And then there is this -
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0141854
Blocking freeways. Preventing an ambulance from getting through. Delaying people getting to work.
Last night the 405 freeway was blocked near LAX.
Yeah, that’s the way to get public support.
Amazing that the NYTimes published that – I just heard upthread that they were just a biased rag. (/sarcasm)
So the news organizations are trying to make the photo of the women standing in the street during a demonstration an "iconic "photo of great importance.The police are shown approaching her to arrest her. Its even shown on the BBC news site.
So I have to admit this just makes me furious. She is breaking the law. If she wants to protest in the street she needs a permit. Go get a permit. Otherwise you are breaking the law. Protest where you are allowed to or get arrested.
Get out of the street.!!! Somebody is going to get hurt. That’s why the cops are all standing in a line in the picture. Pull back on that shot and there are probably hundreds of protesters legally protesting.
About the study in the NY Times from #339 - it is surprising to me but we can’t read too much into it for a variety or reasons. The obvious one is that while more white people are killed by police than black people, in proportion to their relative share of population the opposite is true.
The researchers looked at data from 2000-2015.
.
There were more than 1100 people killed by police in 2015 (mostly by shooting) and already more than 517 in 2016 (mostly by shooting). So why did they pick and choose such a low number of shootings? Oh wait, they were just looking at Houston. Why would anyone draw an overall conclusion from that?
For other uses of force, the researchers found a great racial divide but it’s not clear if they were just looking at New York City or other places too. This new study found that black people who were shot were more likely to be carrying a weapon than white people. Every other study has found differently but maybe it’s the Houston problem again.
It’s important that more studies be done, but not haphazardly or reported in a way that is sensationalist and misleading (hugging your dog makes him anxious! Champagne prevents Alzheimer’s! etc.)
I would trust the counting that is being done by the Guardian. Hopefully the Department of Justice will begin soon.
Of course, their dealing hard drugs was a significant loss both to those who damaged their lives with the drugs as well as taxpayers who had to pay to keep them in prison.
Watching Chief David Brown’s press conference. The guy is so impressive.
He said that every social wrong is put in the cops’ laps to handle … Cuts in funding for drug addiction and mental health, problems in schools, so many kids raised by poor single moms, even packs of loose dogs … Let the cops handle it all.
I heard him on CNN Sunday morning. He was saying how the police feel they get little support for the dirty and dangerous jobs they have to do. And for $40,000 a year. (Although they usually get nice pensions and get to retire earlier than other jobs).
True, especially since the NYT link in post # 339 is dated TOMORROW http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/12/upshot/surprising-new-evidence-shows-bias-in-police-use-of-force-but-not-in-shootings.html?_r=0
“I heard him on CNN Sunday morning. He was saying how the police feel they get little support for the dirty and dangerous jobs they have to do. And for $40,000 a year. (Although they usually get nice pensions and get to retire earlier than other jobs).”
Oh please. So sick of this argument. No one is forced to be a police officer and perhaps, if they didn’t always act so nasty all the time to the people who pay their salaries they’d get more support. The militarization of police forces doesn’t help in the matter. That is why the picture of the women in the street opposite the 3 police is becoming iconic. Why did a whole army of cops, dressed for battle, need to be at the protest in the first place?
"No one is forced to be a police officer and perhaps, if they didn’t always act so nasty all the time to the people who pay their salaries they’d get more support. "
So ALL cops act nasty? That is BS.
Attitudes like ^^^. Just what Brown was talking about.
That’s not fair at all, Emilybee.
“Why did a whole army of cops dressed for battle need to be at the protest in the first place?”
Seriously? Because tensions were already aflame, the presence of macho men with rifles slung over their shoulders didn’t help matters, and it’s important that people are able to exercise their right to assemble and protest while keeping the community safe. By all accounts, the relations between the protesters and the police were civil and appropriate and the protest was successfully carried out in a peaceful manner until the sniper happened.
