"When the police know they won't be held accountable for violating our rights, they have no reason to respect them."
And in return, normal people have no reason to respect the police, and instead will see them as an occupying army, to be avoided when possible and thwarted when appropriate.
The war on drugs, and on other consensual behavior, have made it inevitable that the cops see everyone else as a potential criminal. It's "us vs. them", where fellow cops are "us" and the rest of the population are "them". Cops whine and moan about how terrible it is that so many people hate them, but very few own up to the fact that they've written that script themselves, by agreeing to enforce unjust laws that infringe on the natural rights of a free country.
Great synopsis of this issue, Jeff. And once again highlights the need for local community involvement and not depend on the Federal government to "do the right thing".
"When the police know they won't be held accountable for violating our rights, they have no reason to respect them."
And in return, normal people have no reason to respect the police, and instead will see them as an occupying army, to be avoided when possible and thwarted when appropriate.
The war on drugs, and on other consensual behavior, have made it inevitable that the cops see everyone else as a potential criminal. It's "us vs. them", where fellow cops are "us" and the rest of the population are "them". Cops whine and moan about how terrible it is that so many people hate them, but very few own up to the fact that they've written that script themselves, by agreeing to enforce unjust laws that infringe on the natural rights of a free country.
Great synopsis of this issue, Jeff. And once again highlights the need for local community involvement and not depend on the Federal government to "do the right thing".