The last week has seen the release of a huge amount of documentary evidence of the poor decision making skills many American police are equipped with. What's incredible to me isn't so much that there are dipshits that make dumbass decisions, especially in high tension situations, but how others will follow their lead without question. Even the more basic choice to menace peaceful protests with scores of armoured police armed with batons and other weapons is a massive failure of managing public perception to me, never mind the frivolous arrests and unnecessary violence.
Following the “war on drugs“ in the 1980s, a large quantity of military surplus was dumped on law enforcement, following the first Gulf War. If you hand a bunch of idiots armored vehicles, and automatic weapons, guess what happens? They go from being peacekeepers to being troublemakers. This military style hardware, has largely driven a wedge between America’s law enforcement and minority communities. I’ve spent a lot of time in England, and the Bobbies on the beat are very approachable, “friends in the community,“ and not feared with suspicion by anyone. They do an incredibly effective job, without pulling a weapon, or putting their knees any on anyone’s necks.
I’ve read this week, that Portland has radically changed its training, to more or less prohibit the use of weapons, unless fired upon first. And they have gone more than a year now without a police shooting. When protests broke out in Portland, the chief of police went downtown, unarmed, and met with protesters. He kneeled, and asked for their forgiveness. No one has died in Portland. We need to examine our attitudes and our practices.
We have 400 years of racial tension, and a majority of the white majority is still inable to recognize that we have a serious problem on our hands. Just look at the way they went apeshit crazy over Collin Kaepernick taking a knee during Sunday NFL games. That is the source of the frustration 40% of our population feels.