/t

[seabeyond]

12. are you seriously asking why? because i find it hard to believe that you really are clueless

why people are down on police. and if your answer is to ignore all of the why so you can put out this silly question, then you are part of the problem. you are hurting, not helping the police force

[qwertyMike]

59. It is not a silly question

"why people are down on police. and if your answer is to ignore all of the why so you can put out this silly question, then you are part of the problem. you are hurting, not helping the police force
Alert"

[seabeyond]

67. i am serious. no alert. if you cannot recognize why people are angry at cops

(which i am sure you are well aware why people are angry at the cops) and you chose to dismiss all the issues to reduce it to... what do you do when you need... then yes. i think that is silly thinking. and the reason you are part of the problem is cause you allow the cops to continue on in this manner. escalating the anger, feeding the anger and that... that only hurts our police force. that is not supportive of our police force

it is like the people who ignore the torture and other henious crime of military to blindly support. in essense you are throwing the military to the wolves

alert?

not an alert moment

[doc03]

13. Because Officer Crowley was supposed to

just let someone scream at him, threaten him and accuse him of being a racist. A cop goes out every day and puts his life on the line to protect citizens from scum bags but he is just supposed to let stuff like that just roll off his back. People make excuses for Prof. Gates saying he just got back from a trip and had jet lag and all he has to be excused. Maybe the cop had a bad day himself.

[Lerkfish]

17. so you'd prefer a cop with a weapon and a hair trigger? In my lowly desk job

I was supposed to put up with people yelling at me all day and do it graciously.

and I didn't have a weapon.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

19. According to Gates, all he did was ask him for his name and number.

Why you'd believe the word of a liar and a racist over an esteemed black professor is beyond me.

Well, no, not really.

[Obamanaut]

25. That's all good, but did the glove fit? nt

[doc03]

27. That's not what the other Officers

say. Where do you get off calling the COP a racist? Does he have a history of that? If so provide us with his record of racism. Didn't he instruct other Officers on the subject? The picture I see is Gates with his mouth wide open screaming his lungs out.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

37. "Where do you get off calling the COP a racist?"

His racist treatment of Gates.

"Does he have a history of that?"

Well he does now.

"If so provide us with his record of racism."

His racist treatment of Gates.

"Didn't he instruct other Officers on the subject?"

He might have a lot of black friends, that doesn't mean he's not a racist.

"The picture I see is Gates with his mouth wide open screaming his lungs out."

You see a picture of a black man with his mouth open. You're assuming he's shouting and being tumultuous.

Why would you assume that? Well now that's the $25,000 dollar question, isn't it?

[doc03]

51. I don't see any evidence about

Crowley being charged with racism in the past? Just because you think he is doesn't mean squat.
What was he doing when he had his mouth wide open singing the Star Spangled Banner.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

54. Irrelevant.

It doesn't matter if the guy was a klan member or Mickey Mouse club member, he's still a racist.

"What was he doing when he had his mouth wide open singing the Star Spangled Banner. "

1. Could be any number of reasons. Why is the cops hand raised? Should I assume he's saluting Hitler?

2. You'll notice it's after he's already been arrested.

[EFerrari]

44. You don't know what Gates said. You know what Crowley said he said

Crowley, who has already been shown lying in his incident report.

And, btw, Jim Crow is Crowley's nick in the local black community. Doesn't sound like he's much of a teacher.

[doc03]

53. So you're from California and you know what his

local nickname is? I suppose you read that on the Internet or a friend of a friend told you that. Well a buddy of mine has a friend in Cambridge and he heard from his cousin they call him "Barney" as in Barney Fife back in the hood.

[EFerrari]

60. Nope. It was reported on Laura Flanders' show by a local pastor

who is also black and an instructor at Harvard.

You don't actually have to be in Cambridge to research this case.

[doc03]

74. So if you're black pastor in Cambridge and an instructor at

Harvard you have to be telling the truth. I coud name some Harvard folks that have told some real woppers over the years and the same goes for a lot of pastors.

[EFerrari]

78. But what does that have to do with me being in California?

lol

Fine. That was the report and she went on the air with it. I can't wait until this model officer proves me wrong as possible. I will apologize immediately.

[kirby]

22. Where do you get your BS?

Crowley let someone 'threaten him'? Where did you hear that? It was not even in the police report that Crowley wrote. But to answer your questions, yes, a professional police officer has to deal with all types of people. Being a police officer does not give you freedom to arrest someone because they hurt your ego.

[doc03]

31. The accounts I have heard he threatened him

telling him how important he was and you don't know who your messing with and about the important people he knows. Certainly sounds like a threat to me.

