Across US, after NYC deaths, a surge of support for police

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Source: AP

By DAVID CRARY
Dec. 24, 2014 1:13 AM EST


NEW YORK (AP) — Rocker Jon Bon Jovi donned a New York Police Department T-shirt on stage. Well-wishers delivered home-baked cookies by the hundreds to police in Cincinnati. In Mooresville, North Carolina, police and sheriff's officers were treated by residents to a chili dinner.

At a time when many in the nation's police community feel embattled, Americans in cities and towns across the country are making an effort to express support and gratitude.

"I'm showing a little solidarity for my brothers in the NYPD and all of those who protect and serve us every day," Bon Jovi told a cheering crowd at his concert Monday in Red Bank, New Jersey. The surge of support is linked to two distinct but overlapping developments.

The immediate catalyst was the execution-style killings of two New York City police officers as they sat in their patrol car in Brooklyn on Saturday. For many of those making appreciative gestures, there also was a desire to counter the widespread protests — steeped with criticism of police — that followed grand jury decisions not to charge white officers for their roles in the deaths of black men Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and Eric Garner in New York.

Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/5ded9f1e968e4ae186c347fff1c7f55e/across-us-after-nyc-deaths-surge-support-police

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Why is this happening? The two cops murdered in NYC are certainly deserving of praise and support, but overall, police across this country have clearly demonstrated murderous tendencies, including the ones who killed Eric Garner.

[delrem]

1. It's called "the dumbing down of the debate",

and David Crary is doing it in this article, and you're doing it by "re-tweeting" it or reposting it here.

The real debate is with respect to institutionalized racism and violence, and by definition the police are part of an "institution". By definition the police are regulated, their action is regulated. Some crazy gunning down cops, whether a right wing crazy or jihadist crazy or whatever, isn't the issue except that, of course, anyone gunning down anyone should be stopped.

There's a real problem with overt racism in parts of the US. Not in all of the US, but in parts, and fairly large parts at that. How the police have acted, time after time, to harass, arrest, and kill people who aren't of the right skin color, the right ethnicity, the right religion, is a problem. It's an *institutionalized* problem by its very nature, and can be *fixed* with the right remedies. This kind of problem has been fixed before. Nobody can fix the problem of random Jeffrey Dahmer types being incubated, nobody can solve the problem of random crazy people existing. There's a difference between the two kinds of problem!

[1step]

8. Question

Did you even read my comment below the news article? It appears, by your response, that you didn't.

[delrem]

10. Yes, I read it.

Your comment didn't distinguish from something that's *a gov't institution* and an individual.
It didn't make other distinctions as well.
It didn't make a distinction between the fact that there is a protest against *the institutional exoneration of police killings*, vs a protest against the fact that a crazy man killed two cops. The crazy man wasn't exonerated. It isn't even the same fucking thing!

[1step]

41. You have now posted two disjointed replies

Anyone else here who can perhaps make sense of the above poster's comments?

[Psephos]

2. "Why is this happening?"

It's due to a realization that it's unjust to tar all cops with the actions of a minority who disrespect their badge.

Just as it's unjust to tar all (fill in any racial minority) with the actions of a few who behave badly.

Stereotyping is corrosive, misleading, and discriminatory. It tears society apart and makes us disregard how much more, as humans, we have in common.

I say this as someone who is no fan of police. To put it lightly.

[DLnyc]

4. True, to tar all cops is unjust.

But the question I have is "Why don't the 95% (say) who are 'good' cops do something to get the few racist, violent and corrupt cops off the force?"

If that 95% of cops, who are heavily armed and have the whole justice system on their side, are too afraid to speak up about that dangerous 5%, what chance do us civilians have?

[Jesus Malverde]

6. Thats why we need concrete proposals.

End the use of flash bang grenades, stop the proliferation of military training, tactics and equipment, close down the fusion centers, require logging of demographics for all police activity, require body cams, citizen review boards, stop hiding police misconduct through administrative reviews, get rid of paid leave for suspended officers. These things and many more can go to help realign the police with the needs of the community.

