(Yea, these are completely neutral sources that my right wing family would consider fair and not left leaning at all. Even I think they are left leaning. Doesn’t mean they are wrong – just not a source I can use to convince the other side you are right.)
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I started to read the multitude of articles you provided, but took a break to make a reply. I will try to keep this to three concise points, but my track record is not impressive.
First I have many friends and family in law enforcement, and as a tween and teen I would spend the summer with one of them where he lived with his wife in a community about 80 miles away, strong textlocated on property owned by his agency where everyone who worked for the agency in this area lived. Turnover was slow and I got to know most of the guys, their wives and some kids who were much younger than I was. I learned how to drive a vehicle there, shoot there, make simple automotive repairs there, and went on my first dove hunt there.
A man I ate a hundred meals with, whose patio cover I helped build, and who taught me quite a few things over years was senselessly shot and killed in the line during a routine traffic stop decades ago. It is still a very bitter pill which I can taste to this day when the topic comes up. (This man who was shot was not my relative; he was his next door neighbor.) I did ride-a-longs and even had a hand in stakeouts (of sorts) even though me and his wife’s nephew didn’t know until years later why we got up in the middle of the night to go have microwave burritos and crème sodas at a truck stop. (It was to be sure a drug shipment they were tracking was not unloaded somewhere they did not expect.) This is a dangerous job.
Much later I helped this relative’s C.O. build his cabin and dated his daughter for a few years. We spent every weekend together at that vacation home for years on end (during the nice part of the year). He actually gifted me his own service revolver one Christmas, which he bought from the department when they went to automatics. He described the job as endless paperwork and never ending boredom punctuated by occasional moments of absolute panic. I got to hang out with the retirees and a few undercover guys through this man.
A cute little brunette I used have lunch with in college married a guy who became a cop and he made an arrest which pissed off the wrong people and their whole family had to move away and have false identities until the leaders of the group were arrested and the threat was gone. Partners were killed and the husband was shot but recovered although the details of all this was a secret and I don’t know them beyond this. Again, dangerous work.
My point is that I know enough cops to know they are not all alike, but certain traits are universal. Compliance is a major concern for all of them. I have had law enforcement draw down on me twice and compliance is why I am above dirt currently. Comply with lawful commands and instructions (even suggestions – they don’t carry those side arms for balance).
This is not one of the points, but what happened to George Floyd – when I watch that footage with even hard core right wing Trump supporters, they like myself, want those cops kneeling on him to do life with no special protections. Those fuckers deserve whatever hell their futures hold and I give them no pity however long they served or whatever good they may have done separate from that event. That incident, even without any other evidence proves something needs to be done. That is just a freebie because I assumed we were starting in the same place – but wanted to go back and make sure you know I take this seriously. Very seriously.
Point two; at one time I dated a much older woman who was involved in the civil rights movement and knew some of the leaders personally. She was involved in events similar to the one in the movie Mississippi Burning where they registered black voters (in southern Illinois and western Kentucky). She marched and set up medical tents for protests and marches and treated as many cops as she did protesters (by her accounts). I had occasion to visit with her recently because her husband performed some medical procedures for me. She was disdainful toward BLM, and complained about how back in the day, many broken heads were endured by people who were nothing but respectful and lawful in every particular while wearing coats and ties or dresses and heels.
She was very clear that they made a point of showing as much deference to the police and to the cities, counties, and states as was possible and the power of their protest was that it was CIVIL disobedience. They said with their words and with their actions: “We believe you deserve respect and dignity, and we believe you should show us the same.” Agitators were not tolerated; they were asked to leave or denounced in no uncertain terms. She very reasonably stated that you can hardly expect the opposition to give you respect when you do not respect them. She was unmoved by my insistence the looting and rioters were not parts of BLM. This long time liberal firebrand sounded just like my Trump supporting friends and family: Throw them out, insist they leave, or call off the protest. DO NOT LET the lawless co-opt your movement.
Knowing her to have been a bit of a hippy back when I was pretty far right and as likely to have been a Trump supporter (if there had been such a thing) as not back then, I was shocked she was not more supportive. Upon reflection, it is hard to insist others have a perfect moral stance when you are being hostile to them. Even if you just appear to be acting hostile toward them. If SHE got her back up over this, imagine how the genuine right felt about those protests.
Last point, I come from the place where Sheriff Joe and his tent city were famous not long ago. Recently I got to vote for his replacement for the second time. But here is the thing, we replaced Arpaio and things are getting better. We didn’t disband the department; we got a real leader in there and started reforms that are making a difference. I am sure there are still problems and that some racial profiling still goes on. But I am also sure that it is less than it was and progress is being made.
Summary. Defunding the police and disbanding the police sounds like this to me:
We are in a leaky wooden boat in the middle of the ocean. It sucks, it leaks, it is hard to steer and it is carrying slaves. So. . .
Let’s burn it to cinders and build a new better boat!! All while we are floating in the middle of the ocean.
However shitty the boat may be, you have to stay on board until you get to port and THEN you overhaul it, or replace it do whatever. Here is my question, who will provide security while your police force is in the shop being rebuilt?
You want to reform the police force in any city you need to start at the right place; the top, and the bottom. You start with personal accountability, you put in someone at the top who knows what to do and has the power to let heads roll. Then you go to watch commanders and sergeants and let them know they will be demoted if incidences continue to happen on their watch. They are accountable for their people; if they want someone off their watch show us why.
Changing people’s beliefs is slow, difficult work. Changing behaviors can be done and can be done much faster. Sure, psych tests and as much as can be done to hire the right people in the first place. But until all of your cops are perfectly tolerant – insist upon perfect actions and other cops who witness and don’t report get punished too. If the problem is institutional, change the institution. It will not eliminate racism, but the actions associated with racism will cease to be accepted and therefore – cease to be displayed (to a large degree).
If you doubt that, read NUDGE by Richard H. Thaler (about choice architecture) and perhaps Duncan Watts; EVERYTHING IS OBVIOUS (once you know the answer) about brain function, decisions, and common sense.
