According to an article in Slate, and consistent with my own observations, "In response [to protests], elected officials, police chiefs, and certain other writers say that most police officers are decent people doing a tough job to the best of their ability. They say that while acts of brutality should be condemned and punished, existing mechanisms are an adequate means of doing so. They say that the American system of policing is basically just and effective, not intrinsically discriminatory, and that the country’s police departments are not run by officers who hold personally racist views and are predisposed to violence."
One candidate for President shares these views. He "is critical of officers who perpetrate unjustified shootings and beatings, and supportive of peaceful protests against overpolicing. But he says that 'most cops are good, decent people.' He believes that the existing levels of police funding should be maintained. He does not believe that 'qualified immunity' laws should be changed to allow for easier prosecution of police brutality."
Public opinion polls show majorities of Americans agree. The candidate with those views is Joe Biden. You might think that many police officers would also support this candidate. After all, his positions are in line with their own public statements. Endorsements, however, suggest you'd be wrong.
Instead, police officers, including Richardson's own police union, support the other candidate, the one who has a long history of racism. According to Slate, "As a private citizen he fraternized with Mafia figures, worked closely with a convicted drug trafficker and a convicted racketeer, and sold apartments to an impressive number of organized crime leaders. He's made supportive comments about a white supremacist rally, and defended a white member of a 'militia' who recently shot three protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin, killing two."
"When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time."
-- Maya Angelou.
3 comments:
To be clear, I am not saying police are racist. I am saying their union endorsed a racist. He also happens to be a lawless president, like he was a lawless businessman his entire career. All that is in the Slate article. I'm saying that none of that was enough to dissuade the union from their endorsement, when any single part of it should have been, in my opinion.
"Officers who testified at 1/6 hearing call for police union to publicly denounce insurrection." (CNN). Richardson FOP, are you listening?
"The Blue Wall of Silence". From Adam Sewer at The Atlantic: "The National Fraternal Order of Police isn’t usually bashful about defending officers, but it’s been conspicuously subdued in discussing the January 6 attacks."
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