Let me preface this by stating from the start: I know fully well that bad cops exist. There is a city in North Carolina that I am forever going to loathe going through because of one incident that involved both city police and county sheriff's personnel, and that was almost twenty years ago (oh the perils of being a puppy-eyed cub reporter getting knocked around by the world for the first time). I believe that there are few things as bad as any member of law enforcement who consciously betrays what it means to take an oath and puts on the badge. And this blog has chronicled law enforcement abuse so many times that it's gotten its own tag.
In short: I get it.
In short: I get it.
But I'm also grateful for being able to still appreciate that the good cops far outnumber the bad.
Three situations come to mind as I write these words. One happened not too long ago, and it revitalized my trust and confidence in the members of law enforcement in general. Two of its representatives assured me that an incident I brought to their attention would be pursued as much as possible, and I have taken their word on that. The second involves the prank video I made four years ago of a rocket launcher destroying that "new statue" in Reidsville, North Carolina's downtown area. Two police officers came to my front door (fifteen minutes away from town!) to ask about it. There was no warning issued, they seemed pretty amused by it actually. It was just that apparently someone reported it to Homeland Security and they had to follow up on it. They were confident that I was harboring no real explosives and a good laugh was had by all.
The third situation regards my having severe enough mental illness that I have had to be taken into custody numerous times by members of law enforcement.
Yes, I have had to be handcuffed. I have had to be put into the back of a police cruiser or sheriff's vehicle. I have been frisked for potential weapons and escorted under guard into hospital emergency rooms. All of these and more. And not once have I felt like my dignity as a human being was violated. Every officer involved in those sporadic situations has behaved with utmost respect toward me and I hope that I reciprocated that to them.
(There is also the matter of how many times during the course of my current profession, that I have witnessed law enforcement officers interact with some of the most neglected people in our community. That alone has brought about renewed appreciation for their efforts.)
I have to agree with Mr. Yates, on every point. And if Minneapolis commits to its plan to abolish its police department, then it truly will become "Mogadishu on the Mississippi": a lawless realm of total anarchy. Give it a year and it will not resemble the Minneapolis of today... and I don't mean that in a good way either. It is not a situation that will be remedied by bolstered social programs and increased bureaucracy.
It's an eye-opening article, and it made me reassess my own perspective on those who put on the uniform. It also led me to discover Blue Line Bears: an endeavor by a young lady in Florida to provide teddy bears to children of those who have fallen in the line of duty. I was so impressed by the effort that I reached out to them to thank them. There's an option to make contributions on their site and I'm going to ask that any readers of this post consider that.
As for the people of Minneapolis and other cities: you would do well to read Mr. Yates' words and ponder them deeply. And then if you are still led to do so, go ahead with your plan to abolish the police force wholesale.
The rest of us will be watching.
2 comments:
Mr. Yates has nailed it. But I do think there is room for reform in the law enforcement profession. Ending no knock warrants and civil asset forfeiture would be a few ideas. Police didn't do those until the past two or three decades, there's no need for them to do it now. Outright ending the police? "Mogadishu on the Mississippi" indeed!
I could write VOLUMES about asset forfeiture and how wrong it is. And for anyone who doesn't know what we're referring to, it's the seizing of money and other items from people who have been arrested by law enforcement. Arrested but NEVER convicted. These are at most SUSPECTS and *not* properly found guilty in a court of law. Even if the person is found not guilty, he or so is then faced with the almost impossible task of recovering their own property from the agencies which seized it. It is a HORRIBLE practice and thankfully one that many if not most jurisdictions are confronting and ending. I have spoken with many in the area of law enforcement and not one of them has defended the practice (which is good to know). Enough of them have also stated that asset forfeiture is something that makes their jobs tougher because it reduces them to being glorified revenue generators. Ending civil asset forefeiture? I'm a zillion percent behind THAT idea.
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