Although I’m sure that I don’t see things like Bob sees them, I certainly can’t just dismiss it as a few bad eggs. There is a culture within the police department’s internal affairs and training that has gotten out of hand. The police don’t treat or look upon the population, nor interact with us in the same manner as they used to, back when it was just a few bad eggs.
I think that what Bob is concerned with needs some Americana context that might help to explain.
We have Rights, which have been constitutional guarantees, ever since the revolution over two hundred years ago. Much of the Constitution is addressing the abuses of the then occupying force (uh ho, a long time ago?
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), to make sure that those abuses of power never happen to a free citizenry again. We have a right to our personal papers and correspondence. From keeping soldiers from being housed in people’s homes, grew to a man’s home is his castle. Warrants have to be approved by a judge, be specific and produced before anyone can enter our homes. We have a right to free assembly, free association, protest, speech, organizing, and anywhere on public property. We can say what we want, and we can keep what we want to ourselves. We are all to be treated equally before the law. We are not to be stopped and detained, or searched at the whim of an authority. There must be a probable cause to do this and that is supposed to be a very strict interpretation restraining the police. We are to have a right to a jury of our peers, which can throw a law out of court, if they desire. We are to have an attorney provided to represent us, if we can’t afford one, so that we get a fair and impartial trial. Everybody is innocent until proven guilty and shall be treated as such. We can have an arsenal, protect ourselves, and our property when necessary, and be organized to have another revolution, if necessary, when our government fails us. These and more protect our freedoms. They are a framework. The freedom is a gift from God. It is sacred. It is not a privilege. All of these have been eroded to the point where they hardly exist in actual function. This country is now a police state. It is not 1984, but subtly all of those principles are going on.
In many neighborhoods, police presence is an occupying force. It has been for a long long time. Now, these policing methods are being spread into the rest the country, by the police training, trained attitude and political permission and encouragement.
Even as I sit here now, I have in the back of my mind that in the years ahead, I may have negative consequence for speaking the truth as I am here. When under investigation for anything, even just because I might have associated with someone in the minutest way that would be plotting revolution, this could be used as evidence to indict me as a “bad guy.” The police have been militarized because it is illegal to send the military upon the citizenry. The excuse is terrorism. Any act planned against the ruling government, not a government by and for the people is twisted into being called a terrorist act. Anyone who is involved in confronting government in power is under investigation to some extent, and with the potential to be drawn into a “conspiracy” charge at some time. This isn’t just about a few bad eggs, cops on the street. It is systemic. That is intimidation.
I can tell you of probably twenty involvements that I have had with police in my lifetime, in which they abused their power, my rights and my guarantees, or others. I can remember four traffic stops, twenty or more years ago, where I was treated properly. I was even let go once for a traffic violation, because he recognized that I had made a mistake, not intentional, and my CDL indicated that the result might cost me my job. But that was a minority of encounters. When I am at a public gathering and police come around, it IS like a dark cloud. They have been trained to act as such to maintain intimidation and fear. I see this everywhere and I have been around long enough to remember a huge difference in the past.
You are correct, this isn’t the experience of most people, but if you don’t look the part, or are on the other side of a political spectrum than the government’s police, look out. However now, even white people with kids in the back seat are being stopped for minor traffic violations by a guy dressed in black uniform with his hand on a trigger, bent over ready to shoot, telling you to put your hands on the steering wheel, and asking if they have a gun. They are told to shut up, including the kids, and produce the proper paper ID and paperwork by this scary thug. They are asked where and what they are doing, where they are going, run through a computer, and told ”AND DON”T MOVE.” The manner of speaking is not anything like friendly; you are suspect, guilty until they deem you innocent. If investigated, the cop may be in violation of department procedures for treating you civilly, not for being a jerk.
Bob is relating this context to the simple act of taking his trash out and walking his personal domain without the encumbrance of clothing, in short minding his own business. All of this abuse mounts up and then there is the potential of further extra-legal unconstitutional actions. You are assumed to have broken a law until a judge decides that you haven’t. All it takes is a nosey neighbor (who may actually be hiding in the bushes), an anonymous call, and an overzealous cop making up his own law, and being the jury and executioner.
I’m still getting my head around cops with no guns. That is soo reasonable and civil AND it works, AND I know that people do have guns over there, even though they may not be supposed to have them. I remember previous to 1970, when police had to knock on a door and serve a duly approved warrant, before they searched for a specific piece of evidence AND it worked in this country.
The other side of the coin is that several times, I have gone up to an officer to ask something, like directions, at a public event. They don’t want to have anything to do with people. Perhaps they are concerned that you are a distraction for a crime, or have an alternative motive. They are trained to suspect that you are very likely about to attack them and immediately seek control and intimidation. Perhaps they are alarmed, thinking that you have a serious problem. They seem to be very over-reactive beings trying not to be human.
So, although I don’t fully share Bob’s assessment of the situation, I certainly understand his sense of the situation.
Jbee
Incidentally ric, the culture around NYC is noticeably more surly than most of the rest of the country. The Fed TSA has become outlandishly empowered. The reason given is terrorism and illegal immigration. If you sit in a factory situation all day looking at documentation and being surrounded with, probably justly, irritated people....well.