The Dallas cops are the good guys here, not the bad ones. I think it’s very unfair to demonize all cops. It is hypocritical to decry cops for treating all black people as dangerous when only some are, while at the same time saying all cops are bad people when only some are.
I also watched Chief Brown’s press conference just now. Calm, polite, personable, straight forward. It was a remarkable press conference. He spoke about the value of community policing, and encouraged protesters to work for change, that the Dallas Police Department has openings and is hiring. Really impressive leader.
I’ve been looking around on this site and it is an eye opener. To all of you out there who decry that not all police killings make the news, well look around and see what is happening. Some of the police killings seem questionable (he aggressed towards the officers with a pitchfork), most seem justified but just sad with obvious elements of mental problems in the mix. We are just shooting too much. And I only looked at about 1/2 of June 2016.
Another thing - don’t drive away from cops. They’ll shoot you. If you’re a latino teenage boy you’ll end up in this database for that reason.
I haven’t been stopped by a cop in a long time but when I have been they are never pleasant - even when seeing I’m a petite white lady. They approach everyone, regardless of the circumstances, as the enemy. They are authoritarian in their approach. I think it’s a product of their training in dealing with the public no matter the situation and I believe its misguided, harmful and a major contributor to how people feel about the police in general. They don’t engender trust, they engender fear from the public and then they wonder why they don’t get support from the public.
This thread is evidence of painting an entire profession with a very broad brush, based on the actions of few of its members. When similar teacher threads get derailed, posters are quick to point out most teachers are dedicated professionals, trying to do their best at a very difficult job. LEOs are no different.
The sad thing to me is cc is a very educated population. Multiply the hateful attitude and mob mentality across the country. The policing profession is under siege in this country. They feel very under-supported by leaders, and they are.
Most of us white posters readily acknowledge we cannot truly comprehend how it feels to be in the shoes of an African American in this country, because we are not African American. Yet, I’ve been on cc 10 years and remember one poster who was LEO. Let’s acknowledge the fact the average cc poster has little knowledge of the daily officer life and job. You don’t have a clue; you really don’t.
I was struck by the similarities I feel with post 2 by partyof 5 (I think), I too call my sons in the morning, telling them to be careful, always be with a buddy, have witnesses, don’t attract attention, praying all day they aren’t shot dead just because someone hates who they are and what they represent. They too deserve to come home.
Maybe the police are in riot gear @emilybee because the last time that they weren’t, 5 of them ended up dead.
I, too, continue to be impressed by the Dallas Police Chief. I was particularly impressed with his description of his own history, and his choice to be involved and be part of the solution rather than part of the problem.
My BIL is a retired detective and his daughter is a police officer in a small, though diverse, city. I have gained some perspective listening to my niece talk about what she deals with on a daily basis. I think the police chief’s point is they don’t get to write policy. But, they do deal with the outcome of bad policy, or no policy. He expressed frustration that the police in Dallas are doing their job, but politicians aren’t doing their job. He mentioned gun control in passing. Lots of talk, two entrenched sides, and zero progress. With more guns than people in this country, it makes it increasingly challenging for the police to keep us safe, and themselves safe as well. Gun control was just an example. He did not want to get hung up on it, just tried to make a point.
“I haven’t been stopped by a cop in a long time but when I have been they are never pleasant - even when seeing I’m a petite white lady. They approach everyone, regardless of the circumstances, as the enemy.”
I’ve never had any encounter with police that wasn’t perfectly appropriate and pleasant. If I am stopped for a traffic stop, I put my hands on the wheel until the policeman approaches, answer his questions with a yes sir, don’t argue back, etc. But then again, it’s pretty clear I’m a nice little white suburban woman who is not going to pose any trouble.
But I have to put myself in their shoes. I totally get why they approach my car from behind with a hand on their holster. I know I’m not going to cause any trouble, but how the heck do they know?
And the prevalence of guns among civilians makes their job harder, not easier.