If there are goals that are clearly articulated then we might be able to measure our progress to get there.

[Psephos]

13. great, specific suggestions n/t

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

28. Excellent, at the foundation of this all is the thin blue line, the fact that almost all cops

will lie not just in a trial but to protect bad cops.

Is it Alan Dershowitz who assures you all cops lie and lie all the time?

I think it was him, he would know.

[Jesus Malverde]

5. Hysterical rhetoric vs. bombastic support.

There might be a middle road that holds all communities accountable.

I have seen little in the way of concrete proposals from the "movement" other than stop killing our beautiful black men (as if they are the only victims of the police). It's emotion without a goal other than being angry. Mention something concrete like getting the federal government to turn back the war on drugs or the militarization of the police and you'll be accused of hijacking the conversation.

[heaven05]

20. They have been the only victims targeted by skin color

for generation upon generation. Your comment on "killing our beautiful black men" is mighty sarcastic especially when you follow it with "as if they are the only victims". By population numbers in this society, black and brown people are more likely to be shot by police than the privileged of this society. You and the "remain calm, show no emotion" crowd at this site that persistently discount the continuing racism and murder, based strictly on race, amaze me. But even when your former 'suggestions' earlier in thread, which, to me, were negated with your latter remarks, are taken seriously by the policing system, which WILL NEVER happen, your discounting of racism and hate behind the recent murders of black men, women and children also amazes me.

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

29. Excellent response, wish I had written it, I am a fan.

[1step]

42. BING. O!

Thank you! I join NJNP in his applause!

[Feral Child]

31. Your comment may have some validity

but I assure you that's lost by your sarcastic, derogatory and offensive phrase "beautiful black men". Please delete that, and if you won't, then you have lost all credibility, plus earned the animosity of those of us offended by it.

Please. It doesn't add to your argument. My past impression from your posts doesn't appear to be racist, but that surely does.

BTW, if you realize your mistake and delete that phrase, I'll certainly delete this post. I certainly don't want to insult your or silence your contribution.

[Skittles]

38. it has been absolutely disgusting to watch

one side all pure the other side all scum (switch depending on whose view)

sickening

[delrem]

7. But if the cops get away with it, every time, something is wrong.

Don't you think so?

[Psephos]

12. definitely

the system attracts the wrong kind of people, and then fails to rein in their power, so that corruption becomes almost inevitable

the fault is in the system as a whole, and in the bad cops individually

so the solution is to make the hard political fixes to the system, and kick the individual trash cops out of law enforcement (and into jail, as appropriate)

meanwhile, the good cops need more encouragement

I'm not holding my breath, but we have to start somewhere.

[delrem]

14. agreed.

[951-Riverside]

9. Yeah yeah I know "You hate the police as much as the next guy but..."

Heard it a million times before.

[Psephos]

11. dude, you have *no fucking idea* how much

another tar-brusher dipping into his bucket of assumptions

shut your pie hole before you look even stupider

[heaven05]

21. "dude" who are you

to tell someone to shut up? It seems you have no idea of who and what you're trying to prop up, but then maybe you do......,

[Earth_First]

16. I'm sorry...however even the 'good cops'

who so many seem to point out exist among rank and file law enforcement are complicit in this culture of corruption.

How so you may ask?

They are complicit in their inaction when they witness bold abuses of their positions of authority by their peers yet fail to report on these abuses when internal investigations would reveal this corruption.

There isn't a cop serving beyond their first week on duty that hasn't witnessed these abuses and failed to report these violations of which they're dutifully sworn to uphold, even from within.

Guilt by association and failure to uphold law and order is what has a brought us to this crossroads.

The 'Brotherhood' takes care of The 'Brotherhood' and by that sacred creed, all cops are guilty of perpetuating the culture of corruption within our system of law enforcement in this country.

If this weren't the case, the 'bad cops' would have been weeded out years ago.

