LogFAQs > #940238381

I saw that video when the old white guy got shoved and cracked his head. Some of the cops DID look concerned for him, it's sad to hear they are all protesting the suspension. I can't believe not 1 cop didn't think what they did was wrong, the cover up they tried to do was wrong etc. They obviously can all see that video now.

There are good cops out there, I have known a few, although I have never had a ton of interaction with them. My uncle Allen was the chief of police in SF for awhile I believe and a cop most of his life before he retired (like 20 years ago now). I can't imagine he would ever do any of this kinda stuff. He was jewish not that it should matter, and I do know the cops "bent" the laws back then (Ie my Aunt and Uncle (his sister and my biological uncle) threw a big party on top of their apartment building with fireworks which were illegal and the police arrived but he got them to let them go and not charge them etc).

Also I have know, that cops at least back then often did drugs (like pot) while still arresting people for possession etc, and because it was CA, the three strikes rule could literally send them to jail for a long time. I always thought that was horrible.

After getting out of the Air Force I considered becoming a cop but, I couldn't see myself having to give traffic tickets with a quota which was normal back then (And probably still is), and I had seen the corruption that was there behind the scenes. I am not good at lying and I pretty much am "lilly white" as far as breaking laws or hurting people etc, so being a cop, where not only were you supposed to financially negatively impact people on a regular basis (at least when you are first starting), but are expected to backup bad behavior or other officers who..sometimes are just plain bullies, was not for me. I was always anti-bully, and even though there are good cops, there are also quite a few bully cops as well.

I just don't like telling people what to do, or punishing people, it's the hardest part of being a teacher for me (classroom management that is), so sadly being a cop was not a road I could take.

I don't know what the solution is here but perhaps hiring more cops and insuring that one of the primary roles in the future of cops is to ensure safety of ALL citizens (including those they are arresting, and only arresting those who are a direct threat to others) comes first.

I would like to see cops looked at as saviors or servicing the community, not as bullies, or even people who might finacially hurt you for small reason or things you just didn't do right etc.

As a teacher (and an adult) I watched cops come into elementary schools and talk to kids in white neighborhoods. This did not happen at El Roble where I taught though (mostly hisptanic and minorities, many parents didn't even speak english), nor any of the schools I went to as a child (all very poor neighborhoods, schools like Star King in SF for instance). Cops were not considered "saviors" since most of the people living there had relatives or friends who had been arrested by them.

We don't need bullies in this country, and we don't need a police for that is mostly feared by the population, even if it's just because they may finacially burden you (and if your not white, possibly kill you). My wife was Hispanic, my family is all nationalities pretty much. I wonder how racism exists to such an extant because I figure most people have to have family that is multi-cultural at this point. Do people hate their own families......ok...that is a dumb question, many people do, but it still seems strange to me.

Our entire prison system is BROKEN in this country and has been, and the police are just an extension of that, the whole thing needs to be overhauled. So many people (and yes a very disproportionate number are minorities) are in jail for drug related charges, that is insane, crazy, and absolutely horrible. We should NOT have such a large % of our population that is in, or has been, incarcerated. That is disgusting.

I'm old though, and not very healthy anymore, I don't think I can make much of a difference at this point. I wish I had done more when I was younger. I focused on volunteering at wellness centers, food banks, helping the homeless and mentally ill. Perhaps I should have tried to actually fix the system more, but even back then it seemed overwhelming. I guess to some extent I just tried to ignore the worst things going on, not just in our country but in the world, and focus on what I could actually change and improve around me. I simply thought that if I did that, and other people started to as well, we could make the world a better place over time. Sadly, I think it's more like trying to build a wall of sand against the tide, and all the good you try to do, can be wiped out by just a few selfish or racist people.

It just seems like so much negative is constantly happening, politically, economically, socially etc lately. I hope this all ends up making a positive change, but I think we all need something positive to happen soon. This year has seriously sucked so far.

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Agatha "Your naked and they are nuns, it's not your eyes they're not looking at."
Glowing Elephant "Stonehedge was a sex thing."