I live in the north, and I can tell you that the cops up here can be just as corrupt, violent, and bigoted as anywhere else. It’s not limited to small towns, or big cities either, and it’s not only happening to black victims either.
I really don’t buy the excuses that “it’s just a few bad cops” anymore. There are systemic issues going on here, because we see the same problems over and over again, in departments across the country. I think the common thing is the types of policies and training that have been enacted by all these departments over the years. Police for decades were losing ground in court cases over civil rights issues, and I think, instead of trying to reform their behavior to avoid the problem, they became defensive. Now an “us versus them” mentality has set in, where the police see any citizen as a potential threat, and see civil rights as something that gets in the way of them doing their job, instead of something that they are sworn to uphold.
“I really don’t buy the excuses that “it’s just a few bad cops” anymore. There are systemic issues going on here, because we see the same problems over and over again, in departments across the country. “
I completely concur with everything you’ve posted here. Too many of them see the Constitution as a “hindrance to doing their jobs.” I might even be persuaded that “too many” should be changed to “most.” The lesson here today though, is that the fight should begin in court, because if you give a cop ANY reason to abuse you, he’s going to do it and you’ll be lucky if you survive. BTW, in my view, the other piece of this “unholy alliance,” are the district attorneys, but their abuse is more subtle. I see the mounting use of cameras by citizens as a good thing. The cops now need to get the message that their actions are quite likely to be recorded as is the case here.