New York's Finest
Whatever sympathy I had for New York police stemming from September 11 has vanished. I was never enamored of the NYPD to begin with; the stories of Abner Louima and Amadou Diallo are just some of the more shocking and notorious incidents. It isn't just New York; there's tons of examples of police misconduct and incidents of abuse.
But after reading this article, and all the stories of the Secret Service and local police being misused during Presidential visits and campaign stops, I'm beginning to think that if the good people of this nation aren't careful, we're going to have a police state before we know it. It's bad enough there's abusive behavior on the part of cops, but to have the police willfully lie about the unethical and illegal things they do is not only shocking, but frightening. What really bothers me about the events of the Republican Convention is that it was bad enough that actual protesters were rounded up and held by the police (a definite affront to the First Amendment and everything the Bill of Rights and this country stands for), but that innocent bystanders were also caught, jailed, and fined without anyone acknowledging that a mistake was made. What's worse, the burden of proof did not rest with the police-- it lay with those who had been arrested.
New York isn't the only town that has problems with the police. Here in L.A., our cops seem to think they're in an action flick; any time they're chasing a car, they start shooting at it. Last year (or the year before?) they shot at a car that was slowly rolling backwards towards a cop car-- not just one cop shooting, but tons of them. Of course, they killed the driver. This was just a couple of blocks from a high school. Way to go, guys-- great role models. Lately it's been black kids on joyrides or adults cornered after car chases.
This doesn't mean I think all cops are bad, or that the police don't provide an essential public service. But I do think accountability is not always what it should be. We are according our police enormous powers in return for public safety, or a modicum thereof. This social contract shouldn't be abused or corrupted, but there are quite a few times when it is. Sometimes the problem is corrected, but as in NYC, incidents just keep on happening. It's not just one or two, either... it's a steady stream.
What exacerbates this is when politicians use the police and other security types for their own ends. This is what really troubles me about the misuse of security by the GOP. It's bad enough that a lot of communities get stuck with the bill for official government visits, but sometimes that's necessary. But to compound the costs of what is at times extremely excessive security with actions that violate our Constitution portends an erosion of what America is and should be.
I've visited NYC before, and have had no reason to encounter New York's Finest. In the wake of the tragedy of September, 2001, my sympathies were with the police and firefighters, and applauded their dedication to their job and to the public safety, at risk of their own well-being and lives. But then I read about the treatment of blacks, women, and others who are not powerful or connected enough, and I re-developed a certain disdain and wariness. What's sad is that ideally, the police should have the trust of our communities at large; but when they pull stunts like shooting at pedestrians and drivers, lying in courtrooms, and arresting people without cause, it makes it that much more difficult for a genuine relationship to develop, and for the social contract society has with authority to be honored and respected the way it should be.
But after reading this article, and all the stories of the Secret Service and local police being misused during Presidential visits and campaign stops, I'm beginning to think that if the good people of this nation aren't careful, we're going to have a police state before we know it. It's bad enough there's abusive behavior on the part of cops, but to have the police willfully lie about the unethical and illegal things they do is not only shocking, but frightening. What really bothers me about the events of the Republican Convention is that it was bad enough that actual protesters were rounded up and held by the police (a definite affront to the First Amendment and everything the Bill of Rights and this country stands for), but that innocent bystanders were also caught, jailed, and fined without anyone acknowledging that a mistake was made. What's worse, the burden of proof did not rest with the police-- it lay with those who had been arrested.
New York isn't the only town that has problems with the police. Here in L.A., our cops seem to think they're in an action flick; any time they're chasing a car, they start shooting at it. Last year (or the year before?) they shot at a car that was slowly rolling backwards towards a cop car-- not just one cop shooting, but tons of them. Of course, they killed the driver. This was just a couple of blocks from a high school. Way to go, guys-- great role models. Lately it's been black kids on joyrides or adults cornered after car chases.
This doesn't mean I think all cops are bad, or that the police don't provide an essential public service. But I do think accountability is not always what it should be. We are according our police enormous powers in return for public safety, or a modicum thereof. This social contract shouldn't be abused or corrupted, but there are quite a few times when it is. Sometimes the problem is corrected, but as in NYC, incidents just keep on happening. It's not just one or two, either... it's a steady stream.
What exacerbates this is when politicians use the police and other security types for their own ends. This is what really troubles me about the misuse of security by the GOP. It's bad enough that a lot of communities get stuck with the bill for official government visits, but sometimes that's necessary. But to compound the costs of what is at times extremely excessive security with actions that violate our Constitution portends an erosion of what America is and should be.
I've visited NYC before, and have had no reason to encounter New York's Finest. In the wake of the tragedy of September, 2001, my sympathies were with the police and firefighters, and applauded their dedication to their job and to the public safety, at risk of their own well-being and lives. But then I read about the treatment of blacks, women, and others who are not powerful or connected enough, and I re-developed a certain disdain and wariness. What's sad is that ideally, the police should have the trust of our communities at large; but when they pull stunts like shooting at pedestrians and drivers, lying in courtrooms, and arresting people without cause, it makes it that much more difficult for a genuine relationship to develop, and for the social contract society has with authority to be honored and respected the way it should be.
posted by Mr. Sandman | 9:53 PM
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