[EFerrari]

39. Gates is 5'7" and 150 lbs soaking wet without his cane.

lol

[Critters2]

How is that a threat? That's anger. Appropriate anger, imo.

And a cop should be able to walk away from that. Any adult should.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

43. You consider Gates' importance a threat?

Too uppity, eh?

[doc03]

64. It doesn't matter what color a person is

one that tries to intimidate someone by perhaps threatening his livelihood is an ass just the same.. What do you think he was doing when he tells the COP you don't know who I am and who I know. What was he saying, I like you and maybe my important friends can get you a better job on the force. Or maybe you f--- with me and my friend President Obama will have you fired. Hmmmm

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

83. Why would it be a threat to his livelihood unless he knew it was illegal?

Answer: he knew it was illegal.

[kirby]

58. Ah, so he was 'uppity'.

I would not consider what you describe, if it even happened, as a 'threat'. And certainly not something that would allow the government (police) to arrest and detain you.

[EFerrari]

86. Uppity is the subtext to all the criticisms of Gates.

Disgusting.

[Ignis]

68. Please post links to these accounts you've heard. (nt)

[seabeyond]

23. ah, but we on the other hand are suppose support our police breaking law whereas gates broke none

and was arrested

[JI7]

34. than Crowley should resign as he isn't the type that should be in such a position as police officer

as he isn't able to handle the job.

[Critters2]

40. Actually, yes. Cops are supposed to just let stuff like that roll off their backs.

If they're so sensitive they can't take being yelled at after threatening a man in his own home, they shouldn't be carrying a gun.

[Lerkfish]

14. because when someone's job is to protect you from criminals, they should not

make you wish you had someone to protect you from THEM.

that's it in a nutshell.

[MadMaddie]

16. Here's the thing...when the poor and minorities were saying

that there were police officers out there that were bad no one was listening....

Everyone is listening now....this could be good for the Police departments too....route out the bad cops and let the good officers do their jobs.

They perform a duty that needs to be done and they have my support when they track down assholes like this one

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009559117_websouthpark29m.html

Our children should not be afraid of the police and they are.

[John Q. Citizen]

24. What's that saying...Oh yeah: Support your local police -

Beat Yourself Up!
:rofl:

Yes I know, there certainly are some professional, courteous, and quality police. But it's a crap shoot. There are also some rude, violent and dangerous cops out there too. One never knows what to expect.

[Caliman73]

26. I would imagine that people are down on police because of a mix or personal experience and portrayal

I do not dislike police. I have had good experiences with some officers. I have also had bad experiences with officers so I do not trust them completely. The difficulty I see is that police are very human and have a difficult job which many do well. There are those who do not do the job well and still demand the respect obedience that they think should come with the badge and gun. As for who to call when.... the problem there is that you have to call the police when it comes to crimes because if you try to handle the issue yourself you put yourself in a position to get into serious trouble. That dependence on people that you may not completely trust, or even fear based on valid reason, elevates the tension.

[EFerrari]

28. I'm not down on policemen. I'm down on abusive assholes. n/t

[ColbertWatcher]

32. Thread over. n/t

[Buzz Clik]

30. Who you gonna call when you want someone to tase your dog, your grandma, or your teenager.

[Gabi Hayes]

47. remember this one, and it was the MAYOR's house they hit:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/08/07/mayor.warrant/

Maryland mayor is asking the federal government to investigate why SWAT team members burst into his home without knocking and shot his two dogs to death in an investigation into a drug smuggling scheme.


Berwyn Heights, Maryland, Mayor Cheye Calvo comforts wife Trinity Tomsic at a news conference Thursday.

"This has been a difficult week and a half for us," Cheye Calvo, mayor of Berwyn Heights, Maryland, said Thursday. "We lost our family dogs. We did it at the hands of sheriff's deputies who burst through our front door, rifles blazing."

The raid last week was led by the Prince George's County Police Department, with the sheriff's special operations team assisting, after a package of marijuana was sent to Calvo's home.

[BlooInBloo]

33. I'm down on all terrorists.

[Buzz Clik]

52. ouch!

That is truly harsh.

[BlooInBloo]

77. (shrug) Consider the sort of person I'm responding to....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x6188559#6188587

[obliviously]

36. It is quite simple.

Many cities use them as petty tax collecters. It is not hard to see why people can be down on them!

[Starbucks Anarchist]

41. Because it's hard to tell which ones are good.

Also, I'm not white and not wealthy, so that's two strikes against me as far as they're concerned.

[kiva]

42. I suspect it depends on the person.

Many have posted about the conflicts between police and various minority groups, which pretty much mirrors historic problems in the rest of society.

