http://www.cbsnews.com/news/louisia...r-derrick-stafford/?google_editors_picks=true Cops murder 6 year old. Since the victim was white, maybe there will be some accountability. What this case clearly demonstrates is that this is not just a matter of white cops versus black citizens. The problem is much deeper then that. This is something all Americans should care about!
The cops are definitely going to jail. Even the cops watching the officer's body cams said what they watched was extremely disturbing. I do agree that something needs to happen.
I think we could do a better job recognizing and elevating the good ones. I just read a story about a cop that took 4 kids trick or treating on haloween rather than tell them their parents died in a car crash on the way home. These are the cops we need more of. Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk
Here's the difference: The officers are being charged and I guarantee you they are convicted. For years and years black people who are unarmed get shot and killed and officers get away scot free. Let's not use this instance as a cudgel against what happens to my kind every fucking day. Trayvon Martin was unarmed too. After he was being chased by a grown man, when was he within his right to stand his ground??? We are shot on a daily basis while unarmed and NOTHING happens. My friend's brother was killed 97 seconds after he was pulled over and he was unarmed. He was tased AFTER he was shot because the cop on the other side of the car was scared as shit for absolutely no reason at all!! Cops got away scot free. There's always a fucking excuse when unarmed black people are shot. Rodney King was whooped on camera for God and everybody to see and officers were acquitted. A little white kid is shot and I guarantee you these officers are going to be convicted. AS THEY SHOULD BE...It should not happen to the little kid just like it should not happen to unarmed Aaron Campbell that gets shot in the back by Officer Frashour who got his fucking job back! These instances are NOT the same so let's stop comparing apples to oranges. There's an excuse for using an illegal choke hold on an unarmed Eric Garner who tells the police he cannot breathe 11x before he dies right in front of the camera and the cops get away scot free! When you see people protesting talking about black lives matter, the only reason why we are protesting is because the cops are almost NEVER convicted. If the police were convicted there would be no reason to protest! Also, it would happen less because the police would understand that they're going to get convicted if they do it! So, when you see the term Black Lives Matter, add two words 2 words, a comma, and an exclamation point and then MAYBE you will gain perspective. HELLO, Black lives matter TOO!
Since cops were bullies for decades, especially during the Vietnam war, its hard to change their suspecious and hard ass ways. There are some cool ones but you have to know them personally.
Ummm, it kinda proves what I've been saying for years. Cops are generally morons. Even with body cameras everywhere they still do shit like this. Holy fucking moron Batman.
My personal belief is that cops should at least have to have a bachelor's degree. Make those motherfuckers go to school for four years to do that shit. Require them to take criminology classes, cultural competency, and psych evaluations. Currently, the average amount of weeks that a police academy is is 21. In Oregon it's fucking 10... 10 weeks and then you get your gun and badge. Fuck that! Make them go through 4 years of college and then pay them accordingly. If you go through that much college and are paid well then you won't do stupid shit to lose your job. We need to scrutinize our police far more than we do.
Okay so I was wrong. Portland police officers to go through a psych eval. And police academy is 16 weeks not 10. Still nowhere near enough IMHO.
Many years ago, I read an article by a retired cop about the transition of police work from a "blue collar" job to a "white collar" job. In his opinion, the transition had resulted in less racism, but more brutality. According to him, "blue collar" cops were quite happy to smack you with a nightstick or flashlight, but more restrained about using their guns. They accepted that they might get hurt in the line of duty and weren't afraid of the public. They didn't treat every encounter as hostile. "White collar" cops, again according to his opinion, were obsessed with their own safety. They resented not working in a risk free environment and developed a culture that over-reacted to any perceived threat. In other words, they were ruled by fear. I've never been quite sure what to make of his opinions - but they are interesting.
On paper, most departments do psych evals and background checks. In too many cases, they are just going through the motions. Case in point - the Cleveland cop who shot the 12 year old for having a toy gun in a park. He was hired despite having flunked a psych eval and getting fired by his prior department.