Cry me a river when these innocent cops become 'victims' of the culture they created...

[chrisa]

24. This is the laziness of internet debates. Everything is simplistic.

The cops are the bad guys, the protesters are the good guys. Everything that proves otherwise is propaganda / fake / a conspiracy.

Actually, this is probably an American-wide problem. Debate is so lazy now - just have one side that you believe is always right, and the other side are the bad guys.

[Feral Child]

32. When the police

start policing their own, perhaps we'll put away the "tar" brush.


I'm assuming you don't know the origin of that phrase and it's inherent racism.

British soldiers and sailors who mingled socially and sexually with "natives" in British colonies were accused of sampling the "tar-brush"; ie, painting themselves to match the original inhabitants. T.E. Lawrence was so accused after he wrote Seven Pillars of Wisdom, an account of his dealings with Bedouins during WWI.

[LiberalElite]

17. Ain't that swell -

We just got set back oh, about 50 years.

[bemildred]

18. Where's Ted Nugent, he should be there too. nt

[Feral Child]

33. Rehab?

Cage-hunting defenseless animals with Cheney?

Molesting teenagers?

You're right, though. He's missing a chance to pretend he's relevant.

[bemildred]

34. +1. nt

[heaven05]

19. who cares

the policing institution in amerikkka has always been biased. Even off duty black police officers are afraid of their white brethren. Undercover black police officers are afraid of their white brethren these days. Oh never mind.

[Township75]

22. Bon jovi shows again he is a great man and great democrat

He always shows up big for us in elections and it is no wonder people everywhere go gah-gah over him.

[chrisa]

23. Because nobody is against just the police. They want better police.

Someone can support the police and recognize how screwed up the police are the same time.

[George II]

25. Anyone around here ever stop to think about the two "racist" officers that were murdered Saturday?

One was Asian, the other Hispanic.

[Feral Child]

35. By a lunatic

who attempted to memorialize his suicide by pretending to be acting for a cause?

Yes, sometimes cops get killed and it's a shame. But lionizing these deaths whilst minimizing the deaths of innocent men and women killed solely because of their skin color is despicable.

[JEFF9K]

26. Do the math!

You say that "overall, police across this country have clearly demonstrated murderous tendencies."

Would you put that number at 99%? 70%? 51%?

It's well below 1%!!

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

30. There is a statistic that proves less than 1% of cops have murderous tendencies?

Tendencies?


Would love to see that report.

[George II]

36. Jeff didn't throw out the concept of police officers CLEARLY having murderous tendencies...

...you did. Now you're asking HIM to disprove your sweeping assumption? Shouldn't it be the other way around?

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

37. huh? What in the world?

Look again at what he said, i said nothing other than repeated what he said

he says there is a stat and it is below 1%...i simply asked him about that

[NOLALady]

27. Interesting.

"Fox station apologizes to Black Lives Matter protester for editing chant to say ‘Kill a cop’ "

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/12/fox-station-apologizes-to-black-lives-matter-protester-for-editing-chant-to-say-kill-a-cop/

[ronnie624]

44. How brazen.

Television 'news' is a sewer.

[blkmusclmachine]

39. I bet it's 90% teabagger support. They love them some dead black kids.

[bigworld]

40. You can be supportive of police -- and still denounce police brutality when it happens

It's not one or the other.

[NaturalHigh]

43. Police officers do a job that most of us wouldn't dream of doing.

They place their lives on the line every day, and the vast majority of them deserve our respect.

[tabasco]

47. Yawn

I'm an infantry combat vet and a police officer job seems like a piece of cake.

Cops consider the American people their enemy. I consider the taliban the enemy.

[GOLGO 13]

45. They sure do. The pure hatred for the uniform on this site is astounding.

DU hatred for the police is a sight to behold.

[ileus]

46. Because most folks don't buy into "the cops are devil" BS.

[dembotoz]

48. pull out the flag and chant usa usa and justify anything