Some posters have an innate dislike of anyone perceived as an authority figure - police, teachers, employers - so revel in the notion that all are evil.

Several people have had bad experiences personally with the police and assume that all law enforcement are the same.

My take is that there are approximately 800,000 law enforcement officers in the U.S. (state, local, federal, private) and there are bound to be some good and some bad. (statistic http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_police_officers_are_employed_in_the_United_states)

[EFerrari]

55. And to date, there doesn't seem to be any central way to track abuse

or worse, because those crimes are self reported.

[varelse]

48. your severely depressed child has threatened suicide and you know you can't stop this without help

oh wait... maybe the cops are not the best people for the job.

It's also not necessarily a good idea to speed past one if you're an ambulance driver who happens to have heavily pigmented skin

Oh, and if you're looking for rock-solid integrity and dedication to justice, apparently you should call *anyone else but* the Hollywood police.

Frankly, I'd be inclined to skip the 911 call unless a medical emergency was in progress and an EMT team was needed - and call my damn lawyer first (assuming I had one).

No wonder DU has so many avid defenders of our Second Amendment rights. DIY security and crime prevention are looking better and better to me - and I *hate* guns!

You had to ask :P

[WeDidIt]

62. Calling the cops is the absolute last resort in any situation as far as I'm concerned

Why risk bringing another criminal into the issue?

[KDFW]

82. Well, let's hope you never have your home invaded by thugs and your daughter

abducted. You could call ... uh... perhaps... your friend from work ??

[WeDidIt]

105. I'm armed

If thugs come into my house, they're dead thugs.

Then I'll call the police.

I have no daughter.

[Inchworm]

66. I've seen some really good law officers

and I have a few stories of ones that made it bad enough to dislike even the good ones.

[KDFW]

84. That's a terrific template for all kinds of bigotry. Substitute 'gay' for 'law officers'

or 'black people' or 'jews' or....

[EFerrari]

89. What utter baloney. No one in our society walking around

has the kind of life and death power that the police do.

[Inchworm]

94. You miss the point

Bad law officers have the ability to be legal and.. umm.. correct.

A jewish dude can't jerk a person off their porch, toss them in a car, lock them up, and make up stories like a second grader. A BAD law officer can.

[HughMoran]

71. I'm not. I just think one dude went too far

There's some bad cops, but just like Blue Dogs, I'm not going to throw out the baby with the bathwater.

[Interloper]

72. Some people have no idea

about what is really going on in their neighborhood.
Just last week some 19 year old gang banger shot a neighbor in the head...killing him.
Another neighbor was robbed...it goes on everyday.
But, some people have a knee jerk reaction against police because they are doing something illicit.
The police don't make the laws. They are just enforcing them.
If you don't like that...change the laws fool!

[Hello_Kitty]

87. I'm not down on them but I'm tired of people automatically giving them a pass.

I'm also sick of the "They put their lives on the line every day!" canard. Not every cop is on the midnight beat in a rough neighborhood. Cambridge, MA is as safe as frigging Mayberry.

[asdjrocky]

90. I can think of one or two extreme situations I might be forced to call 911.

It would always be a last resort for me. Out of the hundreds of cops I've known, two, count 'em, two have been stand up guys. The rest? Absolute scum bags.

[CakeGrrl]

92. If I'm ever unfortunate enough to need to call, I'll have to hope that

I don't get one who might stick a taser up my ass:

http://www.topix.com/afam/2009/07/idaho-man-sodomized-by-police-taser-plans-to-sue


or one whose head is filled with "jungle monkey" racist screed who would simply give me a face full of pepper spray for daring to speak for myself:

http://www.bet.com/News/news_PDF_Boston_Cop_Jungle_Monkey_Email.htm?wbc_purpose=Basic&WBCMODE=PresentationUnpublished&Referrer=%7B0471DDF0-D0D8-48A8-9E30-ADD40CBE0269%7D


or one or two or four who might collude to frame me and probably would have gotten away with it if not for a surveillance camera:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/29/crooked-cops-caught-plott_n_246987.html

[Uzybone]

95. Call Jesus

[doc03]

97. So where's the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Rev. Al

Sharpton on this one? They can usually smell a camera from 3000 miles away? They even had to weigh in on the Micheal Jackson case.

[EFerrari]

102. Your slip is showing.

[dhpgetsit]

100. They represent authority. It's a form of prejudice.

They have a tough job to do and it's a real drag when they don't do it well.

[Thickasabrick]

104. I love policeman, just hate the shitty ones who are on a power trip.

[Greyhound]

107. Because we've encountered them IRL. n/t

[Kievan Rus]

108. Because most are a bunch of bullies....

whose song ought to be "A**hole" by Denis Leary.